Harry Potter And The Bonds Of Time
by Vance McGill
Summary: Book 1 of Bonds of Time Saga. After an attack, Harry and Ginny Potter find themselves back in time before Harry's first year at Hogwarts. Stuck in the past with no way back, they decide to change the future for the better. Larger summary inside. Time-Travel, Soul-Bond, AU. H/G, R/Hr! COMPLETE! The sequel "Bonds of Time II: Fighting Fate" is currently in progress!
1. Anniversary

**Chapter 1  
Anniversary**

**Summary: During the memorial party marking the third anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts, Death Eaters attack the Ministry of Magic. In the skirmish, Harry and Ginny Potter wind up in the Time Chamber, a part of the Department of Mysteries and fall into a mysterious pool of water. When they wake up, Harry is eleven years old again and back on Privet Drive, and Ginny is ten and back in the Burrow, but they have their memories, thoughts and magical knowledge of their older selves. Stuck in the past with no way back, they decide to change the future for the better. **

**Ships: Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione, Remus/Tonks (later), and other canon couples.**

**Genre: Mix of Canon and Alternate Universe, Time-Travel, Soul-Bond**

**Rating: M – just in case for later chapters. Keep look out for separate warnings for individual chapters if needed.**

**Point of View: Multi-PoV – Third Person. Mainly Harry and Ginny, though characters like Dumbledore and others will have quite a few of their own PoVs throughout the story as well.**

**Author's Note: This is my first time-travel and soul-bond story, and I know there are many Harry Potter stories that either use one or both of these genres. I have read many stories like this, and while there will be certain similarities to other stories (because the scenarios and situations are either common and/or too good to pass up), I hope to make this as original as I can. **

**Early warning (for those who don't like certain story elements like this): this story will contain a manipulative Albus Dumbledore, and a smarter and more powerful Harry and Ginny. I may also have Ginny end up in Harry's year at Hogwarts, even though she is a year younger, I have yet to decide.**

**(Harry's PoV)**

_May 2__nd__, 2001_

"Harry!" Ginny Potter's voice called from the bathroom down the hallway, "Have you seen my new perfume I bought for this evening?"

"Why can't you just summon it, dear?" Harry Potter asked, as he adjusted the tie on his formal wizard's robes.

Harry grinned as he heard a scoff, and saw a small bottle, that he assumed was Ginny's perfume, zoom past his head, as if Summoned, and out of the Master Bedroom. Harry brushed a hand across his hair to cover the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead and he frowned. It had been three years to the day since he had defeated Lord Voldemort in the Battle of Hogwarts, and he would still get curious looks from his fellow citizens of the wizarding community as their eyes traveled momentarily to his scar when he spoke to them.

_Three years, _Harry mused.

A lot had happened in the three years since the end of the Second War. Harry was a fully-fledged Auror and had been for a little over a year now. For most wizards who wanted to be Aurors, training usually took three years, but Harry had been promoted to full status after only a little more than a year of training. His best friend Ron Weasley, who had joined the program almost a year after he had, was still in the middle of his training, but there was talks of his promotion coming soon as well. His wife, Ginny, was a Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies professional Quidditch team. Many times, Harry and Ginny's jobs caused the two to have to be away from each other for days on end, such as when Harry was away on missions, or Ginny was away at games in other countries. It had taken some time to get used to this, but it was something they had both prepared for and were now accustomed to.

Harry's eyes caught his wedding ring and he smiled as he twirled it around his finger with his thumb. Harry and Ginny Potter had been married for a little over seven months now. They married under one of George Weasley's Magical Marquees at the Burrow on Halloween of the previous year. The date had been debated for some time, but Harry and Ginny had finally decided to marry on that day, so as to create wonderful memories on a day that had been so tragic in Harry's past.

The couple lived at the large six bedroom, four bathroom Potter Manor in Northampton, England. Harry had no knowledge of the Manor until his eighteenth birthday, when he had received a letter from Gringotts Wizarding Bank informing him of a second vault that had belonged to his father. This vault, he discovered, was the Potter Family Vault, and was much larger than his own, which the Head Goblin, Ragnok had informed him was only an Inheritance Vault. In addition to the large piles of additional Galleons, Sickles and Knuts to add to his fortune, there was also stock certificates, and belongings that were once owned by Harry's father and grandparents, most of which were now a part of the house. There was also a deed to Potter Manor, as well as the house at Godric's Hollow and a couple other residences in other countries that were used as holiday getaway homes. Harry had yet to visit these latter two houses. The goblins had informed Harry in the letter that he was supposed to become aware of this vault on his seventeenth birthday, but because of all the mix-ups and toil in the wizarding world at that time, he had not received the notification until a year later.

Ginny appeared in the doorway of the bedroom and Harry smiled as he looked at her. Her hair was up in a ponytail (the style, a personal favorite of Harry's) and she was dressed in a white dinner dress that she had bought recently, solely for this occasion. "The occasion" was the memorial party in the Atrium at the Ministry of Magic to mark the third anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts and the end of the Second War.

"You look beautiful, dear," Harry said.

"Are you sure?" Ginny asked, with a frown, "I had to hurry and throw this on. I didn't expect Victoire's first birthday party to run so late into the afternoon. I know Bill and Fleur tried to convince Mum to have the party yesterday for her, owing to the party tonight, but she refused. You know how my Mum is. She just said that we'll probably be doing this every year as long as these memorial parties continue." Ginny scoffed and added, "It was just like Fleur to have her baby during the memorial party last year!"

Harry laughed; the memory clear in his head. Arthur Weasley, Ginny's father, had been making a speech during the party the previous year when Fleur's water broke right in the middle of the Atrium. Ginny's oldest brother Bill, Fleur's husband, and Ginny's parents had all escorted Fleur to the Apparation-safe section of the Atrium and to St. Mungo's while all of the guests were watching, mostly in amusement.

"Yes, I am sure, Ginny," Harry finally said, "You look beautiful as always."

Ginny smiled and kissed Harry on the cheek.

"You don't look too bad yourself," she said, her eyes taking in Harry's appearance, completely with the unruly hair style that he could never control, "If you're finished, we need to go soon so we don't clog up the entryways. And we are _not _using the Floo Network like we had to last year. I never cleaned all the soot stains out of my dress, even with magic."

Harry fought the urge to laugh. He remembered how Ginny had complained about her dress for days on end after last year's party.

"Yes, dear," he said, "Apparation it is. Even if we wanted to use the Floo Network, we would have had to get previous arrangements to do so. Anyway, I am almost finished here and we can go. But relax, please. We still have…" Harry yanked his pocket-watch, once owned by Fabian Prewett, and given as a gift from Molly Weasley, from his robes and checked it. "… a little less than half-an-hour before the whole thing starts. We have plenty of time to meet the family there. Kreacher, come!"

The aging house-elf, Kreacher, whom had once belonged to Harry's godfather Sirius Black and had been passed down to Harry after Sirius had died, appeared near Harry.

"Yes, Master?" Kreacher said, bowing slightly.

Harry sighed and shook his head as he saw Ginny grinning. He looked down at Kreacher who looked at him expectantly.

"How many times do I have to ask you to call me Harry, Kreacher?" he asked.

"Once more, as always, Master," Kreacher said.

Ginny giggled as Harry rolled his eyes at Kreacher's joke.

"The charms are still placed around the manor to allow us to Apparate anywhere, correct?" Harry asked.

"The charms will only allow the Master and Mistress," Kreacher said, his eyes lingering from Harry to Ginny and back, "and those deemed guests admissible as Master and Mistress has stated. Do you wish for Kreacher to modify the charms?"

"No, Kreacher," Harry said, "I'm just checking on them. Ginny and I will be leaving shortly for a few hours. We should be back before midnight. You have permission to do what you wish, in bounds of the usual rules, until we return. You may go."

"Of course, Master," Kreacher bowed, "Kreacher hopes Master and Mistress has a delightful evening on such a day."

Kreacher disappeared with a soft _pop_.

"Why did you ask him about the charms?" Ginny asked.

"As I told Kreacher, I was just checking on them," Harry said, then frowned when Ginny raised her eyebrows. He sighed, knowing that Ginny could see through him, as she always could, "Okay, I was checking because I don't want them to go wrong because of Kreacher. He's getting old, Ginny, and I've trusted him to watch the wards and charms placed on this house. I do trust him still, as much as I know you hate that, but I just know that one of these days he won't be around anymore."

"I don't hate that you trust him, Harry," Ginny said, "I get that you and Kreacher respect each other. But trusting a house-elf to something like this when we could have either done it ourselves or – I dunno – had someone else do it. Bill is good with wards –"

"Bill has his wife and child to look after," Harry said, "And I don't want to have to always have to check in with him if something goes wrong with our wards."

"Why are you so worried about the charms and wards all of a sudden?" Ginny asked.

Harry shrugged. "I'm not."

"You are, Harry," Ginny said, taking Harry's closest hand in hers, "What's wrong?"

Harry frowned and released his hand from Ginny's grip. He walked over to the end of the large bed and sat down.

"There are rumors going on around the Ministry and the Auror Department," Harry said, "that the children of known and apprehended Death Eaters are trying to stir up trouble."

"What?" Ginny asked, her eyes raised in shock and confusion, "And I'm just hearing about this now?"

"It is just rumors, Ginny!" Harry said, "No satisfactory leads. The Aurors and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement have been following these rumors ever since they started a couple months back, and most people, even Minister Shacklebolt, think it is just rumor-mongering."

"And you don't think it is just rumor-mongering, do you?" Ginny asked.

"What makes you say that?" Harry asked.

"You're worried about the protective charms and wards on our house," Ginny said, "I'm not stupid, Harry."

"I never said you were!" Harry said, his voice rising to a higher-than-normal pitch.

He sighed and stood up. He took Ginny's hands in his and rubbed his thumbs across the skin of her hands.

"Look," he said, "It probably is just rumor-mongering," Harry said. "But as an Auror and as the person I am, I tend to worry about these things more than most people would. 'Constant Vigilance' as ol' Moody liked to say. But that is just who I am."

Ginny smiled and nodded. She kissed Harry lightly on the lips.

"Yeah, that is who you are," she said, "and I wouldn't want my husband any other way. Now… are you finished yet?"

Harry released Ginny's hands and walked over to the dresser and picked up his wand. He raised up his left pant leg, which revealed a wand-holster and dropped his wand inside, then lowered the pant leg and looked up at Ginny. She had seen this all before and Harry could tell she wasn't surprised at this action.

"Yeah," Harry said, "Now I am. Are you ready to go?"

"On three," Ginny said, taking Harry's hand.

Harry and Ginny had done Side-Along Apparation so many times over the past couple of years that they didn't need to count out loud to know when the other was ready; it was more like second nature to the two of them. Harry had been used to the feeling of Apparation that it was also like a second nature, but he was always a bit dazed when he finished the process.

He and Ginny arrived, a moment later, at one of the Apparation-safe platforms that were placed at sections all along the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic. The large tunnel-like room was already crowded, as it usually was every day, only today most of the crowd around Harry and Ginny were headed the same way – their destination, the central-most part of the Atrium where numerous tables and chairs were set near a large stage.

"Off the platform as soon as you arrive!" a voice announced, "Off the platform, you lot, don't need anyone getting Splinched! Ah, Auror Potter, there you are! Come over here!"

Harry turned toward the owner of the voice and recognized one of his fellow Aurors, John Dawlish, standing off to the edge of the platform. He waved to the Auror and turned to Ginny.

"You should go," Ginny said, "Probably important. I'll see if I can find our family. Look for me at one of the tables near the stage."

Harry nodded and Ginny kissed him on the cheek. He let go of his wife's hand and they parted. He walked over to Dawlish and shook his awaiting hand.

"What are you doing down here on arrival detail, John?" Harry said, "I thought you'd be escorting our old friend, the Minister?"

"So did I," Dawlish said, shrugging, "and I was, until a couple hours ago."

"What changed?" Harry asked.

"Another anonymous tip," Dawlish said, in a low voice so only Harry would hear, "Just came in late this afternoon."

Harry groaned. Over the past couple of weeks, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement had received a number of anonymous tips from somebody claiming to know of a new threat to the wizarding world in the form of the children of known and apprehended Death Eaters.

"What did this one say?" Harry asked.

"Warned of an attack on this party tonight," Dawlish said.

"Figures," Harry grunted, shaking his head, "What is Kingsley doing about it?"

"Aurors at every Apparation point in the Atrium," Dawlish said, "Mostly top Aurors like myself, then we have four of the best rookies as Kingsley's escorts. That isn't all either. Secrecy Sensors and Sneakoscopes, all under Disillusionment Charms assisting Aurors as well. Those guests who want to use the Floo Network had to get express permission from the Floo Regulation Department to do so. I assume you already knew that, though. And then only Aurors and higher-up Ministry officials with sanctioned wands can access the lifts tonight."

"Why didn't I get called in for duty then?" Harry asked, though he thought he knew the answer already.

"Are you serious?" Dawlish grunted, "This whole thing is usually in your honor."

Harry sighed and shook his head. "It wasn't just me who fought in the final battle, John."

"Yeah, but do you remember seeing many Aurors that day?" Dawlish asked, then shook his head, "I can already tell you… nope. This party is in your honor as well as the Minister's honor and everyone else who fought for our side in the battle, such as your beautiful wife."

He grinned and Harry shook his head.

"You know better than to say stuff like that in front of me," Harry said, though he grinned, "Did you call me over just to talk about the anonymous tip?"

"Nope," Dawlish grunted, "I'm not sure if you were aware, but Kingsley wants you to make a speech tonight as well."

"A speech?" Harry said, and felt his throat tighten, "I had no warning!"

"I expect that is part of Kingsley's plan," Dawlish said, with a grin, "You are well-known for doing your best work without warnings and foreknowledge. Good luck with that, Auror Potter."

"A speech," Harry said, shaking his head, "Damn you, Kingsley."

"I'd watch it, Potter," Dawlish said, his lips still tightened in a grin, "Cursing the Minister, even with just words, is frowned upon around here."

"You're a riot!" Harry said, chuckling.

He lightly punched the now laughing Auror's shoulder and rejoined the crowd that was headed for the stage and tables. It took almost ten minutes to get there since he had to go with the flow of the crowd, and when he arrived, he immediately found Ginny sitting with the extended Weasley family.

"There you are, mate!" Ron Weasley, Harry's best friend of almost ten years said, "Isn't it a little early for chumming around? You have all night for that."

"Ha-ha," Harry said, smacking Ron's shoulder lightly, "You know fair well I don't come to these things for that. I can do that any old day."

"Except most of those days you also tend to try to avoid it," Hermione, Ron's wife of over a year, and Harry's other best friend, said with a smile.

"You know me too well, Hermione," Harry said, as he sat down at the large table next to Ginny.

Hermione chuckled.

Harry looked around the table at the extended Weasley family. Joining his wife and best friends were Arthur and Molly, Ginny's parents, as well as George and his wife, Angelina, and Audrey Collins, Percy's fiancée. Harry expected Percy was probably chumming up with some Ministry folk. Harry spotted the oldest of the Weasley children, Bill, and his wife, Fleur, speaking to Andromeda Tonks, who was sitting at a neighboring table. Charlie Weasley, the second-oldest child was the only member of the family not in attendance; his job as a dragon trainer in Romania usually never allowed him to join the family for events like this.

Harry grinned when he saw Victoire in her baby-seat, giggling and pointing at a small boy who was sitting near Andromeda. The boy was three-year old Teddy Lupin, Harry's godson. His hair was changing colors from green to blue to gold, a part of his gift as a Metamorphmagus, and Harry knew Teddy was entertaining Victoire with his gift.

Harry frowned a bit, looking at Teddy, and his thoughts ventured to things he usually didn't think about, except for occasions like this. Teddy's parents, Remus and Dora Lupin, had been killed fighting in the Battle of Hogwarts, along with Fred Weasley, George's twin, and at least fifty others. It was these fallen people who were truly the ones being celebrated this evening.

He looked around at the hundreds of guests and guessed that the numbers would be well over a thousand, as they usually were for occasions like this. Harry recognized many of his fellow classmates and other Hogwarts alumni that he had known over the years while at school, many of whom were part of the defense club known as Dumbledore's army. A few of them nodded toward him in acknowledgement when they noticed him looking. Harry saw Neville Longbottom sitting next to Hannah Abbot and he grinned when he saw what he thought he recognized as matching engagement rings on their hands. Neville had apparently seen him looking because he grinned and raised the hand to wave at him.

"Congratulations," Harry mouthed.

Neville blushed slightly and turned back to Hannah. Harry felt a nudge on his shoulder and turned to see Ginny looking at him questioningly.

"Are you okay?" she asked, softly.

"Yeah," Harry said, "Just the usual jitters of this whole ordeal. You know how it usually is."

Ginny nodded. "What did John Dawlish want? You can't tell me he just wanted to say 'hi'."

"Apparently Kingsley wants me to make a speech tonight," Harry said. "Can you believe it? I had no warning."

"Did you need a warning?" Hermione asked, "You're better doing stuff with no foreknowledge of the event."

"That is exactly what Dawlish said too!" Harry said, shaking his head.

"Did ol' Dawlish say anything else besides asking you to do a speech?" Ron asked.

Harry sighed and took his wand from his holster. He cast the "Muffliato" Charm around everyone so it affected all but him, Ginny, Ron and Hermione.

"You heard too, didn't you?" Harry asked his best mate.

"Didn't have to," Ron said, "I expected something was going on. Aurors stationed at every Apparation point. Doesn't take any old Auror-in-Training to notice that, does it?"

"Kingsley thinks there will be an attack of some kind?" Hermione asked, as she anxiously looked around at the Apparation-safe platform a good distance away.

"Just an anonymous tip," Harry said, "But we get quite a few of these lately."

"Yeah, but Harry," Ginny said, "This is a big event, something like this. It would be – well, ideal – for some dark forces to do something. There are over a thousand people here…"

"The Ministry is taking all of these tips seriously," Harry said, "But really… we shouldn't worry about it too much. We should enjoy the night – as much as we can anyway."

"You've spent way too much time in the Auror Department, Harry," Ron muttered, "You're really starting to sound like them."

Harry looked at Ginny and Hermione, both of whom were nodding and frowning. Harry sighed and shook his head. He lifted the Muffliato Charm and suddenly heard a bit of commotion off in the distance. Harry stood up quickly, thinking an attack was happening, then saw what the commotion was all about. Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt was walking out of one of the lifts, surrounded by four Aurors. He was dressed in his usual get-up of purple wizarding robes and hat that Harry was accustomed to seeing the man wear. The Aurors around him started to push a few of the guests away, but Kingsley stopped them and allowed some of the guests to shake his hand.

Harry noticed many of those who were shaking the Minister's hand were Hogwarts Professors such as Professors McGonagall and Sprout, as well as a few whom Harry recognized as more former classmates and other Hogwarts alum. These were wizards and witches who had fought alongside Harry and the Minister in the Battle of Hogwarts and, like the dearly departed, should also be celebrated here tonight.

Across the table, Percy arrived and sat down next to Audrey. He nodded to Harry silently, and Harry returned the greeting. Soon, Kingsley arrived at the stage, He walked up the steps and over to the podium in the middle of the stage; Harry noticed the Ministry insignia etched on the podium. The protection detail assigned to him surrounded the stage, one rookie Auror at each corner. Kingsley's eyes caught Harry's and Harry bowed slightly and smiled. Kingsley bowed slightly in return.

For a few moments, Kingsley stood there at the podium and allowed the guests to take their seats or stand around the outside of the tables. The noise in the Atrium, which only a minute ago had been full of laughter and conversation, was now almost silent. Kingsley took his wand from his pocket and Harry, whose hearing had been trained to detect whispers, heard him mutter "Sonorous" under his breath.

"Welcome," Kingsley said, "to the third anniversary memorial party, celebrating this, the third full year in a row signifying our freedom away from Dark forces."

A round of applause filled the Atrium. Kingsley nodded and his hands rose to silence the crowd again.

"Party… celebration," Kingsley continue, "I use those words to describe this event tonight, but I ask myself… 'is that what this really is… a party?' Are we truly celebrating something? Yes, we are celebrating our freedom and the victory against tyranny and war against the dark forces. But can all of us still call it a celebration? Yes, this day marks a date in history only three years ago when the Battle of Hogwarts took place, and we were victorious against the Dark. But this also marks three years since many of you whom are seated in front of me and standing around lost family members, loved ones, and friends…"

Kingsley's eyes traveled to Harry's table, then to other tables near the stage, many of which had friends and family of those who had gave their lives in the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry saw George's face pale as Angelina comforted him; George had long since been able to go day-to-day without mourning Fred, but he would still get emotional on days like today, and their birthday, April 1st, and holidays. Harry saw Andromeda picking up Teddy, as the toddler chuckled quietly. A few tables away, Harry saw Dennis Creevey and his Muggle father, their faces echoing the loss they felt even now from Colin Creevey's death.

"… and I am not sure if they would call it a celebration," Kingsley continued. "I lost quite a few friends during that battle and even three years later, I still think back on their faces and wish they were here to celebrate such a victory with us. As I am sure their loved ones all wish they could be here. I only ask, and know that this is all I can do personally as your Minister, that you remember what they fought for. I ask that you remember what many in here fought for and know that on this day, three years after the battle that led us to the reason we're here, we can all be thankful that we're here. And we are here because of them. So I ask that we do celebrate their names and that we do remember them."

Kingsley raised his wand and pointed it off to the side of the stage, toward the Fountain of Magical Brethren. Harry only noticed then that there were blankets covering much of the fountain, including the top of it. Now the blankets were floating away and the fountain had changed slightly. Around the edges of the fountain, words were etched into the golden walls and Harry didn't have to look closely to know there were dozens of names listed there. At the very tip of the fountain, resting high above the statue of the wizard and witch, now rested a metal depiction of a phoenix. The guests in the Atrium stood and once again broke out into applause and voices full of wonder and amazement were heard. This went on for a good five minutes before it died down.

"The Phoenix now resting on top of the Fountain of Magical Brethren," Kingsley continued, as the guests returned to their seats, "signifies that the wizarding world has risen up from the ashes of the First and Second War. It will now, forevermore, rest there to show everyone who walks through this establishment that the wizarding world has overcome the obstacles and burdens we once carried. The names etched along the fountain not only represent those who gave their lives in the Battle of Hogwarts, but also those who gave their lives in the years of the First and Second Wars, so that we can remember those who fought bravely, stood up against Dark, and died, so that we may be here today."

Harry felt Ginny's hand squeeze his and he nodded as she looked at him. He knew that somewhere on that fountain, amongst those who gave their lives, were the names of James and Lily Potter and Sirius Black. Harry felt tears in his eyes, the first of the night, as he thought of his parents and godfather.

Harry looked up at Kingsley, who was now looking at him. The Minister gestured toward Harry, and Harry realized that Kingsley wanted him to take the podium. Harry sighed and nodded.

"As we have done the past couple of years," Kingsley said, "I'm sure many of you want to say a few words to mark the occasion. I call up first Harry Potter to start us off."

Many eyes rounded on Harry and he inhaled and exhaled. He squeezed Ginny's hand and kissed her softly on the cheek, then stood up. He made his way to the steps and walked up onto the stage, then over to the podium. Kingsley offered a hand and Harry shook it. He then turned to the podium and looked out at the guests. Until now, he didn't know how many guests had come for this event, but there had to be well over a thousand, perhaps closer to fifteen-hundred.

Harry cleared his throat and used the Sonorous Charm to magnify his voice.

"Thank you, Minister Shacklebolt," Harry said. "I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say how much I appreciate the message the Fountain of Magical Brethren now gives us."

Harry looked around at the crowd as he tried to think of what to say next. He looked down at Ginny, Ron and Hermione, all of whom were smiling up at him.

"I'm sure most of you in this room know who I am," Harry said, "And I know who quite a few of you are, either personally, or perhaps have met in my life at one point, or have passed by you here in the Ministry and gave an occasional nod. Many of you have something in common with me. Like me, you have lost family or loved ones or friends whom have passed away or gave their lives during the First and Second Wars. I know I've said it quite a few times in the past, as my closest friends will tell you, but I would give up everything I had to have those who I love most and whom I have lost here with us tonight. I would give anything to have all of our loved ones with us here tonight to celebrate right along with us. I never wanted any of the horrors in our past to happen and I would do anything if I could have just a few of our friends here with us. But as many of you will probably agree with me, and as I have been told in the past, those we lost are still with us if we know where to look."

Harry put a hand up to his heart and looked over his shoulder at the fountain once again.

"I can't ask any of you," he said, turning back to the crowd, "to not mourn those you lost. I still mourn those I lost, especially during days like today. But what I will ask you to do is to thank those who you knew who are no longer with us, because they are the reason we are here today. Everyone knows the story of how my own mother sacrificed herself so that I could be here today. But if you think about it, that is something we have in common. We are here, many of us are here, because someone we knew gave their lives for us. I am thankful for that."

A smatter of applause rang out across the Atrium and others joined in. Harry nodded and felt tears in his eyes. The applause seemed to grow louder and other noises joined in.

But Harry soon realized that these additional noises were not of joyous applause, but of sirens and buzzing sounds. Harry recognized these sounds as the alarms from the Secrecy Sensors and Sneakoscopes going off.

"Attack!" someone yelled from one of the Apparation points, "We're under attack!"

And that was when all hell broke loose.

-  
**First chapter finished! This chapter and the next chapter are the introductory chapters before we get into the actual story. Next chapter will show how Harry and Ginny end up in the predicament that sends them back in time. It will also end in a cliffhanger, but I promise that very few chapters will end in one.**

**Also, I'm not sure how frequent I will update this at the moment. I just got finished moving to a new house and don't have too much internet access right now. But once I do (I will inform you then) then I will try to update at least once a week or more.**


	2. The Time Chamber

**Chapter 2  
The Time Chamber**

**Author's Note: I'm already getting a few questions, and one is about what I will do about Ron and Hermione's relationship. Those who usually read my stories know I am a big Ron/Hermione shipper, and I always include that in my stories. There will be fluff between them as the story progresses, definitely later in the story, and perhaps a few PoV switches between Ron and Hermione as well. So don't fret Ron/Hermione shippers, I haven't forgotten about them.**

**(Harry's PoV)**

An old witch screamed in terror and this caused many of the hundreds of guests to scream as well. Pops and cracks of Apparation were heard over the terrified screams and Harry looked around as figures in black caps and white masks appeared in groups at each Apparation point. He recognized these costumes instantly.

These were the outfits usually seen on Death Eaters.

A red spell shot over the crowd, toward the stage. Kingsley and Harry ducked and a loud sound of metal scraping was heard, followed by a bang. Harry turned just in time to see the phoenix statue on the fountain crashing toward the floor. This alone caused Harry to snap into action, as well as countless others. While most of the partygoers were screaming and trying to find some place to hide from the attackers, a number of wizards, including many Aurors and hit-wizards scattered around the crowd, leapt into action. As Harry hurried off the stage, the four Aurors assigned as Kingsley's protection duty surrounded the Minister.

"I'm going to fight!" Harry heard Kingsley say.

"Fight when we can get you protected, Minister!" one of the Aurors said.

Kingsley said something, but Harry didn't pay attention. He was making his way through the crowd where he saw a group of redheads, who he knew were most of the Weasleys. They were throwing curses at the attackers – whom Harry was sure was the new threat of Death Eaters – as they came in from all sides. Screams of pain and anger were heard around the crowd and Harry saw a masked figure coming closer, and he raised his wand and shot a silent stunner toward the attacker. The attacker ducked, but this caused others to go after him.

"Harry!" Ginny's voice called out from close by.

Harry pushed through the crowd and found Ginny, Ron, Hermione and the Weasleys there.

"Harry, don't you dare tell me to try and get out of here!" Ginny said, "I can fight –"

Ginny was cut off by a loud noise and Harry looked over the heads of some of the Weasleys to see that a table had collapsed, burying what Harry was sure was at least a couple of people who had been hiding under it. Harry only spared a moment of thought to hope they were okay, before aiming a couple of spells over the heads of his friends, hoping they would collide with opposition. Then he turned back to his wife.

"Ginny, I know you can fight," he said, "But I want you to find a way to get our family and friends out of here!"

"We'll never get them to the Apparation points in here!" Ron said, "Not through this crowd!"

Before Harry could answer back, a scream tore through the air as more spells flew over the heads of the crowd. Harry, Ginny and the others each sent curses and hexes toward the incoming Death Eaters.

"We have to find a way!" Harry said, "We all can't fight like this. Not with everyone in a crowd; it'd be like shooting fish in a barrel. This is a job for us Aurors!"

Truthfully, Harry knew that a great number of his friends and family could fight, but in this crowd, there was more danger than usual and it would get too unpredictable. He just wanted to get his loved ones out before he got into the fight.

"… the lower floors?" Harry heard Hermione say, "I'm sure we can find places there to Apparate out of… or the Floo Networks."

Harry was about to respond but he saw a spell coming his way.

"Protego!" Harry yelled, creating a barrier around those closest to him.

The barrier was so strong, the spell bounced off. It rebounded toward the ceiling and Harry heard cracks as portions of the ceiling started to crumble toward them. Without thinking, Harry pulled Ginny away and saw Ron pulling Hermione toward them, as others, including many of the Weasleys went the opposite way. A loud rumble tore through the room as pieces of debris landed where many had stood. Dust and smoke, and spells tore through the air, and Harry looked around. Ginny, Ron and Hermione were nearby, but the other Weasleys had gotten lost in the crowd.

"The lower levels are our best chance, Harry!" Ron said nearby, "Maybe we can lure a few of those bastards with us. Like you said, we can't take them on without this crowd around us."

Harry nodded and stood up slowly. He noticed a few of the nearby lifts rising up toward the floor.

"Right!" Harry said, "Ginny, Hermione, get toward the lifts. Ron and I will give you time."

"I'm not going without you!" Ginny growled.

Hermione nodded and clung onto Ron.

"We'll be there!" Ron said, "Just go!"

Harry stood up and sent off a volley of spells toward a point near the lifts, and hoped that they had either hit the Death Eaters, or had distracted them.

"Go!" Ron snarled at Hermione and Ginny, "We'll be right behind you!"

Ron forcefully pushed Hermione in the direction of the lifts and Harry did the same with Ginny. Ginny gave in and started dragging Hermione toward the lifts. She sent a stunning spell off to the side, and Harry and Ron sent their own toward the same direction. Harry then pointed his wand at the lift Ginny and Hermione were headed toward, and put a protective barrier around it. Harry watched as Ginny and Hermione hurried through it.

"Come on!" Ginny said, hastily.

Harry started off toward the lifts, but saw three Death Eaters coming from behind them. Behind Harry, Ron sent a curse toward one of the Death Eaters and sent them stumbling to the ground. Harry pointed his wand at the lift, the doors clanged shut.

"No!" Ginny growled, banging on the lift, "Get over here, Harry!"

Harry waved his wand at the lift and it started sinking into the ground.

"I'll find you!" Harry said to Ginny, as he watched the lift disappear into the floor.

Harry was then forcefully dragged to the ground, and at first he thought it was Ron's doing, but he found that his best mate was also on the floor, though he looked okay. Harry heard a familiar voice sending off curses and saw Neville Longbottom and Hannah Abbot nearby. Their spells hit the Death Eaters that had come in behind the lift, sending them to the floor.

"You all right, Harry?" Neville said, ducking down to the ground, "They almost got you. You have any plans?"

"Hey," Hannah said, as Neville and Ron sent off a couple of spells, "where's Ginny and Hermione?"

"On a lift going down to one of the floors," Harry said, "They're trying to find an alternate way out."

"Good thinking!" Neville said.

"Harry, we have to get down there!" Ron said, "We don't know if Death Eaters are down there. They could be going after them."

"Right," Harry said, his eyes on another lift, "Come on!"

As soon as Harry stood up, more spells came his way. Three more cloaked figures were headed across the hall toward them.

"Get to the lifts!" Neville said, "We'll give you space to get there!"

Before Harry could object, Neville and Hannah ran forward, casting spells at the Death Eaters. Harry pulled Ron to his feet and they hurried off toward the lifts. Harry felt the ground shake behind him as a spell hit tiles. Harry ran toward the lift and pushed Ron into it. As soon as Harry dove into it, he waved his wand and the gate slammed close. Harry saw a Death Eater coming his way and he pointed his wand at him and stunned him. He then waved his wand at the lift and it started to quickly descend into the ground. Screams of panic and terror and spells tore through the air, and Harry thought he heard Hannah Abbot scream Neville's name, as the lift descended into the ground.

"Okay, where could Ginny and Hermione be?" Harry said, "We don't even know –"

"Lifts, locate Ministry worker Hermione Weasley," Ron called out, looking toward the reflective ceiling.

"Hermione Weasley exited through the Ninth floor with one other occupant," the cool voice said, "Court Rooms and Department of Mysteries."

"What could they be doing there?" Ron muttered, more to himself than Harry, "Never mind, take us directly there!"

"Good thinking," Harry said, as the lifts started to descend on their own.

"Hope the rest of our family's okay," Ron said, frowning, "Why did we leave them, Harry?"

"We'll find them, Ron!" Harry said, "As soon as we find Ginny and Hermione and a way out."

"Okay," Ron said, nodding, then looked at the ceiling again, "Er, Harry… where do you think all those Death Eaters came from? There were too many just to be the kids –"

"They've been recruiting, I bet," Harry said, "Must have… these past three years, anything could have happened between then and now."

"Yeah, but why now?" Ron asked, "Why three years after the end of the Second War?"

"The wizarding world is getting back on its feet," Harry said, "People living their everyday lives, you know. The common citizen hardly thinks about something like this these days. It has been three years and we all just want to live our lives again. They attacked when most of the wizarding world didn't expect it."

"This isn't the start of the rumored Third War, is it?" Harry asked.

"No," Harry said, shaking his head, "They may have had the surprise attack and numbers, but it wouldn't be enough to cause the wizarding world to go into a Third War."

Harry looked at Ron, who nodded his agreement, though he looked very relieved to do so. The lifts opened onto the bottommost floor.

"Come on," Harry whispered pointing his wand forward.

Ron nodded and followed Harry as he slowly walked out of the lifts out of the lifts.

"Freeze!" a familiar voice said.

"Ginny?" Harry called out.

Ginny and Hermione appeared from behind a corner. Ginny smiled when she saw Harry and ran over toward Harry and hugged him. Hermione did the same to Ron.

"Why are you down this deep?" Ron asked Hermione.

"We couldn't stop the lift in time to find another floor," Hermione said, "I think a spell jinxed it, and it was all I could do to stop it before it crashed."

"Do the Anti-Apparation Charms go down this deep?" Ginny asked.

Before Harry could answer in the negative, a whooshing sound was heard.

"That sounded like someone coming out of a fireplace," Ron whispered, "Didn't it?"

More whooshing sounds were heard and Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione pointed their wands toward the direction of the noise.

"Great idea, using the Floo Network to get down here," a heavy voice said.

"Hush!" a commanding voice said, "I thought I heard voices."

Suddenly, the whole hallway was doused in pitch black darkness. Harry heard a number of footsteps and then what sounded like Hermione muttering a spell. Suddenly Harry could see again, and when he did, he realized there were six figures in cloaks and white masks pointing their wands toward him and his friends.

"Well, well," the same commanding voice said, "Look who we have here. Potter and his friends."

Harry recognized that voice at once.

"Theodore Nott," he said, "Should have known you'd be mixed up in this. Like father, like son."

"Think you're going to stop all of us?" a female voice asked, "Down here to head us off?"

"Pansy Parkinson?" Hermione asked, "Why am I not surprised?"

Pansy laughed. "Hello again, Mudblood. Long time."

A third masked figure laughed and Ron grunted in disgust.

"Gregory Goyle," he said, "What a way to value the memory of Crabbe."

"Shut up, Weasel," Goyle snarled.

"Who else is there?" Harry asked, looking around at the other figures, "Draco?"

Nott belched a harsh laugh. "Mallfoy's gone soft… did so long before the Dark Lord fell. We wouldn't want him."

"Why are you doing this?" Harry demanded, "Voldemort is long gone. He isn't coming back."

"Just because he's gone," Nott said, "Doesn't mean his noble work isn't finished. Good way to start it off though, with the deaths of Harry Potter, and his wife?"

"You won't touch her!" Harry growled, "NOW!"

Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione sent off a volley of spells toward the six Death Eaters. Harry heard three thuds, and pulled Ginny toward a wall on their left. He hoped Hermione and Ron had done the same, and found them hurdling toward another wall, just as spells cut through where they had stood only moments before.

"We should try to round these guys up!" Ginny whispered, "The fireplaces they came from sound close."

Harry agreed and was about to say so, when he heard a loud whooshing sound and thought more people were coming through the fireplaces, though after a moment he realized they were coming from behind him. Harry looked toward the lifts and saw one starting to open. Two cloaked and masked figures were standing in the lift.

"Watch out!" Nott yelled, "Potter is down here!"

Harry sent a Reducto spell toward the lifts, and saw the two figures dive out of the way just in time, as it exploded on the spell's impact. Ginny sent spell after spell down toward Nott's gang, as Ron and Hermione aimed spells toward the two new arrivals. One of the two figures' robes caught on fire and he screamed. The other tried to put out the fire and Harry stunned them both. Harry was ready to run toward Nott, but more whooshing sounds came from fireplaces.

"No good!" Ginny said, holding Harry back, "More are coming!"

Ginny took Harry's hand and they ran over to Ron and Hermione, casting spells in the direction of Nott's gang.

"We'll never get through that way!" Ron growled.

"What do we do?" Hermione asked.

Harry didn't answer as he tried to think of the best strategy. Could they hope to get back on the lifts and try to find other routes? Perhaps get back to the Atrium? Harry shook his head… no, they would be easy targets in the lifts if there was any delay.

"The Department of Mysteries!" Ron said, nodding toward the direction of where the lifts were, "We can lose them in there and gain advantage!"

"Are you serious?" Ginny asked, "We'll get lost!"

"So will they!" Ron said, "Thing is, we've been there before!"

"He's right!" Harry said, "Let's go!"

"I hope we don't regret this!" Ginny said.

Hermione and Ginny ran ahead first, while Harry and Ron sent off spells to distract Nott's gang. Then they ran too, following Hermione and Ginny toward the familiar corridor that would lead them inside the room. As soon as they reached the door, they heard footsteps coming. Hermione opened the door, and the four of them hurried inside. Ron went to slam the door, and Hermione shrieked for him to stop, but the door slammed before Ron could stop it.

The room started to spin as the doors changed spots.

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed, "We needed to close it off! They'll be coming soon!"

"We need to go!" Harry said, before Ron could respond, "Choose a door!"

Ron nodded and dragged Hermione off toward a door. Ron opened it and started inside.

"Come on!" Ron yelled.

Harry took Ginny's hand, and was about to run toward Ron, when a door opened and a spell hit the wall above Ron. He screamed and backed into the room.

"No!" Harry yelled, as the door slammed close.

Harry heard a shriek and another door slam as the doors once again spun around.

"What's going on?" Goyle's voice rang out in confusion.

"Stupefy!" Ginny yelled.

The stunning spell hit Goyle square in the chest and he hit the floor.

"We have to go!" Ginny said.

"What about Ron and Hermione?" Harry asked.

"We'll find them!" Ginny said, running toward a door, "Come on!"

Harry nodded and followed Ginny as she opened a door. They ran through the door and slammed it behind them.

"RON?" Harry called out, "HERMIONE?"

Nothing. Harry and Ginny lit their wands to see better, and raised them in the air.

"Harry!" Ginny gasped, "We're in the Time Chamber!"

Harry nodded as he looked around. He could see aisles full of large carriage and box-shaped clocks

"Harry, over there!" Ginny said, pointing off to the right, "I see a light of some kind."

Harry squinted his eyes to see better. In the distance, he saw a blue light shimmering in the distance. It seemed to be moving back and forth.

"Come on!" Harry said.

He took Ginny's hand and they hurried off over toward the light, running through the aisles. Harry hoped the light was coming from another room, but when they approached it, they found a body of water, like a swimming pool or giant bathtub.

"What is this?" Ginny asked, "This wasn't here a few years ago, was it?"

"No," Harry said, shaking his head, "We would have seen it."

"Think it has something to do with time travel?" Ginny asked, "Kind of a strange time turner –"

Harry heard the door on the other side of the room slam, and turned toward the noise. Ginny did as well, and turned too. They pointed their wands forward, their backs turned toward the strange pool.

"Think they're in here?" Pansy Parkinson's voice said.

"They could be anywhere," an unfamiliar voice said, "This place is huge."

Ginny raised her wand, but Harry took her arm and shook her head.

"Not yet," he whispered.

Ginny nodded and said in a whisper, "What do you think? Try to get out of here before they see us? Hide and wait and attack?"

Harry shrugged and looked over his shoulder. He and Ginny couldn't hide in the pool. He didn't exactly trust it. And the aisles weren't big enough to hide in. They would surely be seen, before they would see their opposition.

Then, Harry saw a light on the tip of a wand. Hoping it would aim true, he shot a stunning spell toward light. The result was a heavy thud that resonated throughout the room.

"Oi!" Pansy shrieked, "What was that? Did you trip and -?"

"Stupefy!" Ginny yelled, sending a spell across the room.

"Missed!" Pansy shrieked, "Avada Kedavra! Reducto!"

Harry and Ginny ducked as the green beam flew over their heads missing them. But Pansy's other spell hit the floor in front of them, causing debris to fly toward them. Harry pulled Ginny away from the debris… unfortunately there was only one direction for them to go.

Straight back into the pool.

Harry hit the water and tried to find Ginny and his way to the surface, but suddenly, he felt a force that seemed to pull him deeper under the water. He looked around desperately for Ginny and, through blurry eyes, found her also desperately trying to reach the surface but she was being pulled under as well. Harry tried as best he could to reach her, but he could feel his strength leaving him. He tried to yell for Ginny but couldn't through the water. He could see her thrashing around desperately trying to swim to the surface.

His focus blurred and his vision was starting to go black.

_I'm going to drown. I can't reach the surface. I hope Ginny can find a way out. Please._

Suddenly a golden light started to shine out of nowhere, and through his blurry vision saw what looked like a waterspout of some kind. The spout caught him in its torrent and he could see it also had Ginny. He tried to reach for Ginny but couldn't…

He opened his mouth to yell for Ginny and swallowed a mouthful of water. He then felt a warm sensation spread through his body. It felt like he was burning, which was odd because the water was rather cool…

And that was when he finally blacked out.

-  
**Yes, another cliffhanger as I said there would be. This is the end of the "How?" part. Next chapter starts the beginning of the actual story.**

**How was the action? Hope it was okay. I was more focused on them getting into the Time Chamber, so the action was kind of like a side-part of it.**


	3. Voices In My Head

**Chapter 3  
****Voices In My Head**

**Author's Note: One of the non-canon things this story is going to have, is that the characters (at least Harry and Ginny because they're predicament has given them side-effects that will be explained in story) can Apparate without a wand and do spells of their own without a wand, though it will be a lot less powerful. I tried to figure out a way to go through my plans for the next couple of chapters without doing this, but I couldn't, so I had to resort to this. Also, in Ginny's PoV I will refer to her parents as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. I've always done it like this in my stories so I don't confuse myself.**

**Q&A Time:**

**Q: **** I was hoping that Ron and Hermione would also be****sent back but I guess that's not happening.**

**A: At the very beginning of creating this story, when I was going through my thoughts on what I should do, I had debated whether Ron and Hermione would Harry and Ginny from the future. I had seen stories with either the trio or the trio and Ginny, but I decided just Harry and Ginny. Ron and Hermione will have a lot to do with this story, and (a bit of a spoiler), they will be two of the characters who, at one point, learn Harry and Ginny's secret. The only question is when? As for that… you'll have to wait and find out.**

**(Harry's PoV)**

Harry gasped, taking in deep thankful breaths of air. For a moment, he thought he was blind, but he soon realized it was just completely dark. He then realized he was no longer in the water, nor did he think he was in the Time Chamber.

"G-Ginny?" Harry called out.

His voice echoed off the walls surrounding him. He seemed to be in a very small room, but that wasn't what had worried him most. He put a hand to his throat: his voice sounded strange… almost squeaky. Perhaps an after-effect of nearly drowning?

Suddenly, the sound of scraping metal was heard and light shone into the small room. He covered his eyes and when he looked again, he saw that the light was coming through a small metal grate in a doorway.

"Get up!" a voice commanded, "Now!"

Harry almost screamed. He had not heard that voice in almost three years. It was the voice of his Aunt Petunia. Harry's mind raced as he wondered what was going on.

An impossible thought went to the front of his mind and he didn't want to believe it at first. He reached his hand up and felt around. His fingers hit a thin piece of string. He pulled down on it and the light brightened the room.

Harry looked around in horror. _He was in the cupboard under the stairs at Number 4, Privet Drive._

To his right, he saw a shard of mirror and picked it up. He slowly lifted it up and looked at his reflection. What he saw almost made him drop the mirror. He was staring at his ten-year old self. He put his free hand to his face and felt it. This couldn't be real... could it?

He tried to think of the last thing he remembered. He was drowning in a pool in the Time Chamber. The word hit him like a ton of bricks.

_Time._

His mind went back to one of his last conversations with Ginny, when they had first seen the pool.

"_What is this?" Ginny asked, "This wasn't here a few years ago, was it?"_

"_No," Harry said, shaking his head, "We would have seen it."_

"_Think it has something to do with time travel?" Ginny asked, "Kind of a strange time turner –"_

As he thought about that, his mind went back to Ginny. What had happened to her? Did she black out in the pool as well and –

And what? Harry's mind reeled with questions. Could he really believe he had gone back this far in time? Time Turners only went back hours… not months or years… definitely not this many years. So what was happening? Was he really dead and this was some kind of afterlife?

A noise above him tore him from his reverie. He heard a pounding of sorts and a grumbling noise.

A moment later, a large blur passed by the grate.

"Do I have to go to school today?" a whiny voice said that Harry recognized as Dudley.

"Of course, pumpkin," Petunia said, "Picture day is today. You know Auntie Marge loves those school pictures!"

"Okay," Dudley moaned, "Yeah. Right. Hey, where's breakfast?"

"Soon, Diddy," Petunia said, "Soon. Hey, Vernon…"

"What?" Vernon's voice asked, "Oh… right. BOY! What's the hold-up? I better see you here in this kitchen in a minute!"

Harry groaned. He found his glasses and put them on his face, then opened the door and crawled out into the hall. He didn't want to know what was going on, but he figured if he had to do this for now, he didn't want to have too much drama. He'd make breakfast and it would at least distract his relatives and leave him to his thoughts.

He pushed through the door way and into the kitchen. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"Fix the bacon and eggs and don't burn them!" Petunia growled, "And hurry up. You will be in that car in an hour, even if you haven't had breakfast. And you better wear decent clothes today! If we have to pay for your pictures, you will do them right. And you better smile and look proper. Last year you were frowning and your hair was a mess!"

"Yes, Aunt Petunia," Harry said.

Vernon harrumphed and raised the newspaper again. Harry's eyes went straight toward the left hand corner on the front page, and he saw the date on the newspaper. If it was that morning's newspaper, like it usually was (Vernon never read day-old papers), then the date was May 3rd, 1991. Harry turned to the stove and started on breakfast, as his mind raced through the predicament he was in.

So if the pool was truly some kind of strange time-turner he had come back almost exactly ten years in time, save a few hours. Perhaps he had appeared in the cupboard when he blacked out and he had slept through the night? But how could it have been a time-turner? Most time-turners, when used, sent the user back in time, but there was always the younger self somewhere. But as far as he knew, he was now his ten-year old self, going on eleven, except he had his memories and thoughts of his twenty, going on twenty-one, year old self. That was unheard of, as far as he knew. He didn't even think Hermione could have explained what was going on.

Then another thought came to his mind. If he had his memories and thoughts of his older self, did he also have his magical knowledge? If he used a wand and a complex spell that was too advanced for a ten or eleven year old, would it actually work? He would have to test that later. He could do wandless magic, or at least his older self could, but to do it without actually owning a wand was very advanced even for him. But he was going to have to try.

It took a good ten minutes to finish making breakfast, even with the grumbling of his relatives behind him. He had also brewed a pot of coffee, and was now setting mugs of the hot black liquid in front of Vernon and Petunia, and four plates of bacon and scrambled eggs on the table. Dudley took his plate greedily and started in on his food right away. Vernon put down his paper and eyed the bacon and eggs. He narrowed his eyes at Harry, then started in on his eggs. Petunia did the same.

"Pretty good," Petunia said, though she did not look at Harry.

Harry raised his eyebrows. True, his cooking had improved since he had to cook for the Dursleys, and it seemed that knowledge had come with him, but to get a compliment from Petunia? Vernon seemed to think it was odd too.

"Probably a fluke," Vernon said, "His cooking has only ever been mediocre. I'll be convinced when he can do this repeatedly."

Harry would have considered this a compliment if he had talked to Harry instead of around him. Harry started in on his meager helping of food.

_Wh-what is going on? Where am I?_

Harry choked on his piece of bacon and spluttered. That was Ginny's voice he heard! He looked over his shoulder toward the hall and listened for any more sounds. But all he heard was Vernon clearing his throat. He turned back around. The three Dursleys were staring at him.

"Maybe if you were paying attention," Petunia said, "You wouldn't have choked!"

"Sorry," Harry said, "I thought I heard a voice."

"I didn't hear anything," Dudley said, though he looked frightened.

"Me either," Vernon said, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Harry, "Be quiet boy. Stop scaring Dudley, and quit talking nonsense or you can go without breakfast. Or dinner tonight!"

Harry nodded and ate a spoonful of eggs.

_It looks like my old bedroom. But it can't – _

Harry heard Ginny's voice shriek in his head and he tried his best to stay calm, though it hadn't worked too well. He must have looked surprised…

"What on Earth is the problem with you, boy?" Vernon demanded.

"You better not be sick!" Petunia said.

… or perhaps he looked ill.

"N-nerves," Harry lied, "Picture day, you know. I'll – err – just get my clothes on. I'm not hungry. Dudley can have – yeah, go ahead Dudley."

For Dudley had immediately dumped Harry's plate of food onto his.

"Go on then!" Petunia said, "I better not hear any complaints of you being hungry later!"

"Yes, Aunt Petunia," Harry said.

He stood up from the chair, then hurried back into the hallway. He raced into the cupboard, shut the door behind him, and gasped in delayed surprise. He had definitely heard Ginny, but that scream was in his head. But how could he hear her voice in his head?

_No, it isn't possible, _Harry thought,_ Not at all. _

_Who was that? _Ginny's voice said in his head. _No… Harry?_

_Ginny?_

_Harry! It is you! What's going on? I – this is going to sound crazy, but I am in the Burrow in my bedroom and I'm… well, I'm… err…_

_You look like you are around nine years old, right? Almost ten?_

_Yeah! How did you know?_

_Because I look like I am ten, almost eleven, and I am back at the Dursley's house. I woke up in the cupboard under the stairs. And that isn't all…_

_What else?_

_The date on the newspaper said May 3__rd__ all right, but the year said 1991!_

_What? Impossible! _

_It should be, but here we are. Ten years exactly from our own time…_

_If we had fallen asleep for hours and woke up…_

_Yeah. _

_That pool! I just remember seeing a golden light and I was spinning before I blacked out and I woke up just a couple minutes ago. _

_I've been up for a few minutes. _

_Are we really back in time? Ten years ago?_

_Yeah. As far as I can tell we are. Except we have our thoughts and memories of our older selves. And perhaps our magic…_

Harry waited for Ginny to respond, but after a minute of no response, Harry was starting to worry.

_Ginny?_

_Sorry, I'm still here. Mum knocked on the door and opened it, and asked me to go down to breakfast. And I heard Ron talking! _

_Ron? Do you think he may be like us? Maybe he and Hermione found the pool after us… _

Or Pansy, he wondered, though he didn't say it to Ginny.

_I don't know, Harry. I don't want to say anything if he isn't, do I?_

_No, not until we figure out what… this is._

_Harry? How are we talking to each other like this?_

_I have no idea. Maybe it has to do with us going into that pool at the same time._

_The golden light perhaps? Maybe it did something?_

_Maybe. _

_Mum's calling me for breakfast. Harry, I want to see you. I want to actually see you, not just hear you._

_I want to see you too. Err… I guess I am going to be going to school – Muggle school, you know? – in a little while. When I get there and out of view, I could try to Apparate without a wand. I could go to your orchard and meet you there?_

_Good idea! When?_

_Soon. Maybe a bit over an hour._

_Okay. I'll make an excuse to go outside, but hopefully without Ron. I better go before Mum gets suspicious. See you then. I hope._

_Okay. Eh? Ginny?_

_Yeah?_

_I love you._

_I love you too, Harry. We'll figure out what this is._

_I know._

Harry felt a peculiar sense of something leaving his head – Ginny. He wondered if he and Ginny had just used some sort of Legilimency to speak to each other. He and Ginny were both experts in Legilimency and Occlumency, at least they were in their own time. They had worked on it together with Ron and Hermione when he started to work on those skills during Auror training. If it was some sort of Legilimency, he had never done that before. He then realized a way to test his magic… by testing out his Occlumency barriers. He closed his eyes and concentrated on a memory. If this was what he thought it was, and they were truly back in time, he knew he would have to use Occlumency to shield his mind from Legilimens so they wouldn't know he was from a different time period if he didn't want them to.

He felt the walls go up around his mind as he sectioned off bits of his memory. It was tiring to do so, but if he tried to block off some every hour or so, it could work out. He decided he would start on his memories of the not-so-distant future… at least the future according to where, or when, he was now. If he blocked those, it would take longer for skilled Legilimens to get past into the deeper memories. By that time, he figured he could progress a lot farther. He realized Ginny would have to do the same. Just one of the things they would have to discuss.

He rummaged through his clothes, trying to find the nicest outfit he could. This wasn't exactly easy to do. He recognized all of Dudley's hand-me-downs, and they were usually too big. But he figured he could try a bit of magic to shrink them to size. As he thought of this, he wondered if he'd get in trouble with the Ministry for doing so, but he figured until he reached eleven years of age, the Ministry was likely to count this as an eager bit of accidental magic… he would just have to do little at a time so it wouldn't be too suspicious.

Then he remembered something he had learned a couple months into his Auror career. A dark secret of wand-makers and the magical world. There were ways, with the right amount of Galleons to pay for it, for wand-makers, such as Ollivander, to alter wands so that any spell you would do underage could be untraceable. In theory, if he did this, he would not have to worry about getting warnings from the Ministry.

Yes, he decided, that would be extremely useful. And he could buy a wand for Ginny too. Ginny would have to come up with some kind of story so Mrs. Weasley wouldn't complain, but Harry had a feeling he and Ginny would be creating quite a few false stories soon enough.

-  
**(Ginny's PoV)**

"Ginny?" Mrs. Weasley asked, "Did you hear me? Ginny!"

Ginny blinked, coming out of her reverie. She had been working on her Occlumency barriers ever since she had finished the conversation with Harry in her head. Unfortunately, this took a bit of concentration for her, and to others it would seem like she would be staring off into the distance.

"Hmm?" she asked, looking up at her mother, "Oh, sorry. Didn't hear you."

"Are you okay?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

She looked at Ron, who was watching her from across the table, then nodded at her mother.

"I'm fine," she said, "I guess I just didn't sleep well last night."

"Well, I suggest a lie-in after breakfast," Mrs. Weasley said, "What do you want? Hotcakes, bacon and eggs, kippers?"

"Hotcakes, please," Ginny said, "With some of your homemade syrup. I love it! Haven't had it in a while."

"You had it last week!" Ron said.

"I did?" Ginny asked.

Ron nodded.

"Oh, guess I did," Ginny said.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Ron asked.

"I might just need a bit of a lie-in like Mum said," Ginny said, as her mother put a small stack of hotcakes and maple syrup in front of her, "Thanks, Mum."

Then a thought came to her head.

"Er… actually, Mum," Ginny said, "it seems like it will be a pretty nice day. Maybe I'll just relax in the orchard after breakfast. Maybe I'll feel better then."

That was completely true. If Harry was going to be there, she would definitely feel very good.

"That's a good idea," Mrs. Weasley said, "Maybe Ron can go with you."

"Do I have to?" Ron whined, "I was going to play with Scabbers today. He needs the energy –"

"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley interrupted Ron, "What's wrong? You went pale all of a sudden."

Ginny had indeed felt pale. And she knew why. It was her brother's mention of Scabbers, who was actually the criminal and Animagus, Peter Pettigrew, sometimes known as Wormtail. She tried to calm down, using her Occlumency knowledge to help.

"I – nothing is wrong," she said, hastily, "I'm okay. Yeah, Mum, I'll be fine by myself. Ron can play with Scabbers."

_Meanwhile, _she thought to herself, _Harry and I will try to find a way to catch Pettigrew and free Sirius!_

"Okay, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, looking at her daughter cautiously, "If you think so."

"Yeah, Mum, I do," Ginny said, then smiled when a thought came to her mind, "Besides, I have to get used to playing on my own. Ron will be going to Hogwarts in a few months!"

Though as she thought about this, it also made her realize that Harry too would be going to Hogwarts, and she would be stuck in the Burrow for a year until it was her turn to go. She started on her meal and decided to think about this later. This would only make her look worried, and in turn, she didn't want to worry her mother anymore. Her mother noticed a lot of things, and if she wasn't too careful, she could give something away.

As she was eating, she heard an owl hooting and looked out the window over the sink. Hermes, Percy's owl was flying in toward the Burrow. Ginny's mother opened the window, and the owl flew into the house and dropped two rolls of parchment in front of her.

"Oh!" Mrs. Weasley said, "A letter from Percy, and a letter from Fred and George."

Ginny almost choked on a bite of hotcake, but saved herself in time. _Fred. _She had not thought about him once since she had woken up in the Burrow. She would be able to see him again next month! Sure, it would be his younger self, but she'd be able to see him! The thought almost made her cry as she thought about him. Then she made a vow to herself. If she and Harry were truly back ten years in time, she would make it her personal mission to make sure nothing happened to Fred this time around.

"Can I see Fred and George's letter?" Ginny asked, aware that she sounded a bit emotional, but she hoped it would pass off as her girlish excitement for news about Hogwarts that she had been known for as a little girl.

"Of course dear," Mrs. Weasley said, "Do you want to read Percy's letter, Ron?"

"I'll pass," Ron muttered.

"Very well," Mrs. Weasley said, "I'll read it."

"Hopefully not aloud," Ron muttered.

Unfortunately their mother must have heard him because she narrowed her eyes at her son and shook her head. Ginny giggled and took a roll of parchment from her mother. Her hand shook as she opened it. There on the parchment was Fred's handwriting, something she thought she would never see again. She inhaled and exhaled silently and began to read:

_Dearest inhabitants of The Burrow,_

Ginny giggled at the introduction. She had forgotten how Fred's humor had shown in his letters as well. She continued to read:

_We speak to you from the glorious Great Hall of Hogwarts, where we are enjoying yet another splendid dinner (though the food can never compare to your cooking, Mum!) and studying hard for our exams that will begin next month. Okay, no, we're not studying, but Percy insists that we do. But we have a month to go before exams take place! Maybe somebody like dearest Percival needs a month to study, but we have always found it easy enough to study at the last minute and still do well enough. What's the point of studying a month before when you could just forget it? _

_Yeah… try telling that to Percy. Don't worry, Mum, Dad, we'll study, but we're not like Percy! He is already talking about potentially becoming a prefect next year, and whilst yours truly have no doubts he will become said prefect, we are trying our best to encourage him to change his ways before it is too late. He is way too serious these days… that is just very unhealthy, but does he listen?_

_Noooooo. _

_We're doing fine as always, being the best two second years we can possibly be. Mum, you might be proud to know our daily run-ins with Argus Filch have now been changed to weekly instead! All thanks to your words of encouragement!_

_We hope young Ronald and Ginevra are doing well. No, Ginny, we have still not yet been able to get you that portrait of trolls dancing in tutus that we promised you, but we're trying. Oh, yes we are. Ron, we're also trying to get ol' Dumbledore to change the school rules and allow First Years to be able to try out for the Quidditch teams, but at the moment that looks like a failure too. Sorry, Ronniekins. But cheer up! You'll be happy to know that our final Quidditch match (versus Slytherin, groan) is next week and whoever wins will win the cup! Wish us luck, o Brother of ours, and maybe we'll win! _

_Not sure when we'll send this letter, but Percy says we can use Hermes, since he too is writing a letter home. But you know his letters are always long, and drawling, and boring (don't tell Percy we said that!), so it might be another week before we send this. Nah, probably later tonight, (might have to break curfew to send them, hmm… oh, we're kidding!) and you should get them in the morning!_

_See you next month and we'll write again after our final Quidditch match of the year (if Wood doesn't kill us in training before then)!_

_Salutations  
Fred and George_

Ginny grinned widely as she finished the letter. She could tell this was written by Fred, even though he had used "we" all the time in the sense that it was him and George doing the letter. She had very much missed his letters. This was the first good thing about going into the past. She could be reunited with him again. She couldn't wait.

She passed the letter to Ron, who was still eating his bacon and eggs, and looked up at her mother. Percy's letter looked as if it was indeed very long and drawn out, but his letters always were, even in ten years.

She heard Ron chuckle as he looked through the twins' letter and she smiled. Her thoughts went to Harry's question about if it was possible Ron was also from the future, but as far as she could tell, he wasn't. He and Hermione must have not gone into the Time Chamber at all.

Then another question came to her mind. What happened in the Ministry during the attack? How many people had been injured or lost their lives in the process? But as she pondered this, she also had another thought. What happened to the future? Was it possible for her and Harry to get back to it, or did it cancel out when they were taken to the past?

Then, as she looked at Fred and George's letter, she realized, no, she hoped it had cancelled out. It was a selfish thought, but if it was true, she and Harry would be in this timeline and save Fred and perhaps many more lives. If she and Harry were indeed stuck in the past, they would have to make the best of it. Just like she wanted to deal with Peter Pettigrew, she and Harry could also deal with the Horcruxes, and, perhaps, if everything worked out right, either stop Voldemort from ever coming back, or perhaps Harry could defeat him in the graveyard after the Third Task in his fourth year. But that thought also made another thought come to her mind… would that happen again? If she somehow caught Peter early, would the events from the last timeline still happen for Harry to meet Voldemort in that graveyard?

She decided that this would definitely be one of the things she would talk to Harry about. Then she realized that Harry was due at the orchard in a half-an-hour or so. She wanted to look nice for her reunion with him. So with the thoughts of her outfit, she returned to her breakfast, feeling the best she had since she woke up and found in horror that she was in this predicament. It would take some time to get used to, but she felt she could do it. But she couldn't afford to worry about that right now.

Because she and Harry had a lot to talk about in the orchard.

-  
**Chapter 3 finished! Next chapter, Harry makes his way to the Burrow's orchard, where he and Ginny discuss many things about their predicament, including Scabbers, Sirius, and Horcruxes to name a few! Plus, a familiar character shows up that could put a damper in Harry and Ginny's mood. Who is it? Any guesses? Hmm…**

**Also, the reason behind Harry and Ginny's ability to speak to each other through their thoughts will be explained but it will probably be a few chapters before all the answers about it are revealed, though I do plan for a part of the answer (and more questions) about it in Chapter 5 (chapter after next). My reasoning behind it is fairly original and easy enough to understand if I write it out how I have planned. **

**Hope you are enjoying this story. Question: Did I do justice to the Dursleys so far? I wasn't sure when I was writing them. There will be a tiny bit of them in the next chapter, and then a big scene with them in Chapter 5.**


	4. Reunion

**Chapter 4  
Reunion**

Almost an hour after his discussion with Ginny ended, Harry was sitting in the backseat of Vernon's fancy car, as it passed through the streets toward the primary school. He was wearing the nicest of Dudley's hand-me-downs that he could find, but they were still fairly big on him. Aunt Petunia must have decided he looked proper enough because all she did was purse her lips as she looked at him briefly before fawning over how "marvelous" her "perfect little Diddykins" looked. Harry figured he would use magic to fit the clothes right once he was out of sight of the Muggles and on his way to the orchard of the Burrow.

He was quiet throughout the whole journey, but thoughts were spinning in his head as he came up with strategies about how he would get to the Burrow, and what he would do when he came back. How long he would stay in the orchard, talking to Ginny (which, he hoped, was for quite a while), would depend on what he had to do when he came back. This would be his first big test of performing wandless magic as a ten-year old. He had not yet figured if his magic had changed for the better, worse, or stayed the same. He hoped it had become better, because there was a few things he would have to do in order to pass this off, including two trips of Apparation, and he knew this was impossible for a normal ten-year old wizard or witch to do unless it was on accident.

Harry broke out of his thoughts and looked out the window. The car was now on the street where the school was located. He had not seen the old building in many years. If he had remembered correctly from something he had seen in a Muggle newspaper, the school had closed two years ago (eight years from now, Harry reminded himself), due to unsanitary reasons. At least that was what the rumor was.

Memories of the school swept through his mind. The teachers, whom were fairly nice to him. When he had good grades, knew enough about the Dursleys, though they never did anything about it, to keep the knowledge private between them and Harry. Then there were his fellow students who could have been his first friends had Dudley not threatened to beat them up if they didn't avoid him like the plague. And then that time Dudley, Piers, and Malcolm had chased him across the playground and he found himself on the roof of the building…

… a sign of accidental magic and, if Harry remembered correctly, it was probably Apparation. Which meant his ten-year old body could Apparate safely. This cheered him up quite a bit. Now all he had to worry about was the distance…

"Boy!" Vernon snarled.

Harry blinked and looked at his Uncle.

"Get out," Vernon said, "We're here."

Harry looked out the window again. Indeed they were in front of the school, at the drop-off zone.

"Remember to smile for your picture," Vernon grumbled, "I'll know about it when the pictures come, and if you don't look proper and happy, you'll have no meals for a week. And you'll do chores until you can do enough to pay us back for the money, and the gratefulness of our hearts, we have given you for this picture!"

"Yes, sir," Harry said, even though he had no intentions of being at school for pictures, not that the teachers, nor the Dursleys, would know that if everything went right.

Harry grabbed his knapsack and hurried out of the car. He meandered through the crowd of students as they made their way into the school, chatting happily to their friends, and broke apart from them just as he entered the school. He hurried down the halls, trying to remember where the nearest bathrooms were. Luckily, the teachers weren't as suspicious as Mr. Filch or his cat, Mrs. Norris, were at Hogwarts, and he could freely pass through the halls and past his old classroom without notice. He found the bathroom and headed inside.

He made his way over to the last stall and ducked inside it, closing and locking the door behind him. Deciding that this stall was his point of leaving and returning, he closed his eyes and concentrated on the magic knowledge in his mind. He knew the Muggle-repelling Charms that would keep everyone away from this stall, but because he didn't have his wand yet (this was something he needed to do very soon, he realized), he'd have to do it by wandless magic. He pointed a finger forward toward the door of the stall.

_Repello Muggletum, _he mentally thought.

At first he didn't know if it worked or not, then he felt his whole hand grow hot for a moment. Now, he was sure it had worked, but he needed more proof. He pointed to his shirt, and mentally tried out the Shrinking Spell. His shirt shrunk to fit his body, and he grinned. He did the same to his jeans and his knapsack as well. Then he put an Impervius Charm on his knapsack and stored it in the tank of the toilet.

He started to concentrate on the next big piece of magic he had to do.

_Destination, Deliberation and Determination, _as Wilkie Twycross had stated during Apparation lessons in Harry's sixth year. He closed his eyes once again and envisioned the middle of the Burrow's orchard in his mind. He wasn't worried about Determination. There was no other place he wanted to be at the moment.

He then felt his lungs collapse and his body tighten as if he was going through a plastic straw. A few uneasy moments later, he felt a breeze across his skin and he opened his eyes. He smiled as he looked around. He was standing in the center of the Burrow's orchard, familiar apple and orange trees surrounding him, each distancing a good three yards away from each other on all sides. Through the trees to the east, he saw the patch of grass that was deemed the small Weasley Quidditch Pitch. It too was surrounded by tall trees, in order to keep Muggles from seeing the players as they soared in the air. In the distance, straight in front of him, raising over the trees, Harry saw the topmost roof of one of his favorite buildings in the world: the Burrow.

He dropped the Occlumency barriers around the front of his mind and reached out his thoughts.

_Ginny? Are you there?_

_Yes! Where are you?_

Harry smiled. _I made it! I apparated! I'm in the center of the orchard._

_Good timing! I just started my way across the plot. I'll be there shortly. And I have a surprise for you._

_Oh? Like what?_

_I said it was a surprise, you prat. Be there in a minute or so!_

'_Kay. Meet me at our spot._

_I thought you'd never ask._

Harry walked toward the edge of the tree-line, where the large field separated the orchard and the Burrow. He knew of a point where he and Ginny could talk, and they could get an early warning if Ron or Mrs. Weasley came their way, and he smiled when he arrived. It was otherwise known as "Harry and Ginny's spot." It was a patch of grass under an apple tree in which the base was comfortable for Harry and Ginny to sit against and cuddle if they chose to do so. Ginny had led him there one day, during the summer after the Battle of Hogwarts, when she wanted private time with Harry away from her nosy brothers and mother, and it had unofficially been deemed "their spot."

As Harry thought of the possibility of someone seeing him, he realized he needed to put up some privacy charms. Concentrating his magic, he put up a Notice-Me-Not Charm that would affect everyone but him and Ginny, as well as Muffliato, in case their conversation became too loud. When he finished, however, he discovered he was having trouble breathing.

_Whoa! What was that, Harry? I felt that!_

_You did?_

_Yeah, I felt something coming from you. It was like I could feel you weaken._

_I've grown tired all of a sudden. I think I used too much wandless magic in a short span of time. _

_Well, at least we know now not to use too much at one time. Don't use any more right now if you can help it. I have something that might help you get your energy back. I'm almost there._

Indeed, Harry saw a figure approaching a few yards away and he grinned when he saw Ginny's long ginger hair flowing in the light breeze. She was carrying a small paper sack with her. When she saw him, she grinned and ran toward him, hugging him. He felt out of breath again, as her arms wrapped tightly around him.

"Easy, love," Harry grinned.

"I'm just so happy to see you," Ginny said, as she backed away.

"Well," Harry said, "I know now you are definitely older Ginny. The Ginny of this age would never hug me like that."

"The old nine-year old, almost ten-year old Ginny didn't know you yet," Ginny said, "She only knew some stuff about you."

"Touché," Harry said with a grin, "You look beautiful, by the way."

Ginny blushed and leaned toward Harry and kissed him on the lips. Afterward, though the kiss was brief, Harry felt a shock, followed by a warm feeling go through his body, almost like he had just drank a whole pint of firewhiskey or hot foaming butterbeer in one gulp.

"Whoa!" Ginny said, breathlessly, "Did you feel that? Like warmth…?"

"Yeah," Harry said.

"That has never happened," Ginny said, "Wonder what it was."

"Dunno," Harry said, then looked at the bag and motioned toward it, "My surprise?"

"Impatient boy!" Ginny said, with a grin.

She reached into the bag and pulled out a large blanket and set it down.

"Are you sure we should sit here?" she asked as she sat down.

"Don't worry," Harry said, as he sat down next to her, "I have some charms up that should repel Ron and your Mum. For our privacy."

"So you can do wandless magic?" Ginny asked.

"I can do spells I shouldn't be able to do at ten-years old, yes," Harry said.

"I guess I should see if I can do wandless magic too," Ginny said.

"Close your eyes and concentrate," Harry instructed, "Don't say the spell out loud. That's how I did it."

Ginny nodded and closed her eyes. A moment later, a plate covered with foil, and a cup lifted out of the bag and into Ginny's hands.

"A summoning spell," Harry said, grinning, "Quite advanced for a nine-year old."

"Guess it worked!" Ginny exclaimed, "Though it is quite annoying. I hate wandless magic. Oh, here."

Ginny passed the plate and cup over to Harry.

"Molly Weasley's homemade hotcakes, bacon and eggs, and orange juice," Ginny said, "Secretly smuggled from breakfast. I remember you telling me how you never ate too much at the Dursley's."

"You're right," Harry said, smiling as he unwrapped the plate.

He started in on the food as Ginny watched him.

"So," Ginny said, "I guess we should start with the first question needed answering about this – err – predicament. Is this time-travel permanent or will we find our way back to our own time sometime?"

Harry chewed a piece of bacon as he thought of an answer.

"What do you think?" he asked, when he wasn't sure what the right answer was.

"Well," Ginny said, with a sigh, "Would it be selfish of me to want this to be permanent?"

"Why would you ask that?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Percy's owl arrived at breakfast earlier," Ginny said, in a small voice, "and he had two letters. One from Percy, and one from George… and Fred."

Harry frowned as he looked at Ginny. He saw tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Oh, Ginny," he said.

"A letter, Harry!" Ginny said, sniffling, "I haven't seen Fred's handwriting in so long and –"

She sniffled again and looked at her hands in her lap.

"Harry, do you remember what you said in your speech at the party?" she asked, looking back at him.

Harry chewed a piece of hotcake, thoughtfully, then said, "Yeah, kind of. I was just saying things, really. I had nothing planned."

"I remember it pretty clearly," Ginny said. "Especially one part in particular. You said that you 'would give up everything to have those who you love most and whom you have lost here with us.' Then you said that you 'would give anything to have all of our loved ones with us here tonight to celebrate right along with us.' I remember that clearly."

"Yeah?" Harry asked.

"Harry!" Ginny said, impatiently, "Think of where we are and what you said! We could do that! We have this foreknowledge. We know what is going to happen. We could save a lot of lives. Like Fred, for example! And Remus, Tonks, Professor Dumbledore… and…"

Ginny looked at him and raised her eyebrows. Harry dropped the fork that was holding.

"Sirius," he croaked.

Harry turned from Ginny and looked at the Burrow. Out of everything he had been thinking, that particular subject hadn't come to his mind yet. He was surprised he hadn't even thought about it yet.

"Wormtail," Harry breathed.

"Harry," Ginny said, slowly.

"He's in there, isn't he?" Harry asked, looking back at Ginny with narrowed eyes, then back at the Burrow with the same expression. "He's probably up in Ron's room right now, as Scabbers, while–"

He was quelled by the feeling of Ginny's hand on his arm.

"He is," she nodded, "But, Harry, we can't exactly do anything about him right now."

"And why not?" Harry demanded.

"How would it look like if you, or even I, stormed into Ron's bedroom and attacked Scabbers?" Ginny asked, "You shouldn't even know me or my family yet, Harry! You shouldn't know about Scabbers yet. Even as a rat and definitely not about Pettigrew or even Sirius Black. I shouldn't either, really. Mum never talked about Sirius when she taught us a few things about magical history. And Harry… you're not even supposed to know you're a wizard yet."

"That can change," Harry said, "It wouldn't be hard for someone like me to figure out I'm special. I'm going to need to come up with some kind of story anyway if you and I are going to get wands –"

"How am I going to get a wand?" Ginny asked, "Mum –"

"Your mother doesn't have to know," Harry said, "I could buy my wand and your wand. I'm sure we could do charms to where she wouldn't notice until we can figure out a way to tell her. And we could make our magic untraceable, as long as we use our wand."

"What?" Ginny asked, surprised, "How? I've never heard –"

"It is a secret most of the wizarding world doesn't know about," Harry said. "I only learned it because I was doing a mission and the culprit was an underage wizard who was using magic to do harm and get by easy, and he wasn't getting any warnings about it. He didn't have the Trace on him or anything, all because of his wand. A wand-maker in Ireland had made his wand untraceable, all because the kid paid him to do so. We also learned that the wand-maker wasn't the only one who knew how to do that. Ollivander could also do the procedure. I'm sure I could convince him… gold does a lot of talking, even with wizards as good as Ollivander."

"But it is illegal," Ginny said, "We can't –"

"Technically what we're doing is illegal, Ginny," Harry said, "We're not supposed to meddle with time, and we're already planning to do so. Even if the predicament we're in is pretty rare."

"Yeah, but I'm not just going to sit here and wait and let things happen the way they did!" Ginny said, then raised her eyebrows, "You can't expect me to - oh. I see what you mean. That would be considered illegal."

"Unless people don't find out," Harry said.

"It is going to be difficult to keep this a secret from everyone," Ginny said, frowning.

"We could tell a few people we trust," Harry said, "I mean… not right away. We'd have to teach them all Occlumency, so no Legilimens can find the secret. Speaking of that –"

"I know what you're going to say, Harry," Ginny said, "I'm already working on my Occlumency barriers."

"That is why I love you," Harry said, grinning.

Ginny blushed, and Harry chuckled as his mind went back to the way Ginny always used to blush around him. It was quite nostalgic to see her younger self do the same thing again.

"Okay," Harry said, "I agree that we can't do anything about Wormtail yet, but I can't sit here and bear to think about Sirius in Azkaban for too much longer –"

"We'll figure something out, Harry," Ginny said. "Believe me, I want him out of there as much as you do. Now that I think about it… we're probably going to need him."

"For what?" Harry asked.

"Have you spared a thought about the Horcruxes, Harry?" Ginny asked.

Harry stared at Ginny. Horcruxes. That was another thing he had yet to think about…

"Oh," he said.

"We can't just walk into Grimmauld Place and snatch that locket," Ginny said, "We need Sirius to get in there. And what about Bellatrix Lestrange's vault? With Sirius free, he becomes the head of the Black family, because he is the last living male heir. As far as I know, Bellatrix's imprisonment and history as a Death Eater would nullify her ownership of the vault, but no one has really ever come around to challenge that… yet."

"Sirius can do that," Harry said, nodding.

"Right," Ginny said, "Because Bellatrix is a Black. As for the other Horcruxes…"

"We'll have to wait over a year for the diary," Harry frowned, "Because we don't even know if Lucius Malfoy has it right now, or if he does, where he has it. The diadem will be easy to get. The ring… perhaps, though I'd have to figure out how to get past the enchantments protecting it. Dumbledore never told me."

"And there's also Nagini," Ginny said.

Harry shook his head. "Not yet. Nagini was made a Horcrux with the murder of either the Riddle's caretaker, or Bertha Jorkins. And that is a long ways away. You're also forgetting the last Horcrux…"

Ginny raised her eyebrows in confusion… then a moment later in a mix of shock and horror, as she looked up at Harry's scar. Harry felt a momentary shiver. She hadn't looked at his scar for a long time, not out of politeness, but almost as a second nature.

Harry nodded. "Me," he said, "Though now that I think about it, there may not be a Horcrux in me anymore. I mean… our magic, minds and knowledge came back with us, so why would that be changed?"

"We have to make sure, Harry," Ginny said.

"Right," Harry said, "Fortunately there is an easy way how. I just have to find a snake, probably the one at the London Zoo, and see if I can talk to it. If I have the gift of Parseltongue, I'm a Horcrux. If not…"

"I really hope it is gone," Ginny said, with a shudder.

"Yeah, but there could also be complications if I'm not a Parseltongue," Harry said, with a frown.

"Like what?" Ginny asked.

"I need the gift to get into the Chamber of Secrets," Harry said, "Even if we destroy the diary, the basilisk needs to be destroyed. It is too dangerous… and also… last time the Sword of Gryffindor was impregnated with the basilisk's venom. Between that and the fangs… there's the weapons to destroy the Horcruxes. The only other way I know how to destroy it is fiendfyre…" His mind went to the last time he had seen the Room of Requirement when it was burning in a raging fire because of fiendfyre… "and I'm not too eager to use that."

"So what are we going to do about Voldemort?" Ginny asked, "After all the Horcruxes are gone and destroyed?"

"Kill him when he returns with his full body, I'd say," Harry said, frowning, "Only way for him to permanently be gone."

"Yeah, but Harry," Ginny said, "Think of what you're saying… of all the things that has to happen. Of all the things that could happen between now and then. We're going to need Sirius freed and proclaimed innocent in order to get the Horcrux in Bellatrix's vault. Only way to do that is capture Wormtail and prove his guilt. That will be easy if we can have a convincing story of his capture. But Wormtail was one of the reasons Voldemort came back. So he has to be free too."

"It could happen," Harry said, "I can think of some ways."

"Okay," Ginny said, "Then there is Barty Crouch, Junior. And the Triwizard Tournament. He was the reason you were in the tournament and in the graveyard. Can you honestly say you can sit around while Barty Crouch, Junior, a Death Eater is free? And what about the other Death Eaters who are free and we know who they are?"

Harry nodded as he looked toward the Burrow thoughtfully.

"It is a lot to think about," Harry said.

"Yeah," Ginny said, "But if we do this… if we destroy all the Horcruxes, and you destroy Voldemort in that graveyard that night, it is over. We save Fred, Remus, Tonks, Sirius, Dumbledore and many others."

"If we manage to do that," Harry said, "it will be a miracle."

Ginny emitted a reluctant chuckle and nodded in agreement. She looked at the Burrow, then back to Harry.

"You know," Ginny said, "This whole predicament should scare the dickens out of me, right? But… it isn't. For some reason, I'm happier than you would think I should be. Even though I am in my nine-year old, almost ten-year old body, and I have to go through Hogwarts all over again… I feel okay."

Harry nodded.

"What about you?" Ginny asked.

"I'm not really looking forward to being back with the Dursleys," Harry said, "Or dealing with Snape and Draco and other stuff like that, but… I feel okay, I guess."

"We'll work on those problems, Harry," Ginny said, "And I think we can start with the Dursleys."

"How?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrows.

Ginny grinned and leaned toward Harry and whispered something into his ear. Harry listened, and when he got the gist of it, looked at her in shock.

"That would probably work," Harry said, "But I'd probably give Dumbledore a heart-attack."

Ginny grinned. "If it gets you away from the Dursleys, I'd settle for that."

"But," Harry said, frowning, "If it happens before we free Sirius, I'd be an orphan. More than I considered myself at this age anyway."

"Oh, Harry," Ginny said, with an amused sigh, "You're quite oblivious, you know."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"My mum absolutely fell in love with you from the moment she saw you," Harry said. "You were always like a seventh son to her. All we have to do is set up a meeting between you and my family. If everything works out, you could be an honorary Weasley before too long."

"Not an official Weasley though," Harry said, with a grin. "Not yet. It might look weird if I'm intimately involved with you in the future if it goes that route."

Ginny laughed. "Yes, that would be a problem. So will you go through with my idea?"

"I'd eat the Giant Squid If it freed me of the Dursleys," Harry said, with a laugh.

Ginny grinned and rolled her eyes. Harry ate the last bit of his meal and downed his juice. He returned the glass and plate back to the sack and put it off to the side then relaxed under the tree. When he looked at Ginny with raised eyebrows, she grinned.

"I thought you'd never ask," Ginny said, then positioned herself on Harry's lap and laid against his chest.

"How long are you planning to stay?" Ginny asked.

"Dunno," Harry said, "All day if I can manage. I could just confound the teachers at the school and Dudley to make it look like I was at school all day."

"Mum will probably call me in later," Ginny said, "At least for lunch. I could probably smuggle you something again."

"It would be loads better than school food," Harry said, "Quite bland, that is, if I remember right."

Ginny chuckled. She snuggled deeper into Harry's chest and he started to brush her hair with his hand. Ginny smiled softly, a kind that expressed one of reminiscence, and Harry knew why. This was something they had done many times while in this spot… at least in the other timeline. It wasn't that much different in their nine and ten-year old bodies.

For a few minutes, they just sat there, silent, and enjoying each other's company. Both were aware that this might not be possible all the time as the days would pass. Ginny certainly couldn't get away with visits to the orchard all the time, and Harry couldn't get away with using the Confundus Charm on his teachers and cousin every day for the next month until school let out… even if he had a modified wand.

Then, after ten minutes of bearable, comfortable silence, Harry heard a loud _crack _in the direction of the top of the driveway. From her reaction, he knew Ginny had heard it too.

"That was Apparation, wasn't it?" she asked, pulling away from Harry and standing up, "But Dad wouldn't be home this early. Who could it possibly be?"

Harry was about to say he didn't know, when he saw the answer to her question walking down the driveway in the direction of the Burrow. Even from a distance, Harry would recognize that figure anywhere. It was someone he hadn't seen in almost four years (in the old timeline). He was dressed in magnificent purple robes and a wizard's hat of the same color. His long white hair and beard were gliding carelessly in the slight breeze. A glint of light around the area of his eyes was the only proof from afar that he was wearing glasses.

Harry opened his mouth to ask Ginny the first question that came to his mind, but she was asking the very same question herself:

"What is Albus Dumbledore doing here?"

-  
**Cliffhanger! Dun-dun-dun. If you guessed Albus Dumbledore as the character who arrives that may dampen Harry and Ginny's spirits, you were correct! Ten points to your house of choice!**

**Next chapter begins with Dumbledore's PoV, and it starts (in time relation to the story), a little while (in minutes) before this chapter ended. Basically the beginning will show exactly why Dumbledore is currently walking toward the Burrow and then the chapter will continue where this one ended. Going to be awesome! I've had portions of this next chapter in my mind from the start, long before I even started writing this story!**

**Also, I'm sure you're probably wanting to ask me what it was Ginny whispered to Harry in relation to him getting away from the Dursleys. If I told you, that would ruin the surprise, and the reason I didn't reveal it! I assure you it will happen sometime, perhaps in the near future!**

**Hope you liked this chapter! I did… sets up, teases and gives a bit of a preview of things to come in the story. But will they happen as planned? Hmm…**


	5. Albus Dumbledore, Part 1

**Chapter 5  
Albus Dumbledore, Part 1**

**Author's Note: This chapter begins around the time Harry and Ginny reunite in the orchard (Basically right before they kissed). The book at the start of this chapter is canon, and was confirmed in an interview with J.K. Rowling many years ago.**

**(Albus Dumbledore's PoV – about half-an-hour ago)  
****  
**Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was humming a tune mindlessly as he walked up the stairs and into his grand office. He had just returned from his traditional breakfast with many of the students and a few of his fellow Professors. He walked over to his desk and, after sitting comfortably in his chair, thumbed through a few pieces of parchment, then pulled out a piece.

He chuckled when he looked at it. It was yet another letter from Messrs. Fred and George Weasley requesting that First Years be given permission to have a shot at making the Quidditch teams. If he was correct, Albus was sure their brother, Ronald, would be arriving for his very first year in September, and the Weasley twins were very eager to put one more Weasley on the Gryffindor team.

It was fairly obvious already that the youngest son of Arthur and Molly Weasley was a sure-shot for the noble house of Godric Gryffindor. The Weasleys had been sorted into Gryffindor for a very long time, and it was fairly close to breaking an unofficial record – most consecutive family members in one house… the Blacks held that record, but it stopped when Sirius Black was Sorted into Gryffindor instead of Slytherin.

As for the topic at hand, the school governors were adamant, much to Albus' dislike. First year students were too young, they said, and had too much on their plates to even consider recreational activities right off the bat. Deciding he would respond to the Weasley twins later, Albus went to the top sheet of parchment.

Written there was the events of the day. He didn't have too many that morning, but in the evening a staff meeting was scheduled. The topic of the evening: the exams that would take place the following month. Parents of concerned students, those students who would be taking the O. and N.E., had asked if there was a way to make the process of the exams easier. They had suggested study classes to take place for a few weeks before the exams. Hogwarts had done this once before many years ago, but students were becoming fairly exhausted. Of course that was when the head nurse before Madam Pomfrey had been there, one Madam Delacroix, a French witch who was usually bad-tempered and never quite agreeable when it came to the health of the students. If Albus remembered correctly, which he usually did, her rants that went from something of a mixture of French and English and finally to her more experienced French dialect, in the span of a few sentences, were stuff of legend, or so many students who had experienced such had stated. But Albus figured that Madam Pomfrey was more agreeable and the topic of these study classes were one to be discussed at the meeting.

Albus jotted down the topic with his trusty phoenix feather Quill (the phoenix in question, his own familiar, Fawkes) and set the parchment aside. That was when he heard a bumping noise and saw a bright, white light out of the corner of his eye. To the unprepared, the noise and light could frighten a soul, but Albus only gave a hearty chuckle.

The noise and light were coming from what was known as the Hogwarts Book, where future Hogwarts students were listed, when they were born and named, for future reference when it was their time for their letter to come and welcome them to the school. Only the Headmaster and Deputy Headmaster (or Headmistress as the current case would be) had permission to look through the book. This was one of Albus' favorite pastimes. Albus stood up from the chair and walked over to where the book rested on a podium. Albus tapped his wand on the book's cover and it opened. But while the book usually turned to the last page, this time it did not. It turned to a page near the front of the book, to the year "Future Students born in 1981". Albus raised his eyebrows. The book usually turned to the last page, when a new witch or wizard was born. This was most peculiar.

The white light turned golden and illuminated one name in particular. Albus looked closer through his eyeglasses and what he saw he almost didn't believe. Written near the bottom of the page, the name and dates read:

_Ginevra Molly Potter (formerly Weasley)  
August 11__th__, 1981_

Even more baffling, there was another date below the first one, which read:

_May 3__rd__, 1991 _

For one of the first times in his life, Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, was confused beyond belief. How could a child, not even ten years of age, have their last name changed? This would only happen in the way of marriage. Marriage at this age was not possible, even an arranged marriage. Albus knew the Weasley family personally, and he knew Arthur and Molly Weasley certainly wouldn't allow for something like this to happen.

But that wasn't what Albus was worried about. The last name… Potter. Only one Potter was alive at the moment and, as far as Albus was aware, Harry James Potter did not know the Weasley family.

As soon as he thought of Harry's name, the pages of the book went back a page to the one titled "Future Students born in 1980." Albus didn't even have to search for Harry's name. He knew where it was. And yes, below the date of his birth, today's date lay there.

Albus shut the door and walked back over to the chair at his desk where he sank into it. He was still befuddled by this sudden revelation. He hummed the tune he was singing, hoping it would help him think of what was going on and what to do next. Because he knew he had to do something next.

And that was when it came to him. The thought was impossible, though Albus had seen many an impossible thing over his many years of life. If his theory was correct, something like this hadn't been seen in… well, a very long time as far as he knew. In fact, as far as he knew, it had only happened one other time. But if it was truly what this was… well, there was only one way to be sure.

And he needed the answer now.

It seemed that Albus' vacant schedule for the morning had just been filled.

He bent over his desk, and hastily wrote a note on a blank piece of parchment. The note would inform the Deputy Headmistress that he would be gone from the school for an unforeseeable amount of time, possibly an hour, possibly most of the day. As Deputy Headmistress, this witch would be in charge for the day. He hoped to return for the staff meeting, but if he did not, she was in charge. And that was what he informed Minerva McGonagall.

"Take this immediately to Minerva McGonagall," he said to Fawkes, as he rolled up the parchment, "No return response is necessary."

Fawkes nodded in his own little way, stuck a talon out and grabbed the note, then vanished in a puff of fire and smoke. Albus immediately stood up and walked over to his fireplace, then grabbed the small leather pouch full of Floo Powder. He took a handful and set the pouch back on the mantle. He stepped into the fireplace and said clearly, "Ministry of Magic, Atrium."

After a few moments of dizziness and heat, Albus landed feet first onto stone and walked into the long wide tunnel known as the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic. As he made his way across the hall, and toward the security desk, wizards and witches gave him greetings.

"Good morning, Headmaster Dumbledore," Eric the security wizard said, "What brings you here and out of the school? Anything urgent?"

"Oh, just a mere curiosity," Albus said, with a smile.

"You know what they say," Eric said, as he checked Albus' wand, "Curiosity kills the kneazle."

"Fortunately, I have lived for many years and can risk it," Albus said.

Eric chuckled and nodded politely. "Your wand passes as always. Good day"

Albus bowed briefly and walked toward the main section of the Atrium, toward the lifts. Mostly out of respect, the Ministry workers stepped aside and allowed Albus his own lift. He smiled and bowed slightly in thanks as the gate closed. It descended into the floor and stopped on the first level. The gate opened and he walked into the long corridor. He had been here many times in his lifetime that he could sleepwalk and find his destination (to prove this theory, mostly to himself, he had actually done this once, many years ago).

He soon found the door he needed. The sign above the door read: "Hall of Magical Records." He pushed open the door and walked into the small room, an entrance room that was an office, mainly for the Secretary of Records. The said witch was sitting at a small desk, reading the Daily Prophet. Behind the desk was another doorway that, Albus knew, led to a warehouse of records dating back centuries. Only high-ranked officials had permission to peruse the records, and as one of the elite members of the Wizengamot, Albus had that permission.

"Yes, what do you need?" the witch said, in a bored tone, her attention still on the newspaper. She looked up and blushed in embarrassment. "Oh, Headmaster Dumbledore! I'm sorry for my rudeness."

"Your apology is accepted, Bonnie," Albus said, smiling at one of his favorite former students. She had been out of Hogwarts for almost a decade now and he still remembered her, like he remembered many of his students, young and old.

"How many I help you?" Bonnie asked.

"May I see the official records of today?" Albus asked.

"Today?" Bonnie asked, raising her eyebrows, "We're only – what – less than nine hours into the day. Are you sure you don't mean yesterday?"

"Today, yes, I am sure," Albus said, with a smile.

Bonnie raised her wand and pointed it behind her. A moment later, the doorway opened and a piece of parchment zoomed into the room and onto the desk. Bonnie handed it to Albus and he looked through it. He passed up births and deaths, weddings, promotions and demotions, and then saw what he was looking for. He knew it was coming and it still amazed him. The words at the very bottom of the page read:

_Soul-Bond  
Harry James Potter and Ginevra Molly Potter (formerly Weasley)  
May 3__rd__, 1991_

Albus stared at the words for a moment.

_Soul-Bond_

Yes, it had come to his mind only moments after he had seen the same two names in the Hogwarts Book, but he still couldn't believe it. Yet here was proof.

But his disbelief was not all for nothing. A Soul-Bond was extremely rare, and it could happen many ways. The last Soul-Bond, and quite possibly the first, was between Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel. The Bonded couple were still alive – Nicholas would celebrate his 666th birthday just this year, his wife was a couple years older. Their extended lifetime was thanks to the powers of the Philosopher's Stone. Albus was friends with the couple, and he wondered if he would need to have a chat with the pair very soon to discuss the topic of Soul-Bonds.

The Soul-Bond created between Harry Potter and the Weasley's only daughter and youngest child was very peculiar indeed. He looked back up at the list of weddings. It was blank: Mr. and Mrs. Potter were not listed there. This was further proof of the soul-bond. Soul-Bonds would, by all means, act as an official marriage between the two bond-mates. Though Albus could understand why the record had not shown up. It would not do so either until there was an official ceremony, if the two bond-mates were old enough, or if their parents or guardians had signed it over as official. At least that was the theory.

There was also another addition to the soul-bond, and this one created a problem. The act would also create an emancipation, which meant that even at such a young age, the young pair could, in theory, break away from their families and live on their own. Albus figured that at such a young age, this would not happen, but that wasn't his biggest concern. If Harry Potter had any knowledge of this and had voiced his consent, it would, in effect break the blood protection set many years ago around the residence he now lived at. That, Albus knew, would not be a good thing.

There was also one other troubling thought crossing Albus' mind. What this could mean to the prophecy set about the boy? Was the Soul-Bond the "power the Dark Lord knows not"? Was this meant to be and should not be questioned or contested?

Albus smiled to himself, mentally shaking his head. No… Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, never left anything unanswered or uncontested.

He looked back up at Bonnie. "Has anyone else looked at today's records yet?"

"No," Bonnie said, "As I said, we're only about nine hours into the day. Most records of the day aren't usually looked at until the following day or at the very end of the day.

"Thank you," Albus said.

He smiled, all while stealthily obliterating the Soul-Bond information from the parchment, the action unseen by the Secretary of Records. He had decided it would be best if nobody else knew about this just yet, including the parents and guardians of the Bonded couple.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Bonnie asked, her eyebrows raised in wonder.

"Yes, all is well," Albus said, in a tone of voice that anyone would hardly object, as he gave the piece of parchment back to Bonnie, "Thank you, my dear."

Bonnie smiled. Albus bowed his head in goodbye and left the room, his mind already made up on the two destinations he would visit next.

Unfortunately, one of those destinations would have to wait for a few hours. One of the targets was still in Muggle school at this moment, and Albus would dare not take the boy away from the opportunity of learning. But he would have to visit the boy's residence sooner rather than later, in order to check on the protection wards set on the house, and perhaps speak to the boy. That, he thought, would be an interesting conversation.

The other destination, Albus knew, he would probably be very much welcomed at the moment…

Ten minutes later, Albus Dumbledore was walking down the long driveway toward the oddly-shaped residence known as the Burrow, unaware that his two targets in mind were watching him from the orchard.

-  
**(Ginny's PoV)**

"What is Albus Dumbledore doing here?" Ginny asked Harry.

"I don't know," Harry said, "But it can't be good."

"Why do I have the odd feeling he wants to talk to me?" Ginny asked.

"I have that feeling too, but this is hardly the place for that," Harry said.

"Do you – would he possibly visit the Dursley's house?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, I think he would if he really wanted to," Harry said, "But he didn't visit until my sixth year…"

"Oh, and you think he visited the Burrow on this day in the old timeline?" Ginny asked, raising her eyebrows.

"This definitely has something to do with you," Harry said, "And maybe me. Ginny, I better go. I don't know if he would visit the school and take me from it just to talk to me. But I need to be there. I'm going to have to do a few spells anyone on the teachers and Dudley. If he does talk to you, contact me. I'll keep my mind open just enough to hear you… and maybe him."

"Could that work?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know," Harry said, "Maybe. But Ginny, you need to watch for any signs of Legilimency. He could and will probably use it against you."

"But he'll recognize Occlumency, won't he?" Ginny asked.

"That is a risk we'll have to take," Harry said, "I'm not sure I want him to know our secret. He was not on my list of those I'd tell."

"Mine either," Ginny said, shaking her head.

"Okay, I better go," Harry said, standing up.

Ginny nodded and looked at Harry. She leaned toward him and kissed him softly, but briefly, like last time. He smiled and hugged her briefly.

"Good luck," he said, "If you need help, just ask."

"Okay," Ginny said, "I love you."

"I love you too," Harry said.

Harry backed away and closed his eyes. A moment later, he had vanished. Ginny picked up the blanket and the sack and hurried back toward the Burrow. Her mother had already let Professor Dumbledore inside by the time Ginny had arrived at the door. She saw her mother and Professor Dumbledore standing in the kitchen, unaware she was there. She closed her eyes, concentrating on her Occlumency barrier, trying to build enough shields to protect her from Dumbledore's Legilimency, and hoped it would be enough.

"—but why would you want to talk to Ginny?" Mrs. Weasley ask, in a confused tone of voice, "She isn't due for Hogwarts for over a year."

"I am merely curious, Molly," Dumbledore said, "If you wish to be present while I speak to Miss Ginevra, I would allow it."

"Um," Mrs. Weasley said, and Ginny could tell she was debating this, "I've always trusted you, Headmaster. If you believe this should be something between the two of you, as long as you do not anger or cause pain to Ginny, I will allow a one-on-one discussion. But, at this moment, I think she is –"

"I'm here, Mum," Ginny said, her Occlumency barriers up at a comfortable level.

She walked into the house, empty handed, as she had banished the sack and blanket into the sitting room closet as she listened to the conversation.

"Ginny, I'm not sure if you know who this gentleman is," Mrs. Weasley said, "He is Professor Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster at Hogwarts."

"My brothers always talk about you, sir," Ginny said, looking at Dumbledore, "I think Bill even called you 'eccentric' at one point."

"Ginevra!" Mrs. Weasley gasped, "Be polite! Albus, I am sorry –"

"There is no offense, Molly," Dumbledore said, with a smile, his eyes twinkling, "I think it was I who labeled myself as 'eccentric' to young William at one point."

Mrs. Weasley's face flushed pink as Ginny giggled.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, young lady," Dumbledore said, "Perhaps, Molly, Ginny and I can take this to your sitting room."

"Of course," Mrs. Weasley said, "I will make sure Ron does not interfere. I believe he is playing with his rat at the moment."

Ginny frowned as her eyes raised toward the ceiling. If there was a way to oust Pettigrew at this very moment, while Dumbledore was present, she would. But she could not figure a way to do so.

Ginny followed Dumbledore into the sitting room, and lightly opened her mind, only to Harry, as she walked over to one of the chairs.

_He does indeed wish to speak to me, Harry. Are you okay? Can you listen?_

_Just got finished confounding the secretary and got a pass for class. I am on my way to class, but I will try to listen. _

"Are you comfortable, Professor?" Ginny asked.

Dumbledore smiled from his chair. "Yes, thank you, kind lady."

_Did you hear him, Harry?_

_Loud and clear. If you feel an emotion of glee coming from me, don't worry. I am going to be confounding Dudley soon, so he has no reaction to me being late to class._

Ginny mentally chuckled, and tried to keep a smile back.

"I hope I am not being rude, Professor," she said aloud, "But I must ask what this is all about. I am not aware of Professors calling on children like me who are not at Hogwarts yet. Except for… perhaps… Muggleborn."

"You speak with an age much older than you, young Ginny," Dumbledore said.

_Uh-oh, _Harry thought.

_Don't worry, _Ginny thought then said to Dumbledore, "Mum always said I was too smart for my age."

Dumbledore smiled and bowed as he seemed to accept this.

_Nice save, Gin._

_Thank you, love._

"As for your question," Dumbledore said, "Yes, this is an odd visit, but I usually find myself doing odd visits. I am merely curious. Do you, by chance, know the story of a boy named Harry Potter?"

_Of course this is about me, _Harry thought.

Ginny smiled to both Harry and Dumbledore. "Of course. Mum and Dad always tell me bedtime stories about him. Some are quite exciting, though I am not sure if all are true. But every magical child should know who he is. He's a hero!"

_Aw, I blush, _Harry thought.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Yes, he is."

_Thank you, Professor. Can you say that to my face sometime?_

Ginny tried her best not to roll her eyes.

"Know that I am only curious when I ask this," Dumbledore said, an air of caution to his words, "But have you ever met Harry Potter?"

Ginny waited a few moments, as she waited to see if Harry would help her. She raised her eyebrows in thought, for show to Dumbledore. The only reaction from Harry she got was one of the aforementioned feeling of glee; he must have just jinxed Dudley.

"I… may have," Ginny said, cautiously.

_What are you doing? _Harry asked, in surprise.

"You may have?" Dumbledore echoed.

"I see a lot of children when Mum or Dad takes me out into Muggle London and areas around there," Ginny said, innocently, "I don't know what he looks like. There aren't current pictures of him anywhere, are there? So I could have seen him and not known it."

"That is well-reasoned," Dumbledore said, "I should rephrase my question. Have you ever knowingly met Harry Potter?"

Ginny strengthened her Occlumency barriers quickly. "No, I suppose not," she lied, "It would certainly be something I would have remembered, sir. I really do wish to meet him. I want to know that he is not just some storybook character."

_Nice, _Harry thought.

_Thank you, love. And here you were questioning me._

_I know better than to do that._

_Of course you do._

"I assure you he is not just a storybook character," Dumbledore said, with a chuckle, "In fact, if I am correct, he should be receiving his Hogwarts letter soon. He should be starting his first year at Hogwarts in September."

"With my brother!" Ginny said, doing her best to look surprised and excited.

"Yes," Dumbledore said, smiling.

Ginny smiled, then decided a question she should ask the Headmaster.

"Sir, have you ever met Harry Potter?" she asked.

"Oh, many years ago," Dumbledore said, "Though he would probably not remember doing so."

"I'm sure he'd very much like to meet you," Ginny said.

_Um… I'm not going to ask. I'm just going to assume that you, once again, know what you're doing._

Ginny giggled mentally.

"I'm not sure he knows who I am," Dumbledore said, smiling.

"But, sir!" Ginny said, "Everyone should you, Harry Potter included!"

"I'm sure he'll know who I am very soon," Dumbledore said.

_Translation, _Ginny thought_, he's going to be seeing you soon._

_Uh-huh. I'll be ready when he does. I hope._

"Well," Dumbledore said, "I think that is all I wanted to know. I just need to talk to your dear mother once again and I'll be off."

"It was very nice meeting you," Ginny said, politely.

"The statement is returned, dear lady," Dumbledore said, "I was most delighted many years ago to learn that a young witch was born to the Weasleys. I look forward to when you make your way to Hogwarts."

"So do I, sir," Ginny said.

Dumbledore chuckled and stood up. As he did so, Ginny's mother appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"Oh, are you already leaving, Albus?" she asked.

"I would like a few additional words with you, if you accept," Dumbledore said, "And then, yes, I must be off. Can you once again show me your delightful kitchen?"

Mrs. Weasley smiled and blushed and led Dumbledore into the kitchen. Ginny tip-toed closer to the kitchen, hoping to hear the conversation.

"Molly, I am curious," Dumbledore said, "Would you know a young boy by the name of Harry Potter?"

"Every witch and wizard knows who that young boy is, Albus," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Of course," Dumbledore said, "But I am wishing to know if you have ever seen him… perhaps recently. He would probably look similar to a very young James Potter, I am sure you met him at one point or another."

"I did, yes," Mrs. Weasley said.

_Really? _Harry asked, _I didn't know that._

_I didn't either._

"But to answer your question," Mrs. Weasley said, "No, I do not believe I ever met the dear boy. Hasn't he been living with Muggle relations? Lily's remaining family? That's what the rumor is."

"Yes, that is correct," Dumbledore said.

"I'm sorry," Mrs. Weasley said, "But I think I would remember meeting such a remarkable young boy."

"No apology is necessary, Molly," Dumbledore said, "That is all I wanted to know. I best be off. Good day to you and yours, my dear. I will keep watch on your three sons currently in Hogwarts. They are most wonderful."

"Even Fred and George?" Mrs. Weasley asked, with a sigh.

"Oh, yes," Dumbledore said, "A delightful pair."

"Well, I hope you haven't told them so," Mrs. Weasley said, "That would only encourage them."

Ginny tried her best to muffle her giggles.

"I'm sure it would," Dumbledore said, with a chuckle. "Good day, once again."

"It was nice talking to you, Headmaster," Mrs. Weasley said.

"And you," Dumbledore said, as he walked out of the house.

Ginny's mother stared at Dumbledore for a moment, and then turned around and saw Ginny standing there.

"What on Earth was that all about?" she asked.

"I don't know," Ginny said, with a shrug.

"I do adore Albus Dumbledore," Mrs. Weasley said, "But sometimes I just don't know what is going on through that mind of his."

_You and me both, Molly._

Ginny nodded and agreed with Harry and her mother.

"Well, I'm well-rested after that lie-in in the orchard," Ginny said, "I may have to do that again another day. I'll just go do something, Mum."

"Okay, Ginny," Mrs. Weasley said, "Have fun. Don't pester your brother. He's playing with his rat." Then she muttered under breath, though Ginny still heard, "as much as I hate that thing."

_Something else we have in common, Molly, _Harry thought, as Ginny made her way up the stairs and to her bedroom.

-  
**Chapter finished! Well, I was going to have Dumbledore and Harry's meeting in this chapter, but it really became too long for it. So it will happen next chapter, along with the Dursleys meeting Dumbledore as well.**

**I loved writing Dumbledore's PoV. He is sometimes a difficult character to master in writing, but I think I did a pretty good job. There was also a hint of the manipulative side of him that will be common throughout the story. He'll be in this story quite a bit, and this won't be his last PoV, not at all. **

**Also I hope you liked the explanation about the Soul-Bond. Though that is not all the answers yet. There are still a few more things missing I haven't gotten around to explaining about yet, including why Harry and Ginny are bonded, and how they became so. That will be explained in a few chapters, I do believe.**

**Much more to come. As for how long this story is going to be. I hope it lasts to about the end of Harry's fourth year, but I am not sure yet. So this could be a very long story, depending on how many chapters-per-year I do. I have many things planned, and quite a bit will happen before Harry even goes to Hogwarts. Though I am also excited to start Harry's first year as well, including the opening feast. I have big plans for that.**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I do! I like the feedback so far and hope to see more. It encourages me to write, though I will write anyway. I will also try to answer any questions you have as long as they don't spoil the future of this story too much.**


	6. Albus Dumbledore, Part 2

**Chapter 6  
An Interesting Conversation  
****(AKA: Albus Dumbledore, Part 2)**

**Author's Note: This website messed up the correct way of spelling OWLs and NEWTs, as seen in Chapter 5, so I will be just writing them as one word in the future.**

Harry's first day back at primary school probably would have been extremely boring had it not been for the conversations-through-thought he had with Ginny. Their conversations consisted of many things: what they were doing at that moment, what Ron and Mrs. Weasley was doing whenever Ginny saw them, suggestions on what they could do about Scabbers (ranging from possible to ridiculous but fun to think about), and other things they would be experiencing in the near future. They also speculated on what Dumbledore would be asking Harry, and what Harry would talk to Dumbledore about.

This latter bit was something that lasted in Harry's mind for quite a while. How would he convince Albus Dumbledore that he knew about the wizarding world, even though the Dursleys had refused to tell him anything? And then, how much could he act like he knew and what could he get out of Dumbledore? He needed to get to Diagon Alley soon in order to get wands for himself and Ginny, and entry into his vault, so he could do other things as well. If he recalled correctly, Hagrid had the key to Harry's vault, which he had received from Dumbledore. Harry knew he would have to convince Dumbledore to give him his key somehow.

Harry found ways to keep him busy in school, however. Every hour, he continued to build his Occlumency barriers in his mind, knowing he would need to do so for his meeting with Dumbledore. He also did his assignments with ease, knowing full well he would get very good grades, and he didn't care what the Dursleys thought. If he had his way, he wouldn't have to worry about them for too much longer anyway.

He had also taken his school picture with a hearty smile, knowing full well his cheerful look would annoy the Dursleys when they saw it.

Finally, at three-o-clock in the afternoon, the final bell of the day rang, and Harry made his way out toward the front of the school, to find Vernon's car.

"Oi, Potter!" a voice rang out behind Harry as he reached the front lawn.

Harry turned around and saw Dudley standing there with Piers and Malcolm.

"Piers saw you looking bright and cheerful for your picture, Potter," Dudley said, "What do you have to be so cheerful about?"

"I just thought of your face and laughed and that brought a smile," Harry said, with a grin.

_Nice, Harry, _Ginny thought, _but what are you doing?_

_Getting Dudley and his gang back for everything they did to me._

_Be careful, Harry._

_Don't worry, love._

_Somehow I knew you'd say that._

"Why you little –" Dudley growled, "Get him, boys."

Piers and Malcolm rushed forward and Harry side-stepped with ease just as they lunged toward him. The result was Piers and Malcolm tumbling onto the ground. Piers yelled out in pain, as Malcolm, a boy much bigger than he was, fell onto him. Students who had heard the commotion laughed out loud at the two boys. Dudley looked embarrassed as he brushed past Harry and went over to his fallen friends.

"How did you miss him?" Dudley asked his friends.

"Gerroff me, Mal!" Piers growled, "I dunno, Big D! You were watching. You tell us."

"I was, yeah," Dudley said, "But I don't know what happened. Potter, you'll pay for –"

"Dudley!" Vernon's voice rang out, "Get over here! Now!"

Harry knew that call meant for him too, so he walked away from the crowd and over to Vernon's car.

"What did you do, boy?" Vernon asked him, in a soft voice, with narrowed eyes, as Harry made his way into the back seat.

"Nothing, sir," Harry said.

"Uh-huh," Vernon said, then looked at Dudley, as he sat down in the front passenger-side seat, "Dudley, what happened?"

Dudley looked over his shoulder at Harry, then back at Vernon. "Piers tripped over Malcolm's big feet, and Malcolm fell too."

"And the boy?" Vernon asked.

Dudley shrugged. Vernon eyed Harry suspiciously through the rear-view mirror, but said nothing as he drove off out of the parking lot.

_Dudley didn't blab on you? _Ginny asked.

_Yeah, I'm surprised too. Maybe he didn't want to admit he embarrassed himself and his friends in front of everyone._

"Dudley, I don't want you to bother your mother when you get home," Vernon said, "That goes for you too, boy! She called me at the office not very long ago and she is upset about something. Apparently there's been some kind of solicitor hanging around the house she wants me to deal with. Oh, yes, I will deal with them."

_Solicitor? _Ginny asked.

_Professor Dumbledore, I would guess. Petunia never met him until my sixth year. She knows who he is, though, if he introduced himself to her. She wrote him a letter when she was a child, hoping to get into Hogwarts with Mum. And then Dumbledore wrote her a letter the day I came to live with the Dursleys._

_He must not have introduced himself to her yet. Perhaps he is waiting for you. But I can't imagine why he would sit outside your house, especially without a disguise of some sort. _

_He probably isn't aware of when I'll get home, so he wanted to wait for me. As for a disguise… who knows with him? Guess we'll find out. _

_This is going to be interesting._

_You're telling me. I'm nervous, but I can't wait to see how he treats the Dursleys. If he does like he did when he visited before my sixth year, he was quite calm and polite while they were very rude and loud._

_Sounds like fun. I'll be here listening._

_Has your Mum or Ron noticed anything strange?_

_Not yet. But I'm not sure how long that'll last. Mum's already in a weird mood thanks to Dumbledore's visit. _

_Right. I hope I'll get some kind of answer as to why Dumbledore visited you and now me. _

_Uh-huh. With Dumbledore, it was always more questions than answers._

_Right on the galleon, _Harry thought with a mental smirk.

Harry smiled softly when he heard Ginny's giggle in his mind.

A few minutes later, they arrived back at Privet Drive. Harry didn't have to search very long to find Professor Dumbledore. He was sitting in a lawn chair (probably one he conjured, Harry figured) on the sidewalk in front of Number 4. His face was hidden behind a Muggle newspaper, but Harry could see that he had changed his attire to one normally seen on elderly Muggle people, grey slacks and a plaid buttoned-down shirt. It was odd to see him look so… normal compared to his usual colorful robes. Dumbledore did not look away from his paper as Vernon parked the car in the driveway. Meanwhile, Vernon was glaring daggers at Dumbledore and Dudley looked rather frightened. Harry also saw Petunia poke her head through the front window of the house, having heard the car pull up. She looked almost as frightened as her son did.

"You two stay in the car while I take care of this," Vernon grumbled, "Shouldn't take too long to get rid of this old-timer."

_Ha. Shows what you know, Dursley. _Ginny thought.

Harry grinned mentally as Vernon opened the door and stepped out. Dumbledore's face, Harry noticed, was still hidden by the paper, though he could see a bit of his long flow of white hair.

"Excuse me, sir," Vernon said, in a voice that feigned politeness, "May I ask what you are doing in front of my house?"

"The breeze flows quite cool at this very spot," Dumbledore said, the newspaper still in front of his face, "Very nice on a warm day. Hard to find spots like this in this weather."

"I'm sure you could find the same conditions elsewhere," Vernon said, "Away from my property."

"Ah, kind sir, I am not on your property," Dumbledore stated, "The sidewalk is free to everyone."

"Yes, I am sure it is," Vernon said, "But soliciting is a crime in Surrey. I could call the authorities and get you out of here, but I do not wish to do so."

"If I was a solicitor," Dumbledore said, "I would turn myself in."

"If you are not a solicitor," Vernon said, "who are you?"

Dumbledore finally lowered the newspaper. His eyes briefly caught Harry's then he looked at Vernon.

"I am Albus Dumbledore," he said.

Harry looked at Vernon, whose eyes had grown large and his face turning a nice shade of red. Inside the house, Petunia was staring at Dumbledore in horror. She had clearly heard him speak, and, as Harry thought, knew who he was.

"I know that name!" Vernon growled, "I know who you are, and I order you to leave this instant, and never come back to Privet Drive! I do not welcome your kind around here, you –"

"Vernon," Petunia's voice hissed; she was now standing in the front doorway, "Vernon. Control your temper. We do not need the neighbors watching us."

Petunia looked from her husband to Dumbledore, who was now standing tall.

"You – you're Albus Dumbledore?" she stammered, timidly.

"Yes, ma'am," Dumbledore said, politely, "You must be Petunia Dursley, formerly Evans. Lily's sister."

"Y-yes," Petunia said, her voice still shaky, "Exactly what are you doing here?"

"I've come to check on something I informed you about, through post, many years ago," Dumbledore said.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean," Petunia said, "Like you said, that was many years ago."

"Perhaps I can remind you then," Dumbledore said. "If I may come into your home for a few minutes and speak with –"

"You may not!" Vernon growled, his face red and blotchy, "I told you. You are not welcome –"

"Vernon!" Petunia hissed.

"Petunia," Vernon said, "This – man is – well, he's –"

"I know who he is," Petunia said, "If he wishes to speak with me, I will allow it. The sooner this is finished, the sooner he will leave. You only need a few minutes of my time, right?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said, "But I'm afraid I haven't been entirely honest with my full intentions."

"Oh?" Petunia asked.

"Yes," Dumbledore said, then his eyes traveled toward Harry, "I also wish to speak to that young boy in the back seat of your… automobile, is it? Ingenious contraption."

"You will not!" Vernon growled, "I forbid it! He will not speak to any of – of – of your kind!"

"Vernon, quiet!" Petunia hissed, "Not out here."

"But Petunia," Vernon said, "We swore –"

"I know what we swore," Petunia said. "But we can hardly –"

She blanched and looked at Harry, then to Dumbledore, and cleared her throat.

"I suppose there is no way we can avoid this, is there?" Petunia asked.

"No, ma'am," Dumbledore said, "Unless… there is something… you wish to tell me."

Dumbledore looked through his eyeglasses, straight at Petunia and she shook her head, frantically.

"N-no," she said, "Nothing. I – err – I will permit it as the boy's blood and guardian."

Harry raised his eyebrows. He had never heard those words come out of her mouth before. Dumbledore must have really frightened her.

Vernon grumbled and growled lowly. He turned back to the car, and opened the door.

"Dudley, you go to your room for now," he said.

"But what about my snack?" Dudley asked.

"NOW!" Vernon growled, then looked at Harry and narrowed his eyes. "And you – you – you go into the sitting room and be quiet until we come to you."

"Yes, Uncle Vernon," Harry said.

Harry took his knapsack and hurried out of the car. He did not dare look at Dumbledore while his relatives were watching. As he made his way into the sitting room, he heard Dudley moan and stamp his feet loudly as he ascended the stairs onto the second level. Vernon and Petunia walked past the sitting room and headed into the kitchen. As Dumbledore passed the archway, Harry met his eyes briefly before he disappeared through the doorway into the kitchen as well.

_That was interesting, _Ginny thought, _What is going on with your aunt? She's allowing Dumbledore to talk to you even though she swore to not let you know about your magical side?_

_Yeah, it is odd. But I think she's rather frightened of Dumbledore. I think she knows she can't really do anything about him. He wasn't aware of my mistreatment from the Dursleys, and she's afraid he'd find out. She knows what wizards are capable of._

_What do you think Dumbledore wanted to talk to her about? What did he mean he wanted to check on something? If he wanted to check on you, he would have said it._

_He did say it, sort of._

_Yeah, almost as an afterthought, Harry. What else is going on?_

_Dunno. Maybe I'll find out._

_Maybe. Are you ready to talk to him? I know you've been preparing all day._

_I think so. I don't know why I'm so nervous._

_Harry, it is understandable. If there is one person who could find out we're from the future, without us telling them, it would be Albus Dumbledore. You know we can never underestimate him._

_We're right about not wanting to tell him our secret, right?_

_Yes, Harry. We don't know what he'd do. What if we tell him everything that happens, and he realizes we may not have a way back? He'd probably try to modify our memories and make us forget we're from the future._

_He wouldn't! _Pause. _Would he?_

_I wouldn't put it past him. You already know time-travel is very much frowned upon, and he would not like what we're doing and what we're planning, even if it could save many lives, including his. We're tempting Fate, aren't we? He would probably fear that, to be honest._

_Right, I see what you mean. Yeah, we need to keep it away from him._

_Right. So be careful, Harry._

_I will. I love you, just so you know._

_I love you too, and I miss you. _

_I miss you. I just want to get away from the Dursleys and go through with your idea._

_Yeah, but is that a good idea? We still need for you to meet my family again, so we can try to get Mum and Dad to become your guardians after you leave the Dursleys._

_I know… okay, I'll wait. _

_Try to find a way to go to Diagon Alley soon. I'll try to convince Mum to take me. I'll figure something I need from there. _

_I was already planning on leading this conversation with Dumbledore into the subject of Diagon Alley._

_Good plan. Good luck. I'll be here if you need me._

Harry smiled mentally, as he heard the screeching of chairs in the kitchen. A moment later, Aunt Petunia walked through the archway, into the sitting room, and was followed in by Dumbledore.

"Err – Harry?" Petunia said, feigning a kind, sweet voice for show, "This is Professor Albus Dumbledore. He wishes to speak with you."

"Good afternoon, Professor," Harry said, politely.

"Good afternoon, young man," Dumbledore said.

"Err – right," Petunia said, "Vernon and I will be upstairs if you need something."

Petunia gave a frightening look between Harry and Dumbledore, then back to Harry, before she quickly left the room. Harry heard Petunia's footsteps head up the stairs toward the second level, though midway through, Dumbledore waved a hand and the footsteps muffled.

"Do not be frightened of how much you wish to tell me, Harry," Dumbledore said, as he sat down in a chair across from Harry, "This conversation is now private."

"Um, okay," Harry said, feigning a timid voice, "You're a Professor, right? Like a teacher? What do you teach?"

"I am no longer a teacher," Dumbledore said, with a smile. "It is just a formal term. I am the Headmaster of Hogwarts. Do you know what Hogwarts is?"

Harry waited, hoping Ginny would help, but she said nothing. Harry tried to remember the story he wanted to use in his head.

"Hogwarts is real?" Harry asked.

"So you have heard of it?" Dumbledore asked.

"Um… kind of," Harry said, "Mrs. Figg, the strange lady across the street, she babysits me sometimes when the Dursleys are away doing something. She has all these strange books. I like to read, so I read them all the time. In one book, there was something about Hogwarts, but… well, it seemed like some kind of fairytale to me."

Dumbledore stared at Harry, though his eyeglasses, for a moment. "And why is that, Harry?"

"Well," Harry said, "It talks about the most unusual things. Things that seem like some kind of dream. Witches and wizards and magic. Staircases that move and steps that you can fall through. Giant squids and some kind of sport on broomstick high up in the air. But… um… Uncle Vernon always tells me there is no such thing as magic. Was he lying?"

"Tell me, Harry," Dumbledore said, "Have you ever done something strange? Something you couldn't explain. Perhaps when you were scared, or excited?"

"Um… yeah," Harry said, raising his eyebrows, "Aunt Petunia cut my hair once really short, and I hated it. When I woke up, my hair was back to the normal size. I – well, Aunt Petunia wasn't very happy about that. And once, Dudley and his friends were chasing me across the playground, and when I wanted to get away, I found myself up on the roof of the building, though I don't know how I got there. Is that magic?"

"That – is what we refer to as accidental magic," Dumbledore said, "It happens frequently with very young witches and wizards, such as yourself."

"I-I'm a wizard?" Harry asked, trying to sound exactly like he had in the shack on the sea when Hagrid had informed him of the same thing, "But, sir, I c-can't be. I'm just Harry. Just normal Harry. There's nothing special about me."

"Oh, Harry," Dumbledore said, "I assure you that you are wrong. Out of curiosity, what other things did you read about at Mrs. Figg's house?"

"Err – well," Harry said, as inspiration struck, "There was this one story about a really scary wizard. And there was also stories about magic marketplaces. If I remember correctly, there is one in London?"

_Nice, Harry, _Ginny thought, _Quite subtle._

"Yes," Dumbledore said, smiling, "It is known as Diagon Alley."

"Yes!" Harry said, "That is the name. It said we can buy wands and broomsticks and all kinds of strange things. Can I buy that? I'd like a wand."

"I'm sure you would," Dumbledore said, with a chuckle, "Yes, it is very real. I'll tell you what. I have to go to Diagon Alley this weekend. I could meet you there –"

"Could you just tell me how to get there?" Harry asked, "I usually do things on my own."

Dumbledore stared at Harry through his eyeglasses, silent for a moment.

_Er… what am I sensing, Harry? Dumbledore looks rather thoughtful._

_Tom Riddle said basically the same thing the day Dumbledore met him in the orphanage. I… might have done it on purpose._

_How evil of you, love._

"Well, Harry," Dumbledore said, "It is only under rare circumstances that this is allowed. Usually I would only come to see wizards and witches as young as yourself when you turn eleven. But that is, I believe, not for a couple more months."

_Oh, boy. _Ginny said,_ What's he doing?_

"However," Dumbledore continued, "This is certainly a special circumstance. If I may make one suggestion, I ask that you wait for only a few days. Look for a couple letters from me before this weekend. In order for you to buy the things you need, you need wizarding money. You have some already, but it is in the bank. I have the key to your vault, which I could give you with the post. However it will not come through Muggle post. Possibly you can guess how, perhaps from your stories?"

"I saw something about… owls flying and sending letters?" Harry said.

"Indeed," Dumbledore said, smiling, "Look for an owl to come soon. I will make sure it knows to answer to only you and not your relatives. Have you ever heard of the Knight Bus?"

"Er… no," Harry lied; he thought it best not to reveal he knew too much.

"The Knight Bus is a transport for witches and wizards," Dumbledore said, "Muggles – non-magic folk, in other words – cannot see it. What, may I ask, is the hand you write with?"

"My right," Harry said.

"That will be your wand arm," Dumbledore said, "When you want to go to Diagon Alley, walk up to the little park at the end of this street and stick out your wand arm. The Knight Bus will come and pick you up. Tell them you are Harry Potter, and they will give you a free ride on the Bus, courtesy of myself. I know the attendee, Stan Shunpike. A young lad, just out of Hogwarts. He wouldn't have had such a job if it was not for me. Owes me favors. Tell Stan that you wish to go to the Leaky Cauldron. Only wizards and witches can see that too. When you get to the Leaky Cauldron, ask for Tom, and he will get you into Diagon Alley. If you forget, I will write this and more instructions in a letter to you before the end of the week."

"Thank you, sir," Harry said, "Er… sir. Does this mean – since I am a wizard – that I still have to go to primary school?"

"Only until the end of this term, Harry," Dumbledore said, with a chuckle, "Then you will be at Hogwarts come September 1st."

"Wicked," Harry said.

Dumbledore chuckled again.

"Is – err – this the reason you're here?" Harry asked, "To tell me I'm a wizard?"

"Not quite," Dumbledore said, "Though that was one of my intentions. To be honest, Harry, I thought you might have known."

"No, sir," Harry said, "If the Dursleys knew, they did not tell me. Sounds like they wanted to keep it from me. Why would they do that?"

"Some people do not accept things they do not fully understand, Harry," Dumbledore said, "Vernon Dursley is one of those people, and in a sense, so is Petunia. They both know of the magical world. Petunia's sister, your mother, was a Muggleborn witch."

Harry smiled, as a thought came to his mind.

"How did she die?" Harry asked, "Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia told me they died in a car crash."

Harry saw worry lines crease across Dumbledore's forehead.

"No, Harry," Dumbledore said, "They did not die in a car crash. But unfortunately that tale is too big for me to tell today. Perhaps when we meet at Hogwarts?"

"Okay, sir," Harry said, "What else did you want to talk to me about?"

"I hope I am not intruding, Harry," Dumbledore said, "But this is only a mere curiosity. Have you ever met a young girl by the name of Ginny Weasley? She would be about a year younger than you, with red hair that you could remember easily."

Harry strengthened his Occlumency barriers tighter. "No, sir," he lied, "Can't say I have. The Dursleys don't let me get out much, except for school. And I don't recall seeing her at school? Should I have."

"No, Harry," Dumbledore said, "I don't think so."

"Then I guess I never met her," Harry said, "Why do you ask?"

"That, Harry," Dumbledore said, with a sigh, "is also another story that will have to wait."

_Okay, I didn't expect that, _Ginny thought.

_Me either._

"Yes, sir," Harry said.

Dumbledore stood up from his chair.

"I best be off," he said, "Look for my owl before Saturday, and then you can go to Diagon Alley."

"I can't wait, sir," Harry said.

Dumbledore smiled and raised his hand for a moment.

"Lead me back to your front door?" he asked.

Harry nodded and led Dumbledore through the hallway. When he turned and looked at Dumbledore, the old man was looking at the cupboard under the stairs. Harry thought Dumbledore would say something about it, when a cough made him jump. Petunia was waiting on the stairs.

"Leaving already?" she asked, though in an unconcerned voice.

"Yes, Mrs. Dursley," Dumbledore said, "Though I may return sometime, possibly without warning. Mere curiosity visits tend to happen that way."

"Oh – err – all right," Petunia said.

"This is goodbye for now," Dumbledore said. "Harry was a right gentleman. A magnificent little boy, though a bit smaller than I would have expected."

"My family was always small before they we started our growth spurt," Petunia said.

"Ah," Dumbledore said, "I'll be going now. Goodbye, Harry. I expect I'll see you soon."

"Goodbye, Professor," Harry said.

Dumbledore smiled and opened the front door then walked outside.

"I must say, Petunia," Dumbledore said, as he walked away, "Your flowers are looking most delightful. Could use some lilies though, for color."

"I'll think about that," Petunia said, as she shut the door.

She looked back at Harry.

"Err – I guess I'll go to the cupboard," he said.

"No, Harry," Petunia said, with a sigh, "I – err – well, I think you are getting too big for it. You will now be sleeping in Dudley's second bedroom. Everything is ready for you."

"Really?" Harry asked, in genuine surprise.

"Yes," Petunia said, "Now go. And I hope you're grateful for it."

"Thanks, Aunt Petunia," Harry said.

Petunia pursed her lips, as Harry hurried up the stairs.

_So… Diagon Alley on Saturday? _Ginny asked, as Harry walked into the bedroom.

_Yeah, _Harry said, _Will you be there?_

_I'll try. We have a few days to plan for it. Wonder what letters Dumbledore's giving you._

_Dunno. Guess we'll see. Never know with that man._

As Harry laid down on his new/old bed, he thought he heard a popping noise that sounded very much like disapparation.

**(Albus' PoV)**

Dumbledore appeared on the cobbled pavement in the center of Hogsmeade Village. Deciding he very much needed a gillywater or perhaps a nice ale, he headed for the Three Broomsticks.

As he strolled through the village, his mind raced.

So, unless they were lying (and he wasn't sure if they were or not), Harry and Ginny had not met each other yet, and yet Albus was very sure the only way for a Soul-Bond to activate was through bodily contact of some kind, usually through hands touching, or a kiss. This was indeed puzzling.

Even more puzzling was what else he learned about Harry. From Vernon and Petunia Dursley's attitude toward him, Vernon especially, and through Harry's comments, he could easily tell that they were raising Harry with full intentions of being a Muggle with no knowledge of his true world. And yet, according to Harry, he had read a few stories, most likely factual wizarding books in Arabella Figg's small library. Dumbledore decided that, along with his post to Harry, he would also have to send one to Mrs. Figg to see how she could allow these books to be out in the open like such. But at least, Dumbledore thought, Harry seemed to accept that he was a wizard, and that he was ready to be one.

Except there were a few troubling things that Dumbledore had noticed. Harry already seemed very independent, as he wanted to shop in Diagon Alley on his own. He also seemed very shut in. Dumbledore felt as if Harry probably didn't have very many friends. He was also a good-looking boy, albeit a bit unhealthy. These qualities, Dumbledore noted were frighteningly close in comparison with a certain boy Dumbledore had met many years ago, and again many times over the years. A boy by the name of Tom Riddle. He, too, was an orphan, growing up with no knowledge of his parents. The similarities were unbelievably close. And yet, Dumbledore hoped the similarities would stop there. For he hoped Harry Potter did not tread the path Tom Riddle had gone down.

Dumbledore wasn't sure how he felt. He did not get the answers he wanted concerning the two children and their apparent Soul-Bond status. They seemed to have not met one another, though young Ginevra seemed most interested in meeting Harry, quite possibly a little fancy forming for the boy. This was also a rumored trait for the Soul-Bond, and understandably one if she had not met him. This was something he would indeed have to discuss with Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel. Just one of many things.

Yes, Dumbledore decided, as he strolled into Three Broomsticks, he definitely needed a drink.

-  
**Ha! I loved that ending. The only chapter went better off than I had expected. **

**If Petunia seems out-of-character a bit, it was probably because of Dumbledore's presence, and how frightened she was of him. She knew some things he could do, and just the kind of person he was, was very overwhelming. She knew she could not hide secrets from him, and if she didn't allow Harry to speak to him, both would have asked questions why, and that was a problem she just didn't want to face.**

**More to come soon, including Dumbledore's post to Harry, a curious response from Mrs. Figg to Dumbledore's letter, Dumbledore's visit to Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel (possibly), and Harry's visit to Diagon Alley, where he will reunite with the Weasleys and more answers about the Soul-Bond and other shocking things will be revealed. **

**Glad to see the response I am getting to this story. I am taking all advice and suggestions into careful thought, and will answer questions you may have, unless, again, they are too spoiler-ish for the story. Keep it coming!****aHH**


	7. Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel

**Chapter 7  
Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel**

The next couple of days following Dumbledore's visit to Privet Drive were rather monotone for Harry, though there were a few interesting things of note. When he wasn't in school, he spent his free-time in the back yard, or, when he became annoyed by Aunt Petunia's ever-watchful stare, up in his bedroom by the windowsill. He would wait for hours for an owl to come with Dumbledore's post, though it had not come yet. During this wait, he and Ginny would have many conversations-through-thought, though most of the time there were rather random with no true purpose.

For a good twelve hours after Dumbledore had left, and Harry had been reunited with Dudley's second bedroom, Dudley had a fit, complaining that Harry was not welcome in his second room, and that he needed it for storage. He had quite a loud discussion that rang through the house at dinner that first evening, and even when Harry excused himself after a hurried dinner of pork chops and mashed potatoes, he could still hear his cousin's rants from his bedroom.

As for Petunia and Vernon, they were mostly avoiding Harry as if he had a very contagious disease. This was not surprising, however. Harry had figured that they had probably realized that Harry now knew he was a wizard, and were probably afraid he would do some freaky magic to them if they were around him too long. Harry and Dudley were forced to ride the school bus from now on, because Vernon did not want to drive Harry to school anymore. This meant earlier wake-up calls and hurried breakfasts before they had to race to the end of Privet Drive to meet the bus. Dudley, who was not used to running all the time to catch the bus, was complaining all throughout the way to the bus, and on the bus as well, where the kids were all laughing at him. This embarrassed Dudley greatly, and he was very quiet toward Harry at school, though Harry wondered if, like his parents, Dudley was also afraid of Harry's magical hocus-pocus.

Ron, strangely enough, was the reason that Ginny had an excuse to go to Diagon Alley on Saturday. As Ginny's brother had said, the night after Dumbledore's visit, Scabbers was not looking too well and needed some rat tonic. Harry and Ginny were quite shocked by this revelation. Pettigrew had not looked ill until Harry's third year in the last time-line, and this was definitely something to look out for.

After Ginny had asked Harry if it was possible Pettigrew had somehow found out their secret, or had somehow figured out their plans to capture him, she had started to pay attention to the rat to see if he was doing anything funny around her. After a stroke of inspiration from Harry, Ginny used wandless magic to put a locking and anti-Animagus charms on Scabber's cage. It was finally decided that, perhaps, Pettigrew had been freaked out by Dumbledore's visit. After this revelation, Harry and Ginny had planned for hours how they reveal Pettigrew's identity soon before he had a chance to escape, though nothing concrete had come yet.

Finally, Thursday afternoon, after two whole days of waiting for the owl post, Harry returned from school to find an eagle owl perched outside his bedroom window. Harry let the owl in, and found that he was carrying a large brown envelope. The owl dropped the envelope on the bed, and flew back out the window. Harry opened the envelope and dumped out the contents. Out fell two rolls of parchment, one bigger than the other, and also a small box. Harry opened the box first and found a small brass key he recognized as his Gringotts key, as well as what looked to be some kind of amulet.

_What is that? _Ginny asked, as Harry picked up the necklace.

_Dunno. Looks like some kind of protection amulet. Why would Dumbledore want to give me this?_

_He probably explains it in your letter. _

Harry nodded and set the amulet back in the box, then unrolled the smaller of the two rolls of parchment.

_To Harry James Potter,_

_My apologies for writing to you so close to the weekend deadline. As the Headmaster of Hogwarts, I am quite busy, as I hope you understand. Though, as you will also see, I have been quite busy trying to make sure your debut visit into Diagon Alley is a memorable one. I hope you do not object to this._

_I have made arrangements for your journey to Diagon Alley on Saturday. As I stated during our visit, Stan Shunpike will be watching out for you when you summon the Knight Bus. Whatever time you wish, will be fine for him and the driver, Ernie. Stan may be eager to meet you, but I have asked him to leave you alone unless you wish to speak to him. He was rather put out by this, but I think he will get over it. The barman of the Leaky Cauldron, Tom, will also meet you and help you get into Diagon Alley, as the entrance to the marketplace is usually only accessible by wand._

_Speaking of wands, since I knew you were eager to buy your own, Mr. Ollivander the wand-maker was delighted to hear of your coming visit, and he will sell you your wand even though it is uncommon to do so for someone under eleven, and without a parent or guardian with you._

_But first, you will need to visit Gringotts bank. The goblin (most curious and frightening creatures, but do not worry or fear them, they will bring you no harm, if you are as polite to them as you were to me) who you will need to ask for is called Ragnok. He handled your parents' vault and has been watching over it since their deaths, waiting for you to claim it. He is eager to meet you, if his letter was any clue._

_Diagon Alley is a delightful little place. You will find many things there to purchase. I hope you handle your money wise and use it well, though I am sure you are eager to, as the Muggles say, burn a hole in your pockets. If I may make a suggestion, however, I ask that you purchase your very own familiar, possibly an owl. They are wonderful and faithful companions and will be your best friend if you have no other friend to talk to._

_Along with this letter, I am also sending you another letter, and a small package. The other letter is your Hogwarts letter, written by Professor McGonagall, our Deputy Headmistress and Transfiguration Professor, which you will need to respond to (perhaps with that owl I suggested?) with your confirmation of your attendance. You will also find a list of things you need to buy for school, including a booklist, which I am sure you will be excited to peruse through before September 1st. In the package is also your Gringotts vault key you will show to Ragnok when you visit him._

_There is also an amulet. This amulet is a temporary protection amulet that will allow you to have a safe shopping journey. When you wear it on Saturday, twist it once in your fingers and it will activate. Once activated, those who you do not want to bother you, or are hostile toward you, will be repelled away from you. If, however, you meet somebody friendly or trustworthy, the amulet will allow them to talk to you, and they will be no danger to you. Please wear this, if only to quell an old man's worries. I assure you, it will do no harm to you._

_I wish you well and hope your first visit into the wizarding world is a memorable and happy one. I am sure I will see you soon._

_Sincerely,_

_Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_  
_Headmaster, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

Harry took the other parchment and unrolled it. Indeed, it was the Hogwarts letter, identical to the one he had received in the first timeline, complete with the school list.

_Nice letter from Professor Dumbledore, _Ginny said, _I guess you're going to try to get Hedwig again?_

Harry smiled. Hedwig… he hadn't even thought about here in the past couple of days, and yet the thought of seeing his first friend again was very exciting, and also brought a few tears to his eyes.

_Yeah, _he said, _Getting her will be one of the first things I do._

_Great. Perhaps we can try to figure out how we can meet in the shop, so my mother and Ron can meet you all over again. _

_Good idea._

Harry sighed and laid down on his bed as he stared at his Hogwarts letter and school list. His mind wandered as he thought of things he'd do at Diagon Alley. He couldn't wait to go, though it was still a little less than two days away, if he decided to go early on Saturday. For the next few hours, until Petunia called him down for dinner, Harry lay in his room and talked to Ginny through their mind-link.

-  
**(Albus' PoV)**

Harry was not the only one who received owl post on Thursday. An hour before Albus Dumbledore was due to join most of the school for dinner in the Great Hall, he received two pieces of post, though one had come from Fawkes, who appeared, in a burst of flame, in his office. Albus knew whom the post was from that Fawkes had brought and he decided it could wait until he read the first piece of mail, brought by a small tawny owl. This letter was from Mrs. Arabella Figg of Little Whinging, Surrey.

_Albus,_

_I was most surprised to receive your letter, though not as surprised as I was to see you hanging around Vernon and Petunia Dursley's residence on Monday afternoon. Though I believe the letter basically told me what you were doing over there. So you finally got the gusto to speak with Harry Potter after all these years. About time, I say, old friend._

_As was your suggestion, I have indeed looked after young Harry since his arrival on Privet Drive, mainly as his babysitter. Also, as your suggestion, I wasn't too overbearingly friendly, in fact I was to the point where he called me batty and strange many times. Thanks for that, Dumbledore, I'd rather wish I could be as kind to him as I was to his parents. But I know you asked me to be strict toward him, owing to his nasty relatives. I do agree that if they found out of my magical past, even as a Squib, I would not be welcome to watch Harry anymore. At least I trust your word on that._

_So Harry knows things about our world that perhaps he shouldn't have until an appropriate time, you say? Well, I will say I am most surprised to hear your retelling of Harry's explanation to me. Whenever I babysat him, I usually allowed him to watch a few shows on the telly, or we looked after my dear cats, or, yes, we read a few books. But I never knowingly showed him any of my wizarding books. I can guess that he might have become curious at one point while I was off somewhere else in the house, and he could have ventured onto those books. But of course, as you say, he thought they were fairytales until you confirmed to him the reality of our world, so I see no danger._

_If you ask me, like I stated earlier, I say about time. He should have grown up in the wizarding world, if not with his parents, bless their souls, or perhaps Sirius Black (yes, Albus, I still say we do not know everything about what happened that night… you know full well about my old arguments and I still stand by them), Harry could have lived with someone like Remus Lupin, if he was very careful about his lycanthropy around Harry. Remus was always a very careful boy about his… disability. But for Harry to live in a house, with people who frown upon everything we know, is just so… well, sad is the only word I can look for. I know you have your reasons, but I'm the one who has watched the boy for these many years, and I will still watch him. He reminds me so much of James, but he has Lily's eyes. I just wish I could talk to him about them. Maybe I can now, since he knows about our world. But I know you'll want your say first. I understand that, old friend._

_I am probably as eager as you are to see what the future holds for young Harry and we will probably both watch him as I always have. Perhaps this won't be our only exchange in letters concerning the boy, correct? _

_Until then… your old friend,_

_Arabella Figg_

Albus chuckled heartily as he rolled up the parchment. Arabella had always been very vocal about her opinions, especially toward him. While she didn't understand the blood protection around the Dursleys and how Harry was protected by that, he had to agree with some of her points.

If Fate had played a different role so many years ago, Sirius Black would have gone a different route, and as such, Harry would be living with him, since as Harry's godfather, Sirius was his rightful guardian. Unfortunately, Fate was cruel and Sirius ended up in Azkaban. Yes, like Arabella, Albus had to admit, there was some funny things when it came to Sirius' story, and the way he ended up in Azkaban. Sirius Black and James Potter were like peas in a pod, if Albus remembered correctly, as he always did. Also, Barty Crouch had sent Sirius straight to Azkaban without so much as a trial, due to the way the wizarding world was in such peril. Any capture of those who could be apparent Death Eaters were sent to Azkaban without a fair trial. But Fate is sometimes a fickle friend, as it was for Sirius Black.

Without another thought on the matter, Albus took the roll of parchment Fawkes had brought, and unrolled it, then began to read:

_Albus,_

_My old friend, Perenelle and I were most delighted to get a letter from you. It has been too long since our last conversation. To be honest, if you had not contacted, I was going to contact you soon. An issue has come up that I do not want to put in letter, and I am hoping you would like to meet Perenelle and myself at my lovely home for a nice meal, perhaps tomorrow (Friday), if you can make it. It must be as soon as possible, my friend. It is a matter of most importance._

_While you are here, we can also discuss the contents of your letter. So another Bonded couple has come into existence, and yet these bond-mates has, as far as you know, never met each other, and even more extraordinary, are not even of the age yet to get into your wonderful school? That is most curious. As you can guess, Perenelle and I are experts when it comes to Soul-Bonds, as we are connected by such and have been for a very, very long time. It is very wise that you are cautious and curious about these two individuals, given that they are your future students. I was most surprised to see that one of the mates is Harry Potter himself! Most curious. I cannot wait to hear what you know and I will tell you what you need to know or what you can watch out for. _

_To do so, like I stated earlier, it would be best if you joined me and Perenelle at our residence. You know where it is, as you are one of the only visitors allowed. Seeing that we both have issues that need resolving, it would be extremely helpful for the both of us. Send a reply via your wonderful familiar and if you will, I'll be seeing you tomorrow!_

_Your (very very old) friend and colleague,_

_Nicolas Flamel_

Albus sighed as he read his old friend's words over again. So Nicolas Flamel needed his help with something, and it seemed very dire. Indeed he seemed worried about it. So worried that he could not place it in a letter even though post sent through Fawkes between Albus and Nicolas was impossible to intercept.

"Most curious, indeed," Albus said, though he did not smile.

He wrote a reply, confirming that he would visit for a nice lunch and discussion with Nicolas and Perenelle, and requested a nice luncheon would be appropriate and to expect him around noon the following day (Hogwarts time).

When he was finished he gave the letter to Fawkes, who disappeared in a flash of fire and smoke. He then relaxed in his chair and hummed a tune mindlessly. He wondered what answers he would get from Nicolas and Perenelle about the Soul-Bond. If he had to be honest with himself, he thought he should know more about this phenomenon, but it was so rare, it was almost a fairytale in its own nature…

_But, of course, _he mused as he looked at his wand, _the Deathly Hallows were also supposed to be a fairytale as well. _

Close to noon, the following day, Albus walked into his office from his living quarters. He was wearing his best formal outfit, as he usually did when visiting his old friends, the Flamels. He walked over to Fawkes' perch and held out his hand to the bird.

"To Flamel Island, my friend," he instructed.

Fawkes crooned a slow tune and softly took hold of Albus' left hand.

Travel by phoenix flame was most interesting, and not something just anybody could do. If someone had traveled with Fawkes this way, and they were not trusted by the bird, they would suffer horrible burns or perhaps instant death depending on their magical core. It was similar to Floo travel, though much quicker, almost as quick as Apparation. Though Albus was protected by the heat, he could also feel the warmth of his familiar.

This heat was soon overtaken by a gust of cool wind. Albus opened his eyes and smiled as he looked around. He was now standing at the bottom of a long stairwell, surrounded on either side by the sea. Flamel Island was an Unplottable island off the coast of Greece. While the other many islands off the coast of Greece were accessible to everyone, very few people knew of Flamel Island. It was guarded by a large number of wards and charms and Nicolas Flamel was the Secret Keeper of the island. The island had been home to the Flamels for over six-hundred years.

Albus made his way up the steps, while Fawkes flew high above him in circles. At the very top of the steps rested a beautiful, large, cliff-side cottage, comfortable fit for two people and guests, which was just perfect for the Flamels. Under the cottage, however, hidden in the cliff, a secret to the Flamels and those they trusted most, including Albus, was a laboratory where the Flamels would work on new discoveries and other inventions they had worked on for many years. Some inventions they created took well over one-hundred years to complete. They did not gain any monetary value from these inventions, even though they donated them to the wizarding world. The experience and knowledge that could be gained by such inventions was enough of a reward for the couple.

"Stop!" a loud voice commanded when Albus reached the top step of the cottage.

The voice would usually scare the daylights out of the unexpected, but Albus expected this welcome.

"Answer my question, and you may enter my humble home," the voice said, "Which came first, the phoenix or the flame?"

"It has been stated by those more clever than I that a circle has no end," Albus said, with a smile.

The cottage door opened and Nicolas Flamel stood there. Even though he was almost 666, the magic of the Philosopher's Stone gave him the appearance of a man many years younger than even Albus. At the present time, Nicolas looked as if he was only sixty or so. For a wizard, that was not very old at all.

"A very wise answer indeed, though I will say I am not surprised," he said, then smiled quite widely, "Albus Dumbledore. It has been a long time since you stepped foot on my island."

"Too long, Nicolas," Albus said.

Nicolas held out his hand and Albus shook it. The handshake quickly turned into a brief embrace.

"Come, come!" Nicolas said, backing away from Albus, "Perenelle is almost finished cooking lunch. I hope you like seafood! It is always in abundance out here on Flamel Island, and I am quite skilled in the Muggle sport of fishing."

"It sounds delightful," Albus said.

Nicolas stepped outside the house, and closed the front door. Albus then followed him around the wrap-around porch that led into the backyard where a small outside dining set was placed near a koi pond. Steam escaped through a window in the back of the cottage where Albus knew the kitchen was. The window was fogged over, but Albus could just make out the shape of Perenelle Flamel inside the house.

"Do your taste-buds still favor butterbeer?" Nicolas asked, "You know how I love it."

"Of course," Albus said, as he sat down at the small patio table.

Nicolas silently summoned an ice-chest from the cottage, and it landed near him on the patio. He pulled out two bottles and handed one to Albus. Near the cottage, Fawkes landed on a golden perch that the Flamels had put out when Albus and the phoenix would visit. He sang a few notes before closing his eyes for a peaceful nap.

"How is your brother doing these days?" Nicolas asked, "Does he still have a fascination for goats?"

"Indeed, he does," Albus said, chuckling, "Though his fondness has also turned to the drink, as much as I try to talk him out of it."

"And yet he owns a bar, I believe?" Nicolas asked.

"A problem it is indeed," Albus said, before taking a sip of butterbeer, "Nicolas, I must ask you something out of a mere curiosity. I've seen a recent book updated that states you and Perenelle live in Devon and not out here on this fantastic island. And, well –"

Nicolas laughed heartily.

"Albus, you know Perenelle and I like our quiet life away from people," Nicolas said. "It is not a secret anymore that we have lived such long lives. Most people would want to know how, and certainly most do know about the Philosopher's Stone."

Nicolas sighed and Albus could see worry-lines crease his forehead. For a moment, he did look all of his 665 years.

"Perenelle and I decided to give that information to the author of the book," Nicolas said, "to lay a false trail. A wild goose chase, as Muggles say, for people to look for. The address is not in the book, but if they did find the address, it would lead them to a message saying 'you have reached the end of your treasured quest for information on the Flamels and the Philosopher's Stone. You will find neither and consider this letter proof Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel do exist.' I wish we didn't have to take that route –"

"Nor do I, my love," a voice said.

Albus smiled as he turned toward the house. Perenelle Flamel, looking even younger than Nicolas, was walking toward the table, two trays full of plates and bowls, floating behind her.

"Albus, how delightful to see you," she said, with a smile, "You have not aged a day since we last met."

"You look younger since we last met, I believe," Albus said, with a wink.

Perenelle smiled. "Believe me, I sometimes feel as old as I am." She looked at Nicolas, then back to Albus. "Sometimes I feel as if my true end is closer than I think."

"Truly?" Albus asked, a frown creasing his lips.

"Oh, do not fret, old friend," Perenelle said, smiling, as she set out the plates of lobster tails and crab meat and bowls of Bouillabaisse. "Nicolas and I have lived more lifetimes than we should. It is no surprise Fate is finally finding us."

Albus went silent for a few moments as the three friends started on their meal.

"I sense this is what you were talking about in your letter, Nicolas," Albus finally said.

"The truth is, Albus," Nicolas said, "The wards and charms surrounding Flamel Island are failing. Oh, do not get me wrong, they are still strong enough at this very moment. But I suspect in a few years, Flamel Island will be as viewable to the world as such as Lesbos or Rhodes, and the other Greek Islands are."

"But you have always been able to strengthen the wards," Albus said.

"True," Nicolas said, "But as Perenelle stated, it seems Fate is finally finding us. Fate does not like to be tricked, you know. I sense it is growing angry. Human beings, even magical, aren't supposed to live as long as myself and Perenelle have."

"What has Fate done to you?" Albus asked.

Nicolas looked at Perenelle, then back to Albus.

"We have been having these strange dreams, Albus," he said, "As a Bonded couple, we are used to sharing dreams, but usually they are peaceful. Lately, over the past couple of months, they have been turning into nightmares."

"Horrible nightmares," Perenelle said, shakily, "If I was alone in my head, and Nicolas was not there with me, I may have gone insane after a week."

Nicolas took Perenelle's closest hand in his.

"In these dreams," he said, "Flamel Island is attacked by some kind of Dark force. The whole island is up in flames, and our possessions are destroyed. But what is worse, out of everything… worse than the destruction and loss, is that in our nightmares, the Philosopher's Stone is gone… stolen."

Albus raised his eyebrows, but he said nothing.

"We do not wish to destroy the stone, Albus," Nicolas continued, "That is the last resort we could possibly come to. No… we want to give it the best protection it can have away from our island. We've agreed that Hogwarts could be the very place it should go. No place safer, especially with you at the head."

"I can understand that," Albus said, "I'm sure I could arrange for a suitable piece of protection inside the castle for the stone. But it will take months."

Perenelle's eyes went wide as she looked at Nicolas and he shook his head.

"Too long, Albus," Nicolas said, "Much too long. It needs to go somewhere else… very soon. It cannot wait. Tomorrow at the latest; Perenelle and I could get as much potion from it as we need for a while by then. But it has to go somewhere."

"Gringotts in Diagon Alley," Albus said, "The vaults are protected most severely."

"That could work for a little while," Nicolas said.

"It would only need to be there for a few months until the security placements at Hogwarts are taken care of," Albus said.

Nicolas looked at Perenelle and she nodded.

"That sounds most agreeable, Albus," she said, "We thank you. We knew you could help us."

"As always," Albus said.

"And in return," Nicolas said, "We will give you the information you need surrounding your current puzzle."

"The recently created Soul-Bond," Albus said, nodding.

"Is it true Harry Potter is one of the bond-mates?" Perenelle asked, her hand covering her heart.

"Yes, indeed," Albus said.

"Such a gift to be given to a boy who has faced his own tragedies," Perenelle said, "And may face more if Fate has it in store for him."

"It is a gift?" Albus asked.

"Oh, indeed!" Perenelle exclaimed. "You know how love is the most powerful magic this world can offer us. A magic given freely to all of the world's inhabitants; wizards, witches, squibs, Muggles, even the creatures and plants of the earth. It is love that usually creates a Soul-Bond."

"Usually?" Albus echoed.

Perenelle looked at Nicolas and he smiled.

"Perenelle and I were trying to find more information about the gift of our Soul-Bond," Nicolas said. "It is such a gift that we feel it should be given to more souls on this earth than just the two of us. To discover two young lives, children, have received a gift is most delightful. Yes, we have been working on inventions and discoveries, and one or two of them may, in the end, create actual Soul-Bonds, though not without risk."

"Risk?" Albus asked.

"We're in the middle of creating a kind of marriage ritual that could be considered something used in the future for all marriages," Nicolas said, "Unfortunately it seems too powerful right now. It has other properties that prove to be quite dangerous. We're not exactly sure what it does, but when we dropped a couple of animals inside it as an experiment, they just disappeared after a great golden light appeared. At first we thought they drowned. It was water we put them in, you see. But now we're not so sure. If we cannot figure it out before our time in this world is over, our final Wills and Testaments will place, by donation, all of our discovers and inventions, besides the Philosopher's Stone, inside your Ministry's Department of Mysteries, because at this moment, those which are not finished are too mysterious for anyone but us and Unspeakables to work with."

"Your inventions have always amazed me," Albus said, "I am sure the Unspeakables would be delighted to know that such gifts will be trusted to them. Now… if you will, tell me more about Soul-Bonds. I am most interested and you have both of my ears…"

-  
**Ha! Decided to end it there. Unfortunately, you will not see what Nicolas and Perenelle tell Albus about the Soul-Bonds, because that would give away a lot. You will learn more information about the Soul-Bonds when Harry and Ginny do, and not when Albus does. **

**As you can also probably see, the mystery of the pool in the Time Chamber, at least its existence and creators have been explained. In the old timeline, when Nicolas and Perenelle died, their invention was sent to the Department of Mysteries, where they discovered it was an object that altered time. More about that will be discovered later on in the story, when Harry and Ginny figure it out as well. However, because Nicolas and Perenelle were not clear on the "risk" of their pool, they do not know that it has anything to do with time-travel, so Dumbledore does not know either.**

**The visit to Diagon Alley and everything that happens there will happen next chapter, and perhaps the chapter after that. Depends on what I do with it. **

**I know I've been having a lot of focus on Dumbledore recently, but he does have quite a big role in this story. Also this chapter basically gives an introduction to the Philosopher's Stone storyline and how the stone came to Gringotts.**

**Hope you liked this chapter as much as I did! Feedback would be lovely! This will probably be my last chapter for today, but I hope to get the next one up sometime soon.**


	8. Familiar Faces

**Chapter 8  
Familiar Faces**

**Author's Note: As I was writing this chapter, I noticed it was getting pretty long, so Diagon Alley will be split into two, possibly three chapters if everything goes the way I want it to. Harry won't see the Weasleys for a couple of chapters. I have other plans for this chapter and next chapter. Harry's day at Diagon Alley is even more busier than I predicted.**

On Friday evening, Ginny told Harry that Mrs. Weasley was planning on going to Diagon Alley at eleven-o-clock on Saturday, and that Ginny, Ron and Mr. Weasley would accompany her. Ginny also said, if everything planned right, perhaps Harry and the Weasleys could have lunch together at the Leaky Cauldron.

Harry decided he wanted to be at Diagon Alley a couple hours before he would meet the Weasleys, so at half-past-eight on Saturday morning, Harry dressed and put his school list in his pocket, along with his Gringotts key. He put on the amulet and turned it once. A sudden warmth swept through his whole body.

_H-Harry? _Ginny said; even in his head, he could hear her yawning, _Was that you?_

_Yeah, I just put Dumbledore's amulet on, I guess that effect was telling me it worked._

_I felt it too. Woke me up, actually._

_Sorry._

_Don't worry about it. But that is so odd. It will take a while to get used to. I really hope we learn more about whatever this is soon. I swear yesterday I saw the inside of what looked like a classroom when I closed my eyes at one point._

_I was in class for half of the day._

_Yeah, I guess I saw that. It is so odd. Has that ever happened to you?_

_Not yet. If it does, I'm sure it will come at the most random of moments._

Harry had a sudden thought in his head of the possibilities of such and he blushed to himself.

_Harry! _Ginny exclaimed, annoyed, _I felt that! I know what you were thinking of. That better not happen while I am taking a bath!_

_I've seen you naked plenty of times, Ginny, _Harry chortled.

_Not while my body is this young, you haven't!_

_Fine, fine. I'm sorry._

_I hope so, you prat._

_Love you too._

Harry chuckled when he heard Ginny scoff in his head. Harry walked out of his room, and hurried down the steps and out the front door of the house, before one of the Dursleys saw him. He started up Privet Drive toward the playground.

_You're already going to Diagon Alley?_

_Yeah, I want to get a few things done before I have to meet you. Perhaps get some breakfast first._

_Oh. Have fun._

_Thanks. Too bad Dumbledore's expecting me to take the Knight Bus. I could have just apparated near the Leaky Cauldron. _

_Someone could have seen you anyway, even if it was one of our kind. Ten-year old kids aren't supposed to be able to Apparate by themselves, Harry, at least with skill and accuracy. We have to be careful. _

_You're right as always, love, _Harry said with a smirk.

_Harry, I'm serious! Today's going to be a big risk, I can tell. We're trusting Ollivander with our wands, and with the fact that we have to convince him to modify them, that is illegal in itself, you told me that. Add onto that me having to do so without my parents or Ron seeing me. We have to be careful!_

_We will, Ginny. Be quiet for a moment, I need to get the Knight Bus._

_Lips zipped._

Harry rolled his eyes, then looked around for nosy Muggles. When he saw none, he stuck out his wand arm. A moment later, the Knight Bus appeared as if out of thin air and pulled to a stop in front of Harry. The door opened, and the mousy Stan Shunpike, who was probably eighteen or nineteen now, stood there with a card in his hand.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus," Stan said, "Transportation for the stranded witch or wizard. My name's Stan Shunpike and –"

Stan looked over his card at Harry.

"—and you're Harry Potter, I presume?" he asked, his eyes moving from Harry's face to his scar.

"Yes, sir," Harry said, brushing his fringe forward.

"Oh, don't you go calling me 'sir'," Stan said, his face growing bright red, "I ain't no sir. You go ahead an' call me Stan. So you are Harry Potter. Yes, Professor Dumbledore wrote to me, said you would visit our bus sometime today. Bit early for a wee lad like you to be out by yer self in Diagon Alley, but 'at is all right. 'At is your business, really. Come inside and meet Ernie. Don't worry about paying, Dumbledore's fixed it up."

Harry nodded and walked up the steps and into the Knight Bus. It was just as he remembered it, though in the old timeline, he hadn't been on it in a while. Ernie, the elderly driver, was looking rather bored in the driver's seat. Harry held back a frown as he looked at him. In the old timeline, Ernie had died of natural causes about a year and a half after the Battle of Hogwarts. All that told the wizarding world of his death was an obituary in the Prophet that hardly took up a piece of one page.

"Yer the on'y passenger at the moment as you can see," Stan said, following in behind him, "Oi, Ern, look-see, it's Harry Potter, you see?"

"Aye," Ernie said, though he was still looking out the front windows, "How are you, lad?"

"Fine," Harry said.

"Take a seat, and tell ol' Stan where 'bout you headed," Ernie said.

"Dumbledore told us, Ern, 'member?" Stan said, "'Leaky Cauldron, London, make sure ol' Tom the barman sees Harry 'fore we leave.' That's his message, yep."

"Aye, Leaky Cauldron, London," Ernie said.

As soon as Harry sat down, the Knight Bus hurried forward in motion, away from Privet Drive.

"Dumbledore says I'm not to pester yer too much, Harry," Stan said, falling into a seat, "I can understand 'at, ya'know, but it isn't every day we meet a celebrity on this bus, is it, Ern'?"

"Oh, leave the kid alone, Stan, good lad," Ernie said, "He probably don't need no blabbing from ya about his celebrity status. He's only like that, cause well - well, even that is rude to say."

"I'm used to it," Harry said, distracted as he looked out the window at the quickly passing scenery. Hedgerows and cars parked along the side-streets jumped out of the way as the bus hurdled past them.

"Are ya?" Stan asked, "But I thought 'choo lived with Muggles an' not met too many o' us kind. How could you be used to it?"

"Oh – err –" Harry said, realizing his mistake too late.

_Nice one, Harry. _Ginny thought, sarcasm ringing through Harry's head.

"Earlier this year at a talent show," Harry continued, thinking quickly, "I did a trick… the Muggles just thought it was skill, but I think it was accidental magic. I won, and everyone was looking at me like some kind of celebrity."

_Nice story. _Ginny said, _Almost made me believe it._

"Accidental magic in front o' lotsa Muggles, and they looked past it," Stan said, chortling, "What did I tell yer, Ernie? Muggles notice nothin'."

"'Right you are, lad," Ernie said, "Leaky Cauldron in five minutes, Mr. Potter."

Harry nodded and the Knight Bus turned a steep corner. Harry had to hold onto his seat to keep upright.

_Whoa, _Ginny said, _Harry, you know that vision-sharing sort of thing? I'm sharing it right now with you, and it makes me kind of dizzy while you're on the bus._

_Sorry. I'll focus on something, _Harry said, then looked at a Leaky Cauldron advertisement overhead.

_This could be a problem if both of us get on the Quidditch team anytime soon, if this keeps up._

_Well, let's hope it is only temporary._

_I hope… I just wish I knew what it was._

_I'll try to look for information about it in Flourish and Blott's, how is that? If we can figure it out, maybe we can control it._

_Probably a good idea._

"Yer looking quite dizzy 'ere, Harry," Stan said, "I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. Yer first trip on this 'ere Bus, after all. Can be a bit jarring if yer not too experienced."

"Right," Harry said.

"Don't worry, lad," Ernie said, "We're almost there."

_I don't feel dizzy, Ginny, I wonder what they mean._

_Maybe that is how we look when we're talking like this._

_Someone else would have told us. We've done it many times in front of people. _

_Perhaps only some people could see it, or something like that._

_Maybe. I always knew Stan was pretty…_

_Wonky? _

_Yeah. Oh, looks like I'm almost there._

_Thank Merlin. Been closing my eyes since I saw the Knight Bus._

Harry chortled mentally.

"Leaky Cauldron, lad," Ernie said, "We're here."

Harry looked out the window and saw the brick building known as the Leaky Cauldron. A young Muggle passing by on the sidewalk saw neither the Leaky Cauldron, nor the Knight Bus.

"Ya see," Stan chortled, watching the Muggles walk by, "Don't notice nothin'."

"A mystery, that is," Ernie said.

"Tom's not out 'ere to meet Harry like Dumbledore said 'e would, Ern," Stan said, "Probably inside. Probably didn't expect Harry so early. Wanna stop our route for a wee bit and I'll 'elp the lad find 'im?"

"Aye," Ernie said, "Not too long though, Stan. In and out, don't go poking about."

"Didn't know you was a poet, Ern," Stan said with a chuckle.

"You heard me," Ernie said, "Madam Marsh is going to be needing picked up in half an hour or less, I remind you. And she has a temper if we're not there when she sticks out her wand arm."

"All right, all right, I'll be out soon," Stan said, opening the door to the bus, "No Muggles in sight. Come on, Harry."

Harry stood up and walked off the bus, then followed Stan into the Leaky Cauldron. It looked just as dingy and dark as ever, even with the sun peering through the front windows. The bar was half-full with early morning and weekend patrons getting a spot of breakfast. The noise-level was fairly high with chatter and laughter.

"Oi, Stan!" Tom, the barman said from behind the bar on the other side of the room, "Ernie let you off for a break, did he?"

"Wouldn't need a break if you been out there like you promised ol' Dumbledore," Stan said, "You 'ad a delivery of a sort to pick up."

Tom raised his eyebrows as he looked from Stan to Harry.

"Bless my soul," Tom said, "It's Harry Potter."

The bar went silent as most of the patrons turned to look at Harry, some craning their necks over other people. Harry tried his best to hold back his annoyance. He hoped he could have gotten into Diagon Alley before loads of people started looking at him.

_Aw, does my love have stage fright? _Ginny asked, with a giggle.

_Very funny, love._

"Now why you go an' do 'at, Tom?" Stan asked, "You knew 'e was coming. Perhaps 'e is a little early, sure. And would the rest o' ya get back to yer eatin' an' gossip?"

At once, the patrons turned and the room filled with noise again. Harry was sure he was the current topic.

"Bah, never too early," Tom said, walking around the bar and over to Harry and Stan; he looked at Harry, "Hello, young lad, I am sorry for the rude welcome. Are you hungry? I bet I could make you a spot of breakfast. I recommend the special breakfast platter."

"He doesn't have no money yet, Tom," Stan said.

"Tosh!" Tom said, raising a dismissive hand, "First meal in my pub is free for everyone."

Harry knew Tom was probably lying and that he was doing it just because Harry was… well, Harry, but he didn't mind. And technically, this was not his first meal in the Leaky Cauldron, but Tom was not supposed to know that. Harry nodded. He was, indeed, pretty hungry.

"Thank you," he said politely.

"There's a good lad," Tom said, smiling, "Let's go find you someplace private and away from the crowd. See you, Stan, thanks for bringing him in."

"It's nothin'," Stan said, "Bye, Harry, perhaps I'll see you on the Knight Bus again soon? Maybe the ride back with your packages?"

"Maybe," Harry said; truthfully he was hoping to transport his packages and Apparate back to Privet Drive.

Stan smiled and bowed slightly before turning and leaving the building. Tom led Harry to a quiet corner of the pub, one he had sat at quite a few times when he wanted some time alone to think.

"You sit there, that's a good lad," Tom said, "Breakfast coming up quick. How about a glass of pumpkin juice for a start?"

"Sure!" Harry said.

Ton chuckled and summoned an empty glass and jug over. Harry filled the glass full of the juice, and took a sip. It was quite good, almost as nice as the kind Hogwarts had.

"When you get finished with the meal," Tom said, "find me, and I'll help you get into Diagon Alley."

"Okay," Harry said, smiling.

"If I may say so, Harry," Tom said, "Welcome back to the wizarding world."

"Er… thanks," Harry said, blushing.

Tom smiled, bowed and headed back toward the bar.

_Wow, I feel as embarrassed as you do. Is that what you always went through?_

_Yeah, basically._

_I hardly knew. I mean I knew about it when you told me, but…_

_Yeah, I know. I've had enough practice with it. But I got to keep up appearances so nobody thinks anything odd._

_Right. Enjoy breakfast. Speaking of, I hear Mum coming up the stairs. _

Harry's connection went silent and, as he waited for his meal, he went over in his head the things he needed to do in Diagon Alley. The most important was to get to Gringotts and meet Ragnok, and get to his vault; then go to Mr. Ollivander's for his wand; then get Hedwig, and meet the Weasleys later. Other than that, he had to get his school things, sure, but he would also enjoy the day as much he could. He would even perhaps get an ice cream at Florean Fortescue's parlor. In the old timeline, Fortescue had been killed before the Second War was over, and since then his old parlor had been replaced with a new shop that was similar to Borgin and Burkes, though the only difference was they sold trustworthy things. But it wasn't the same kind of visit without the option to get ice cream on a particularly hot day.

Ten minutes after Tom had left the table, he returned with a plate of biscuits and gravy, and a large slice of his famous apple pie. He also refilled the jug of pumpkin juice which Harry had gone through as he waited.

"Hey, Hagrid!" Tom said, as he turned to walk away from Harry's table.

Harry turned so fast his neck cricked. Rubeus Hagrid was standing just inside the door. Harry tried his best not to grin as he saw him.

"Hi, Tom," Hagrid said.

"Here for the usual, I presume?" Tom asked.

"Well, I 'ave to be meetin' Dumbledore 'ere in an hour or more, but I suppose," Hagrid said; then his eyes turned toward Harry, "Who's that?"

It was rather odd for Harry to see Hagrid asking that question about him, but he tried his best to ignore that feeling.

"Rubeus Hagrid, meet Harry Potter," Tom said, looking over his shoulder at Harry, "Harry, this is – well, we call him Hagrid, he is groundskeeper at Hogwarts. Harry is going to be a first year come September, I do believe. I think he's here to buy his school things already, thanks to Dumbledore."

"Harry Potter," Hagrid said, grinning, as he walked a bit closer, "I should have known. Dumbledore did mention something about you being here sometime. You look mighty like your father, James. I knew him, I did. And your Mum."

"It is very nice to meet you," Harry said.

Hagrid blushed red.

"Right, well, I'll make your usual, Hagrid," Tom said, "Harry, remember, find me when you're finished."

"Yeah," Harry said.

_I'm here, Harry, _Ginny said, _Can't talk much since I don't want Mum and Dad to get suspicious and – hey, is that Hagrid?_

_Yeah._

_Well, how about that? Looks pretty much the same as he does ten years later. _

_He's here to meet Dumbledore for something._

_Really? Huh. Well, Dumbledore did say in his letter that he was sure he'd see you soon. Perhaps he's meeting Hagrid for something, and hoping to see you too._

_Why would he meet Hagrid here? Hagrid's groundkeeper at Hogwarts. Could have talked there._

_Dunno. Yeah, it is pretty strange. Uh-oh, Mum's looking at me funny. I'll talk to you soon._

Harry felt the connection go silent again. When he looked around for Hagrid, he saw him sitting across the room at a table modified for him. Harry started on his breakfast, reminding himself he wanted to get into Diagon Alley soon.

Less than fifteen minutes later, Harry was finished and full to the brim. He found Tom at the bar again, and the barman escorted him through the back door toward the brick barrier.

"Pay attention now," Tom instructed, "You'll be doing this in the future when you get your wand."

Harry watched Tom, though he knew the whole movement of wand-on-bricks by heart, having done it countless times. Once activated, the brick wall moved, creating a large space to walk through. Harry smiled when he saw the familiar marketplace.

"Welcome, Mr. Potter," Tom said, "to Diagon Alley."

"Wow," Harry said, feigning amazement.

Tom chuckled.

"Do you need a bit of a tour?" Tom asked, "Or can you find your way around?"

"I think I'll explore on my own," Harry said, smiling.

"Well, don't go around Knockturn Alley, lad," Tom said, "Dark place, you have no business there, mind you. People would think you were up to no good. Anyway, first stop for you is Gringotts. Big white building, you can see it from here."

"I see it," Harry said, "Thanks."

"Enjoy," Tom said, "Hope to see you around my bar a lot in the future."

"Of course," Harry said.

Tom smiled and bid Harry farewell before turning back toward his pub. Harry walked into the marketplace and headed down the cobbled pavement toward Gringotts. Diagon Alley was almost exactly like he remembered, except for a few big changes. Some stores that were there now were gone in the old timeline, such as Fortescue's, and were replaced with new shops. It felt strange to Harry to not to see the bright lights and hear the noise that was usually on show in the window-front of Weasley Wizard Wheezes. Harry hoped very much Fred and George would have the shop in the future in this timeline too. He would contribute to the shop this time around as well.

Harry made his way to Gringotts and stepped inside. The grand hallway, filled with goblin bank tellers, was a familiar sight to see. Harry made his way across the hall, when suddenly a goblin trotted up to him. Harry recognized him immediately; it was Ragnok, the future Head Goblin of the bank, and the goblin Dumbledore wanted Harry to see. He was almost as tall as Harry was now, and to Harry, it was odd to see him from this view.

"Mr. Potter, I do believe," Ragnok said.

"Yes, Master Ragnok," Harry said, politely.

"Well met," Ragnok said, a smile crossing his lips, "You are alone, I see. I was expecting – well, never mind, let us go to one of the private rooms, yes? I have some papers for you to look over before we visit your vault. I assume you have your key?"

"Yes, sir," Harry said.

"Good," Ragnok grunted.

He waved a hand to have Harry follow him and they made their way across the hall, behind the left side of tellers and through a large door. When Harry visited Ragnok in the old timeline, it was always in the Head Goblin's office, but this room was just a normal privacy room, that had a wooden table, and a few wooden chairs in the middle of the room and not much else. It reminded him eerily of the interrogation rooms at Auror Headquarters.

_I'm back, Harry, _Ginny said, as Harry took a seat, _just finished breakfast._

_Good. Just in time._

_What? Ah, you found Ragnok. Good._

_Yeah, actually he found me, I guess._

_Oh. Er… why is he staring at you?_

Harry noticed that Ragnok was indeed staring at him. He raised his eyebrows and Ragnok grinned.

"Excellent," Ragnok muttered.

He snapped his fingers and a small golden envelope appeared on the table in front of Harry. Ragnok sat down in a chair across from Harry and pressed a knobby finger across the top of the envelope.

"Only one of three individuals may open this envelope, Mr. Potter," Ragnok said, looking up at Harry, "Two of them are in this room."

"And the third?" Harry asked.

Ragnok grinned widely. "I think you'll find that out soon."

_Was he ever this mysterious with you? _Ginny asked.

_Nope. Wonder what is going on._

Ragnok opened the envelope and pulled out a small stack of parchment. He slid the top piece of parchment across the table to Harry.

"Read that first, please," he instructed.

Harry looked through the parchment. There was a list of information, including the vault number, followed by Ragnok's name as the overseer of the vault, then Harry's parents' names, though they were crossed out with the date of their deaths beside each name and "deceased" written above their names. Then what Harry saw next took his breath away. The line below Harry's parents' names read:

_Vault Co-Owners: Harry James Potter and Ginevra Molly Potter (formerly Weasley)_

From the feeling of shock in Harry's mind, he knew Ginny had seen it too.

_Harry? _Ginny said, her voice in his mind barely above a whisper, _What exactly is going on?_

-  
**Cliffhanger!**

**Well, when I started this chapter, I was not planning for it to have so much content, and when I realized what I still had to do with Diagon Alley, I realized Harry's visit could span two or three chapters. That was when I figured how I was going to end this chapter. Next chapter will be pretty exciting, I assure you. Harry and Ginny learn a few things about what is going on with them.**

**And if you did guess, yes, Ragnok does know about the Soul-Bond. It was why he wanted to be the one to meet Harry, even if was not the one who watched over Harry's vault.**

**When I started this chapter, I wasn't even going to have Hagrid in the chapter. He and Harry will have more interaction later on. **

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter. More to come!**


	9. The Soul Bond

**Chapter 9  
The Soul-Bond**

Harry blinked rapidly and looked at the piece of parchment again. Nothing had changed. It still had _Ginny Molly Potter (formerly Weasley) _next to his own name. Harry slowly looked back at Ragnok.

"What is this?" Harry asked, pointing at the line.

"You are unaware that you and this female, Ginevra, are bond-mates?" Ragnok asked, though he did not look surprised.

"Excuse me?" Harry asked, "Bond-mates?"

_What exactly are bond-mates? _Ginny asked.

_I have no idea._

"Mmhmm," Ragnok said, "This is most peculiar. You have no idea what is going on, and yet it seems you are experiencing its… symptoms."

"Symptoms?" Harry asked.

"Are you or are you not, Mr. Potter," Ragnok said, "speaking telepathically to whom I assume is young Ginevra?"

_He knows? _Ginny asked.

"H-how do you know that?" Harry asked.

"Your eyes daze over at times," Ragnok said, "Anyone who would not know the gift you have been given would think you are under a badly-set Imperius Curse, or are just experiencing a bout of dizziness, if they even notice it at all. Not many people know this, Mr. Potter, but I am an aura-reader. There are a number of aura-readers in the world, most are among human magic-wielders, but there are very few goblin aura readers, such as myself. I can tell right now, and I could see when you walked in, that your aura is affected. Your soul is not whole anymore, and you also share half the soul of another: your bond-mate, whom also shares your soul. This phenomenon is defined as a Soul-Bond."

"This is impossible," Harry said, "I have never heard of a Soul-Bond before."

_Me either, _Ginny said.

"Impossible, hmm?" Ragnok asked, "Tell me… besides your mind-speak that you share with young Ginevra, have you also felt any strange feelings lately? Emotions that don't belong to you, pain that you are not experiencing yourself, or perhaps you are seeing stuff at times that is not in front of you?"

_Whoa, right on the Galleon, _Ginny said.

"Yeah," Harry said slowly.

"Then you and young Ginevra are linked together by a Soul-Bond," Ragnok said. "Mr. Potter, I would love to meet your bond-mate. Could she come to this meeting in her physical form, and not just in your mind?"

"Er… she's at home," Harry said, "But she and her family will be here in a couple of hours."

"You misunderstand me," Ragnok said, smiling, "Bond-mates are capable of teleporting, at any age, next to each other, or near each other, if they most desire it. This is so you can always be with your bond-mate if they are in trouble or you need them. This room we are in usually cannot be Apparated into or out of, even by house-elves, whom can teleport almost anywhere. But Bond-mates – well, ask yours if she would like to come here now?"

_Did you hear him? _Harry asked.

_Yeah. Er… hold on. This might be difficult. I'll tell Mum I'm taking a shower. Hopefully that will give me some time away._

"One moment," Harry said.

"This is most illuminating," Ragnok said, "There has not been a Soul-Bond created in over 600 years. To see one – and one on a pair so young is – well, most illuminating as I said."

_Okay, Harry. I am ready. '_

"She's ready," Harry said.

"You need to focus your mind on a part of this room," Ragnok said, "This will help her arrive without risk."

Harry nodded and looked over his shoulder toward an empty space in the room.

_Go, Ginny._

Harry thought he felt his mind-link close, then he felt his head get warmer. He thought it was his scar burning, but this was a whole other feeling. The warmth was actually _welcoming._

"Ah, welcome, young lady," Ragnok said, grinning.

Harry raised his eyebrows and looked over his shoulders. Ginny was standing there, looking from him to Ragnok.

"I didn't even hear her arrive!" Harry said.

"That is the sign of a successful teleportation," Ragnok said, "I say teleportation, and not Apparation. This is indeed different. Mrs. Potter? Can I call you this, or is there something else you wish to be called by?"

"Ginny is fine," she said, as she sat down in the chair next to Harry's.

"Ginny, then," Ragnok said, "Have you ever Apparated before?"

"Yeah," Ginny said.

"Was this journey different than when you Apparated?" Ragnok asked.

"Yeah," Ginny said, "I didn't even feel uncomfortable. Like you should during Apparation. One moment I was home, the next I was here. That was all I experienced."

Ragnok smiled and nodded. "That is, from what I know about Soul-Bonds, what is known as a successful teleportation."

"Excuse me," Ginny said, "But when you say Soul-Bonds… what do you mean? Can you explain more in detail? As you guessed, we weren't even aware of such –"

"I understand," Ragnok said, "I will start from the beginning. But I have a question. Sometime before nine, but after eight in the morning on the 3rd of this month, did anything happen between the two of you?"

Harry looked at Ginny and she nodded. He turned back to Ragnok.

"That was when I apparated to an orchard on Ginny's family's plot to meet her and talk to her for a while," Harry said.

"Mmhmm," Ragnok said, nodding his large head, "And, if you do not mind the subject of my next question, did anything – ah – intimate happen between the two of you when you met?"

Harry and Ginny both blushed.

"Er, well we hugged and – err –" Ginny said, timidly, "And – err – may have kissed."

"May have?" Ragnok asked, a grin crossing his lips.

"Okay, I kissed him," Ginny scowled.

Ragnok chuckled. "I thought so," he said, nodding. "The reason I ask is because sometime between eight and nine in the morning of May 3rd of this year, according to the Hall of Magical Records at the Ministry of Magic, and these records in front of you, which until today were in a charm-locked storage cabinet, accessible by only myself, you became Ginevra Molly Potter. This, however was not seen as a wedding in the Hall of Magical Records. That is understandable when you know about Soul-Bonds. For at the very bottom of the piece of parchment marking May 3rd of this year, a category appeared that had not appeared there for over 600 years. This category was named 'Soul-Bond'. It had your names on it, exactly how they are seen on this parchment here."

He indicated the piece of parchment in front of Harry.

"So," Ginny said, looking at Harry, "When we kissed, it created a Soul-Bond."

"Not exactly," Ragnok said. "It merely activated it. It may have been created at your birth since you are younger than Mr. Potter, or by some other event, I do not know. Tell me, when you… kissed… did you feel anything?"

"Yeah!" Harry said, looking at Ginny, who nodded, "A sort of warm heat, as if we had downed a bottle of warm butterbeer all at once."

"That finished the bonding process," Ragnok said.

"Hang on," Ginny said, "We were already able to speak telepathically and feel symptoms before we kissed. So…"

"As I stated," Ragnok said, "The kiss _finished_ the process, bonding your souls together. I can sense you each sharing a half of each other's soul."

A horrible thought crossed Harry's mind.

"Wait, our souls were ripped apart?" Harry asked, "That sounds like a Horcrux."

"No, Mr. Potter," Ragnok said, shaking his head, "I said your souls bonded, they did not rip apart. Your souls are not damaged, in that sense. They are still healthy, they are just in two bodies at once instead of one. That is the bond. You are quite lucky to have finished the Bond actually…"

"Why?" Ginny asked.

"As far as I know," Ragnok said, "There have now been two successful Bondings. However, in the past there were a total of five Bondings. Three of those, however, failed. They can only fail when the two bond-mates refuse to meet each other and become – ah - intimate. During these three events, each person thought they were going mad when they heard voices in their head or saw things they could not explain."

"I don't blame them," Harry muttered.

Ragnok chuckled. "What they did not know is that their souls were searching for their bond-mates. However, because they were not joined, their souls died. I understand it is a very painful process. Kind of similar to a Dementor's Kiss, except a lot more – ah – unpleasant, and shall we say, violent even."

Harry grimaced. He knew how bad a Dementor's Kiss was. He had seen a fair share of victims in the last time-line during a couple of months when the Aurors were ordered to try to fight back the Dementor population. It did not go very well. A couple Aurors, and a number of wizards, witches and Muggles were all given the kiss during this time. It had been the worse event since the Second War had ended. Harry couldn't picture how something could be similar, but worse.

"So this record," Ginny said, "It is there for anyone to see? I know high-leveled Ministry officials can check the records."

"Ah, this is true," Ragnok said, "However, the record is no longer there. Shortly after it appeared in the records, it was apparently obliterated by a spell from somebody. I do not know who is responsible for this action."

"So someone has seen it and removed it?" Harry asked, "Why?"

"Perhaps they did not want the information getting out," Ragnok said, "Perhaps they were afraid that it could be used in a way the individual did not like."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, "Are we in danger from them?"

"Perhaps," Ragnok admitted, "However, I do not think so. You see, if this person was aware of you two, they may find that if you were to know about it, things could happen. However they did not know that I knew about it thanks to my records here, and the way I can see your auras."

"Why would they not want us to know about it?" Harry asked.

"You are younglings," Ragnok said, "Soul-Bonds are extremely rare. So rare that some see it as a fairytale. No one ever expects two people as young as you to experience something like this. Because someone as young as you two would have advantages most of your peers of the same age would not."

"Advantages?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," Ragnok said, nodding, "You see – ah, how should I put this? – a Soul-Bond creates a magical marriage between the bond-mates."

"It is why I have his last name," Ginny said, nodding, "We're married."

_We already were married, Ginny._

_Not in this timeline, Harry. Well, I guess we are, it turns out._

"Yes," Ragnok said, "But that is where it gets complicated. You see, on the same record where your Soul-Bond status once was, there is also a category of marriages. You did not appear on there –"

"It could have been obliterated," Harry asked.

"I repeat, Mr. Potter," Ragnok said, "_You did not appear on there._ How do I know this? Because while you are considered married, magical law does not know this. Yes, you appear, Ginny, on some records as Mrs. Potter, but in the official sense, nobody can say you're married. This is because of written wizard law, as is usually followed. Common wizard law states that two people cannot be married until both are at least the age of fourteen in the wizarding world. It used to be seventeen, until a corrupt Wizengamot official some years ago changed the law so he could marry the fourteen year old witch he had come into guardianship of."

"Disgusting," Ginny said, with a grimace.

"Quite," Ragnok agreed, "However, because of your Soul-Bond, if your parents or guardians knew about this, they could consent and allow your marriage to be official by wizarding law."

"Yeah, like my parents would do that," Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

Ragnok chuckled. "I would not suggest it either. This would tell the world that you are Bond-mates, and that can be dangerous. However, there is really no harm done. In fact, this really is better for you, if you see it as such."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Because of your age," Ragnok said, "the Soul-Bond, and the magical marriage with it, has caused you to become emancipated."

"Emancipated," Harry said, "But – wait –"

"Yes, you see, Mr. Potter," Ragnok said, "By law of the wizarding world, if one becomes emancipated before they come of age, they are given freedoms. For example… the Trace is no longer activated on the two of you."

_Wait, _Ginny said, _Our magic is untraceable? Even without Mr. Ollivander's help?_

_I think that is what that means…_

_Wow…_

Ginny grinned and Harry smiled too.

"Yes, you already see the gifts you have been given," Ragnok said, smiling widely. "Emancipation also allows you to become your own guardian if you so give consent. However… at a young age, I would not take such route. Though I will give you advice."

"Advice?" Harry asked.

"As I stated, if you became your own guardians," Ragnok said, "this would, more-or-less, announce to the world your Soul-Bond status. A fairytale that is reality to a fair few would be so to millions now and you would not be able to use your freedoms – ah – freely. So while you would not give consent to thus, however, emancipation does make you, in essence, of the age of consent in the wizarding world. Which means…"

Ragnok reached back into the large envelope and pulled out another piece of parchment, as well as a small box.

"Mr. Potter," Ragnok said, "Mrs. Potter. As you are aware, you both co-own one vault. This vault is known as an inheritance vault, which gives the owner a fair share of the gold owned by those who put the vault in your name – in this case, your parents, Mr. Potter. This vault was once owned by Lily Evans, who would later become Lily Potter. What you may not know is that, due to the emancipation of your Soul-Bond, you both now own a second Vault."

_The Potter Family Vault, _Harry thought to Ginny.

"This is known as the Potter Family Vault," Ragnok continued, "Passed down through generations from Potter to Potter, mostly through firstborn sons, heirs to the family name. Unlike your inheritance vault, which I had come to oversee on the day Lily Evans became Lily Potter, I have overseen the Potter Family Vault for as long as I have worked here in this bank – a very long time, in other words."

_I always wondered how old he was, _Ginny mused.

Ragnok opened the small box to reveal a golden key, which was familiar to Harry, who, in the previous timeline, had owned it since his eighteenth birthday.

"In this vault," Ragnok continued, "is a substantial addition to your fortune of gold. There are also deeds to four houses, as well as many belongings, all of which had been owned by your grandparents and parents, Mr. Potter, before their deaths. It is one of our oldest vaults, and as such, has the topmost security."

Harry knew all of this, but he let Ragnok continue so the goblin would believe this was all new to him.

"Mr. Potter," Ragnok said, "Your inheritance vault set up by your parents was meant to get you through your years at Hogwarts until you turned seventeen, when you would acquire the main vault, if not for your Soul-Bond. The gold was meant to help you alone."

Ragnok looked from Harry to Ginny, then back to Harry.

"Now that you both have the option to share this gold," Ragnok continued, "It would not last and you would have to dig into your Family Vault."

_Harry, I can't take your money..._

_It is our money, Ginny._

_Mum would get suspicious…_

_She doesn't have to know. Anyway, if they became my guardians, I am going to make sure your parents get some of this money._

_Yeah, good luck with that… _

_This money is ours, Ginny. Has been since I married you... and we're still married in this timeline._

"So, here is what we can do," Ragnok continued, "If I have your permission, I will transfer all funds from your inheritance vault to the Potter Family Vault. The inheritance vault would remain yours, and would, in the future, go to your – ah – heir, should you have one."

Harry blushed and he saw Ginny blush too. Even in the old timeline, they had agreed that children would wait for a few years. Ginny knew she couldn't play professional Quidditch when she became a new mother, and she enjoyed the sport too much to give it up that quickly.

"A long time from now, I see," Ragnok said, grinning wickedly.

Harry and Ginny nodded.

"Do you wish to move all funds into the main vault?" Ragnok asked.

Harry looked at Ginny, who shrugged.

_You're the man in this marriage, _she said, grinning.

Harry sighed and looked at Ragnok. "Yeah, you have my permission to do so."

"Excellent," Ragnok said, and snapped his knobby fingers, then said, "Your funds are now moving to your main vault, which is growing by magical means to accommodate such. If we can exchange keys now, you no longer need the other key until the other vault is needed."

Harry nodded and dug the key out of his pocket, then handed it to Ragnok. Ragnok motioned to the golden key and Harry took it.

"Excellent," Ragnok said, "Now, I am sure you wish to visit your vault now. Correct?"

_Ginny?_

_I'll go with you. If we don't take too long, I could get my wand._

_How? I know we're emancipated, but Mr. Ollivander shouldn't know that._

Ginny frowned and looked at the goblin.

"Er, Master Ragnok?" Ginny said, "Two questions before we proceed. First, is there any books on Soul-Bonds that we could learn more information from? Perhaps we could buy them at Flourish and Blott's?"

"Unfortunately, they cannot be bought at Flourish and Blott's," Ragnok said, "But I happen to know where you can acquire such. However, I advise you to let me handle the purchase, so that they are not suspicious of you doing so. If you allow me to take the amount of Galleons I need from your vault… not too many, truly… I will purchase the best books on the subject and you could pick them up here or I could send them to you in post if you wish. The post would be exclusive: My magic would only allow the two of you to open it."

"That would be fine," Ginny said, and Harry nodded, "Also… I wish to buy a wand from Mr. Ollivander, but, well, to him I am just a normal nine-year old going on ten."

Ragnok chuckled. "You will have no problem acquiring a wand from him."

Harry raised his eyebrows, then a thought came to his mind. "He's an aura reader…"

"Correct," Ragnok nodded, "He will see your Soul-Bond, and recognize your emancipation status."

"Wicked," Ginny said.

"Okay," Harry said, "We'd like to go to our vault."

"Follow me," Ragnok said, putting the papers back into the envelope, "I must acquire the Clankers first."

Harry nodded as he and Ginny followed Ragnok out into the main part of the bank. He already had expected this. The Potter Family Vault was an ancient vault, and had the topmost security. Access to it required a complicated process: facial recognition, wand recognition, a key, a goblin's touch and the Clankers, because the security dragon guarded the vault. In the old timeline, after the dragon was set free by Harry and his friends during the break-in to acquire the Goblet Horcrux, the Clankers were no longer needed, and more security was placed on the vault. The Lestrange vault, home to the Goblet Horcrux, was also put under this security process. Of course, Harry knew, a good Imperius Curse could get past this. However, as an Auror, and friend/brother-in-law of Bill Weasley in the old timeline, Harry knew an array of spells he could place on the vault that would stop even this.

A couple minutes later, Harry, Ginny and Ragnok were barreling at top-speeds down the tracks in one of the carts. They heard the security dragon, a Ukrainian Ironbelly, roar and bellow, the sounds getting louder as the cart got closer. Soon, the cart had stopped, but the journey was not over. There was still a good five-minute walk to get toward the high-security vaults and security dragon pen.

Harry knew that without the magic of a Gringotts goblin to guide you, a wizard or witch would become confused, get turned around many times and become lost inside the caverns of the vault, all thanks to brain-baffling charms like the Confundus Charm. It was reported that one would-be thief had come down into the caverns without a goblin, and he had become trapped for days, hunger eating away at his stomach before he finally got too dazed to look where he was going and ran into the security dragon, his criminal life ending in a blaze of very hot fire. It is a mystery how this report was known, though it was rumored that the goblins of the bank knew about this thief and had ignored him, knowing full well of his impending failure to reach his destination, and of his doom that would, in the end, come for him.

Soon, Ragnok stopped Harry and Ginny for a moment, and handed them each one of the Clankers, keeping the other for himself.

"Shake the Clankers and do not stop until we reach the vault," Ragnok stated, "Better give me the key now, Mr. Potter, so we do not have to delay."

The process was a tricky one, but Harry and Ginny had been through it many times before. They shook the Clankers as they approached the dragon, who roared a bit before whining and finally succumbing to the sounds. She drew back and went stationary.

"Excellent," Ragnok said, as he led Harry and Ginny to the vault.

Thirty seconds later, the three were safely inside the vault.

"I will stay back here, as is policy for your privacy," Ragnok stated, "But I do require twenty Galleons for the purchases you have requested."

Harry nodded and collected twenty Galleons and gave them to Ragnok who bowed in thanks.

"What do you think?" Harry asked Ginny, "Gold for now, just so we can do our shopping, and come back another time to go through everything else?"

"Yeah," Ginny said, "We should hurry. I can only spare a bit more time before Mum will come looking for me at home. I don't take very long showers."

"What about your family clock?" Harry asked, as he found a small money pouch and started piling in Galleons, Sickles and Knuts into it.

"Oh," Ginny said, grinning, "I made it freeze on 'home'. That should give me a little more time, I guess."

"Good thinking," Harry said.

"I have my moments," she said with a wink.

Harry topped off his bag, and then found another bag, and filled it halfway with some money for Ginny. She hesitated at first, then took it with a smile. Ten minutes later, after a very quick journey back to the surface, and an even quicker, but polite, goodbye to Ragnok, Harry and Ginny were on their way to Mr. Ollivander's. When they arrived, Mr. Ollivander was at the front of the shop, reading the Daily Prophet. He looked up from it when they walked inside.

"Harry Potter," Mr. Ollivander said, a small smile forming across his lips, "I've been expecting you and -"

He looked at Ginny then back to Harry, his eyebrows raising in shock.

"Well, this is quite a surprise," Mr. Ollivander said, "Most unexpected. Almost unheard of."

"So you can sense our Soul-Bond," Harry said.

"You know about the bond?" Mr. Ollivander asked.

"We were… informed… a few minutes ago," Harry said, "And we were told you would know, as you are an aura reader."

"Ah," Mr. Ollivander said, closing his eyes, "Ragnok the goblin, I trust. Yes, we are acquaintances."

"He informed us," Harry said, "that you would sell us both wands and not say a word against it due to the fact we are emancipated because of the Soul-Bond."

"So you do know the details," Mr. Ollivander said, smiling. "I am also sure you are aware that because you are emancipated, the Trace does not work on the two of you."

"We're aware," Harry said, "Can we buy our wands? My bond-mate has to be somewhere pretty quickly."

"Of course, of course," Mr. Ollivander said, "How about you go first, Mrs. Potter?"

"It's Ginny," Ginny said, with a sigh.

Harry snickered and Ginny scowled at him. Mr. Ollivander chortled and turned around, then walked toward the aisles. He returned a few moments later with two boxes.

"I trust your expertise have found our wands right away," Harry said, remembering how long it took to find his wand the last time, "We do not wish to dawdle."

"Guaranteed first wand, first time," Mr. Ollivander said, "Or your wands are half-price. Ginny?"

Ginny nodded and walked forward. Mr. Ollivander removed the lid from one of the boxes and handed the wand to Ginny.

_Yep, this is my wand, _Ginny said,_ I recognize it. _

This confirmation was unnecessary, for Harry had seen the white light appear around Ginny and a light breeze comb through her hair, the common effect when a wizard or witch is first united with their wand.

"A wonderful wand," Mr. Ollivander said, "Nine inches, acorn and dragon heartstring. Good for offensive and defensive dueling. Has a bit of a bite, though. Be cautious with it."

"Yes, sir," Ginny said.

"Usually I would ask you to give it a test run," Mr. Ollivander said, "But because you are so young –"

Ginny pointed her wand at the Daily Prophet in front of the wand-maker and the pages scattered across the floor. Harry expected Mr. Ollivander to be offended, but he looked astounded and even a bit amazed.

"Wonderful!" he exclaimed, "I sense good things to come from you, Ginny."

"Great," Ginny said, "I need to be going however."

She took seven galleons from her bag and handed them to Mr. Ollivander, then turned to Harry.

"Sorry I can't stay and watch you receive your wand," she said.

"Don't worry about it," Harry said.

Ginny smiled and walked over to Harry and hugged him.

_See you soon with your family, _Harry said,_ I love you._

_I love you too._

Ginny backed up and closed her eyes. A moment later, she disappeared without a sound. Harry looked at Mr. Ollivander. He, however, did not look surprised by this action.

"Now, Mr. Potter," he said, "It is your turn. I have long been waiting for this day."

Harry walked forward. As he did, he heard a bell ring behind him as the shop's front door opened. He looked over his shoulder.

Albus Dumbledore was standing there.

-  
**Decided to end it here. Dumbledore's arrival was a last-minute addition for me. It adds a bit of question and suspense to this. Did Albus see Ginny in Diagon Alley with Harry? Perhaps he saw Ginny teleport? Will these questions be answered soon? Maybe… Will Harry be wondering the same thing? Oh most definitely!**

**First off, Ginny's wand length and wood-type have never been revealed, but it has a dragon heartstring core, so I took the liberty of guessing the rest. **

**So, Harry and Ginny have discovered their Soul-Bond, thanks to Ragnok, as well as some bits of information, including the important emancipation act of the bond, and in effect, the fact they no long have the Trace on them. What else will they learn about it? You'll have to wait and see.**

**Hope you liked this chapter! I wrote this chapter in the span of a couple hours at most, maybe less. This was one of the chapters I've been looking forward to, mostly for the explanation.**

**More to come soon and I promise the next chapter, Harry will see Ron, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Because I have caused you to wait for this moment for so long, I will give you a couple small spoilers. Next chapter is very exciting, especially toward the end. The chapter will be called "Friends and Enemies" and will most likely, unless I change it, end in a cliffhanger… muahahahaha! (Yes, I am aware, I have ended more chapters in cliffhangers than I have not… this will stop fairly soon… at least them happening in consecutive chapters… I think. Maybe not though. Aw well.)**


	10. Friends and Enemies

**Chapter 10  
Friends and Enemies**

**Author's Note: I might have made a mistake earlier in the story. Eeylop's sells owls, Magical Menagerie sells other pets. If I did so, I correct that in this chapter. Also, Parseltongue is seen in this chapter. Therefore, to not confuse it with the telepathy between Harry and Ginny, this is how to tell the difference:**

**Telepathy: **_italics only._

**Parseltongue: **_"italics with quotations"_

**Q & A Time:**

**(From a review for chapter 8)**

**Q: ** **Does Ragnok suspect Harry is from the future right off****the bat because he never has to introduce himself?**

**A: Very good question and one that I am not even sure the answer of. This is because I have yet to decide if Ragnok knows Harry and Ginny are from the future. I've been debating this in my head since I wrote the past two chapters and I have yet to decide. Ragnok will return in the story, so it could go either way. If Ragnok does know, it could complicate relations between him and Harry and Ginny, because they have not been completely honest with him. I'm going to have to think about this…**

Aware that Dumbledore was looking at him, Harry turned back toward Mr. Ollivander and quickly started to strengthen his Occlumency barriers.

"Ah, Albus," Mr. Ollivander said, "how delightful to see you. I was just about to help young Mr. Potter here acquire his wand."

"I was just passing by," Dumbledore said, "on my way to Gringotts, and I saw Harry here. Harry, if you do not think it is rude, I would wish to be here when your wand chooses you."

"Er… sure, sir," Harry said, though he did not look at Dumbledore.

_Harry? _Ginny's voice came into Harry's mind; she seemed breathless, almost panicky, _ Are you there? Whew, it was pretty close. Just got done putting a calm version of the Aguamenti Charm over my hair to make it look wet, and then concealed my wand and money bag when Mum knocked on the door. Had to tell her I was looking for a towel just for an excuse - Whoa, what is going on? Is that Professor Dumbledore, I sense?_

_Yeah, he showed up not a minute after you left. Says he is interested in watching me acquire my wand._

_Er… Harry_, _that could just be a story, you know. I mean… you said less than a minute? He could have seen me teleport! What if he did?_

_Are you sure that's possible?_

_Harry, think about it! I've been going over what Ragnok said for a while now. He said that someone had obliterated the record of our Soul-Bond shortly after it appeared. Harry, do I need to remind you what happened shortly after we kissed that day? We had our conversation… you had breakfast…_

_Dumbledore came to the Burrow! We didn't know the reason then…_

_He asked me about you, and then you about me. This is why! I'm sure of it! He found out about the Soul-Bond. Well, in order to finish the Soul-Bond, he knew we'd have to meet! _

_Er… hang on. You might be right, but I'll continue this soon. Mr. Ollivander and Dumbledore are finished with their small talk and are looking at me._

_Oops. I got carried away and forgot!_

Harry walked over to Mr. Ollivander, who offered the phoenix wand to him. Harry took it and felt the breeze and saw the light shine around him.

"Ah, wonderful!" Dumbledore said, "First wand… Mr. Ollivander, you always impress. What is more impressive, and quite curious… I recognize this wand."

"I thought you might," Mr. Ollivander said, then looked at Harry, "You see, Mr. Potter. This wand is eleven inches and holly and – ah – has the core of a phoenix tail-feather. The phoenix who donated this feather, donated only one more at this present time. Just one other."

Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"Ah, Mr. Ollivander, I must interrupt you," Dumbledore said, "Mr. Potter, that story has much to do with another story I promised you. I do remember saying I would tell this story to you when we are at Hogwarts in the near future. Until then, I must ask that you wait. However, for such rudeness, I will give one piece of information. The phoenix who gave that feather is actually my own phoenix, Fawkes."

"Wicked," Harry said, trying to sound amazed.

Dumbledore chuckled.

"Yes, it is wicked," he said.

"Care to try out that wand, Mr. Potter?" Mr. Ollivander asked.

Harry nodded and pointed his wand at the pages of newspaper. They repaired themselves into one full paper and returned to Mr. Ollivander.

"Excellent," Mr. Ollivander said, "Most excellent. That will be seven Galleons."

Harry took seven Galleons from his bag and handed them to Mr. Ollivander.

"Very good," Mr. Ollivander said, "Have a good day, young man. This visit was most educating. Now, Dumbledore, can I help you with anything?"

"Yes, I believe so," Dumbledore said, "Then I must be off to Gringotts. Good day, Harry."

"Bye," Harry said.

He could not get out of the shop quick enough. He did not want to stay around any longer and give Dumbledore a chance to attempt Legilimency on him. Sure, he had plans to buy a wand-holster, but that would have to wait. He pocketed his wand and then started off up the cobbled pavement. When he arrived at Eeylop's Owl Emporium, he stopped and paused against a wall outside the shop.

_Okay, Ginny, I'm back. _

_Good thinking getting out of there quickly. _

_Yeah. Well, I wouldn't be surprised if Dumbledore knows about our Soul-Bond. I doubt he's an aura reader, however, though I wouldn't put it past him. _

_But if he was, he would have known about our souls anyway._

_True. _

_Though, he doesn't seem too worried about us. If he knew about what happens when bond-mates don't meet, you think he'd try to get us to meet. Right?_

_Yeah. Guess he doesn't know too much. We'll just have to watch for him._

_Right. _

_Well, I'm going to get Hedwig before I do the rest of my shopping. Contact me when you get here and I'll come to Magical Menagerie and act like I need to buy Owl Treats or something. Eeylop's has those, and so does Magical Menagerie, so it won't look too strange._

_Good plan. See you then. Happy shopping. Love you._

_I love you too. _

Harry felt his mind clear and he walked into Eeylop's Owl Emporium. The shop clerk smiled when he saw Harry and bowed slightly.

"Good morning, young man," he said, "Looking to send a letter? Or perhaps you wish to buy an owl. We have a range of owls, all trustworthy and faithful companions."

"I am looking for a snowy owl," Harry said.

"Ah good choice!" the clerk said, "You're in luck! We have one snowy owl left, a female, I do believe. We have to get more in stock, I must remember to make note. Follow me."

Harry hoped beyond hope the snowy owl that was left was Hedwig, and was beginning to worry until the shop clerk led him across the shop and he saw her. Harry had to do his best to hold back tears. Seeing his first best friend again, after so long, was almost overwhelming.

"Well?" the clerk asked.

"She's perfect," Harry said.

"That she is," the clerk said, chuckling.

Harry took the cage and walked back up to the front of the shop.

_Harry? _Ginny asked, concerned,_ Are you all right. I feel you becoming rather emotional._

_I found Hedwig. Just seeing her…_

_Oh, Harry. I understand now. I was just worried. _

_See you later._

_Yeah._

Harry took out the amount of coins needed for the purchase and handed them to the clerk.

"Do you need help naming her?" the clerk asked, as he counted the coins, "I consider myself an expert on names."

"I already have one," Harry said, "Hedwig."

"Oh, wonderful!" the clerk said, "A beautiful name for a beautiful owl. I'm sure Hedwig will be a great companion for you. Trusty and quick with letters too, snowy owls are. Long distances. Hogwarts for you, soon, correct? Hogwarts to London is always a great trip for owls."

"Thanks," Harry said.

The clerk bowed in goodbye, and Harry left the shop, carrying Hedwig's cage. Harry decided that the first thing he needed to buy for his school supplies was a trunk to carry everything in. He knew just where to go too. When Ginny needed a travel-trunk for road trips, she had found a very nice one in Quality Quidditch Supplies. Harry liked this kind of trunk better than the one he had in Hogwarts in the old timeline, so he headed straight for the shop. When he arrived however, he heard a rather familiar voice. Though he had not heard it in a few years. Harry ducked behind a wall near the shop, so he would not be noticed by the owner of the voice.

"But, Father!" the whining, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy, "it is said to be the best broom so far! The speed alone can outstrip my broom! Can't we reserve one? They'll be selling so quickly when they arrive, they'll be gone by the time I come back to do Hogwarts shopping!"

"Now, Draco," the cold drawl of Lucius Malfoy said, "Your broom is nearly brand new, not even a year old. And why would you need a new one? First years at Hogwarts aren't allowed on the House teams."

"Yet," Draco scoffed. "I mean… Father, _you're a school governor!_ I know you have the power over the other governors. You could change the rules that permit First Years –-"

"Silence, Draco!" Lucius hissed, his voice going lower, though Harry could still hear it, "You know fair well if I changed that law, parents of students might complain and say their students are too young their first year. Do you expect me to risk my reputation because of your desire to play your first year?"

"Your reputation, Father?" Draco asked, then scoffed. "Well –"

"I know what you're going to say," Lucius said, "And I do not permit that kind of backtalk. Your broom is fine. Ask me again, and you will clean that pigsty of a room on your own without Dobby's help!"

Draco groaned.

"Now come!" Lucius said, "I need to meet Borgin in a few minutes."

"Yes, Father," Draco said.

Harry heard footsteps and peered around the corner. Draco and Lucius walked out of the shop and started off down the cobbled pavement. When they were a good distance away, Harry hurried into the shop.

Over the next hour, Harry continued his school shopping. A couple of the shopkeepers seemed surprised that Harry was doing his shopping for Hogwarts this early, but most did not comment on it. However, most of the shop-keepers did seem to recognize him, most of the time because they saw his scar through his fringe of hair, but a couple of the older shop-keepers recognized him as James Potter's son.

"Never forget a face like that," Mr. Gambol had said, in Gambol and Japes' joke shop, when Harry went in there to look around, "James came into this shop almost every time he visited Diagon Alley. Me and him were good friends. One of my best customers. I was heartbroken for a week when I heard of his and Lily's passing. Terrible… and what happened to Sirius Black… I just… well, I couldn't believe it. Peas in a pod, those two… always came in here together. It's just… boggling. Never expected that… but a Black he was, yes."

This mention of Sirius Black brought things to the front of Harry's mind and his next stop after Gambol and Japes was a visit to Flourish and Blott's. Along with his slew of school-books, he picked up a few other books including the store's only copy of Nature's Nobility – A Wizarding Genealogy. Along with the information about the Peverell brothers, there was also, Harry knew, information about a list of other pureblood families, including the Potters and Blacks. This, he thought, would be useful as evidence in the future when he needed to explain how he found out about Sirius Black. Though Sirius only has a mere mention in the book, Harry could still come up with a story, if needed, about how he continued his research into other books as well.

By the time Harry finished his shopping, it was ten minutes to eleven. Between the trunk, Hedwig's cage, and the various shopping bags, Harry knew he needed to sort this out before he would meet the Weasleys, and he wasn't sure he could get away with shrinking charms, given that there would probably be witnesses to such magic. So he walked over to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor and sat at one of the tables, and placed his belongings on the ground next to him.

"Welcome to my ice cream parlor!" a voice said, and Harry looked up to see a face he had not seen in a long time, "I am Florean Fortescue, as the sign says. Would you like some ice cream on this particularly warm day?"

"Sure," Harry said, "Er… chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts? Large cone."

"Coming right up!" Florean said, as he ducked back into his shop.

Harry took his wand from his pocket and pointed it at his trunk. He looked around to see if anyone was watching, then placed an Undetectable Extension Charm, as well as a Featherlight Charm, on the trunk. He then proceeded to store his shopping bags in the trunk and by the time Florean returned, only Harry's trunk and cage were out for everyone to see.

"Here you are, Mr. Potter," Florean said, and when Harry looked up at him with raised eyebrows. "Yes, yes, I do know who you are. I didn't want to be rude when I came out here earlier. I expect you get that a lot."

"A bit, yeah," Harry said.

"I am not the type to do that," Florean said, "Scares away customers. But I tell you what. No charge for this cone, for your troubles."

"Er… thanks!" Harry said.

Florean bowed lightly and returned to the shop.

_Harry? _Ginny's voice rang in his head, _You there? We're here! Ron, Mum and Dad and me… and yes, Scabbers too. We're walking through the marketplace now._

_I'm at Florean's. Just finished my shopping a little bit ago._

_Excellent, we'll pass right by you. I'll try to distract everyone. No sense shying from our plan. We'll still meet in Magical Menagerie, yes?_

_Yeah, I'll start going there when you enter the shop, so it doesn't look like I followed you._

_Good idea. Mum's already going to think it is a bit weird meeting you, thanks to Dumbledore's discussion with her earlier this week. Ah, I see you! And I see Hedwig. I almost forgot how beautiful she is. _

Harry focused on his ice cream and he looked at Hedwig in her cage, so he wouldn't be seen looking at Ginny or her family.

"Yes, Ron," Mrs. Weasley's voice said, a bit loudly, "We're going to get tonic for Scabbers, as promised. I just hope it isn't too expensive. And Ginny, dear, I think we're going to have to go to that secondhand clothes shop. You're clothes are looking small. Always growing, but I shouldn't be surprised."

"Thanks, Mum," Ginny said.

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw the Weasleys pass him. He also saw Scabbers moving back and forth in his cage.

_Ginny, keep an eye on Pettigrew, _Harry said. _He looks rather jumpy. _

_Yes, love. Both eyes, if I can. _

Harry grinned when he saw Ginny looking over her shoulder at him, as she winked at him. They were close to Magical Menagerie now.

"What are you looking at?" Ron asked Ginny.

"Nothing," Ginny said.

Harry saw Ron look over his shoulder toward him, and Harry focused on his ice cream and looking into the parlor.

"Ron, don't pester your sister," Mr. Weasley said.

Ron muttered something Harry could not here.

_I think Ron saw me, _Harry said.

_He probably doesn't realize who you are yet, though. Okay, we're going into the shop._

Harry nodded and gulped down the rest of the cone. He picked up the trunk and Hedwig's cage and walked down the street toward Magical Menagerie. When he arrived, he saw Ron and Mrs. Weasley standing in line behind an elderly witch, who was holding a black bat in a cage. There were a few people in line, so they had some time to wait. He then saw Mr. Weasley and Ginny looking around at other pets.

_I'm here. _Harry said.

_I'm looking through the pets. Harry, I just thought of something. Have you tested out your Parseltongue yet?_

_Nope._

_Well, I just passed a tank of Runespoors – you know, three-headed snakes? If you do a Muffliato Charm on the shop and try to speak to them…_

_Yeah, sure._

Harry made his way across the shop, and over toward the tanks. He saw Ginny stealthily nod her head to a tank and walked ahead to her father, who was looking at a fire crab.

_Hmm… Crookshanks is not here yet. I thought he might be._

_Hoping to steal him away from Hermione before she has a chance to buy him?_

_I was thinking of using him to oust Pettigrew actually._

_Oh, right… that could have worked. Shame. Okay, I found the snakes._

Harry stealthily put the Muffliato Charm on the shop and looked at one of the Runespoors.

"_Greetings, serpents. Can you hear me?" _Harry hissed at the three-headed snake.

"_Hello," _one of the three heads said.

"_Bonjour!" _another one of the heads said.

"_Greetings, user of snake-language," _the last of the heads said_, "Will you buy us?"_

"_Not today, sorry," _Harry said.

"_Pity," _the three heads said at once.

Harry sighed and lifted the Muffliato Charm.

_I speak Parseltongue again, Ginny, _Harry said, _You know what that means…_

_Yeah. Whoa, watch out, Dad's coming by._

"Pardon me," Mr. Weasley said, accidentally nudging Harry, as he walked on by.

"That's okay," Harry said.

Mr. Weasley looked back at him with raised eyebrows. He then turned around and quickly walked over to Ginny.

_I think he recognized me, Ginny. Probably saw my scar._

_Hmm, I'll see what he says. Oh, he wants me to go over to Ron and Mum. Come in line, could be time for introductions soon._

Harry walked over to the back of the line and saw that Ron and Mrs. Weasley had arrived at the front. Mr. Weasley was whispering into his wife's ear. She quickly glanced over her shoulder at Harry, then turned back toward the clerk.

"Hello, sir!" Mrs. Weasley said, a little nervous (perhaps from seeing him, Harry thought?), "My son's rat is looking pretty peaky these days. He's rather worried. Do you have some rat tonic."

"Of course, of course," the clerk said, "Let me see the rat, young man."

Harry watched as Ron put the cage on the counter.

"I need to get him out for a moment, so I can see what degree of tonic he needs," the clerk said, "Do I have your permission?"

"Er… yeah, do what you want," Ron said.

"Ronald, be polite," Mrs. Weasley said.

"No worry, ma'am," the clerk said, "And how long have you had this rat?"

"Well, err –" Ron said, "He was my brother Percy's rat, until he got an owl, and –"

"Percy said he bought the rat from a dorm mate a couple years ago," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Mum, he had that rat a lot longer than that," Ginny said, "Probably since around the time I was a baby."

"No, that is not possible, Ginny," Mrs. Weasley said, "That was almost ten years ago. Rats don't live that long."

"But it is the same rat," Ginny said, "He's missing a toe, remember? Percy always talked about it when I was younger."

_What are you doing, Ginny?_

_Trying to make Mum see something odd. I have a plan. _

_Er… okay._

"Well, ma'am," the clerk said, "This rat does look very old. But no common rat can live ten years. Could explain the illness… let's see."

He put his hand on the lid and tried to lift it.

"Hmm, must be charmed shut," the clerk said.

_Crap! I forgot to uncharm the lock!_

Harry rolled his eyes mentally.

"Oh – err – I must have done that and forgot," Mr. Weasley said.

"No matter, no matter," the clerk said, tapping his wand on the cage.

The clerk then opened the cage and lifted Scabbers out. He set him gently on the counter. But as soon as he let go, Scabbers ran off. Harry's eyes widened as he tried for his wand, but he was still holding the trunk and Hedwig's cage.

"My rat!" Ron cried out.

_He's coming towards you, Harry!_

Harry watched as Scabbers hurried toward him, trying to run toward the door, when all of a sudden, Harry felt a force come from his amulet. Scabbers was then flung back, many feet into the air. Ron cried out, store patrons screamed, as Scabbers flew toward the tanks near the middle of the shop. Suddenly a great crash, louder than what should have been, for a rat hitting a tank, rang out across the shop.

"Scabbers!" Ron moaned.

"I'll get him," Mr. Weasley said.

Harry broke apart from the crowd and walked around the back of the aisles toward the tanks. Many Runespoors were escaping the tanks and going toward the door of the shop.

"_Freedom!" _a small hiss sound out_. "We're free! Country-land, here I come!"_

"_Whoa! That rat turned into a human!" _a baby snake hissed.

Harry's eyes widened as he looked toward the tanks.

"Scabbers?" Mr. Weasley said, "Are you here? Scabbers – My Merlin!"

"What's going on, Arthur?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Where's Scabbers?" Ron asked, "Is he okay?"

"Someone find a fireplace," Mr. Weasley said, "Floo the Auror Department. This is no rat…"

"What?" Ron asked, "Of course he's a rat."

"No, he's not a rat," a voice said behind Harry.

Harry turned around. Albus Dumbledore was standing there.

"He is an Animagus," he said, "By the name of Peter Pettigrew."

-  
**Told you it would end in a cliffhanger! Yes, Dumbledore knew about the Marauder's Animagus transformations. I think that was revealed at one point. Well, Dumbledore keeps showing up at the craziest of times. **

**Next chapter: the aftermath of the end of this chapter, and Harry has lunch with the Weasleys and Dumbledore (two different conversations) in the Leaky Cauldron. **

**Hope you liked this chapter as much as I did! I had the end of the chapter planned out for a couple days now. More to come! Might be able to get another chapter up today (May 5****th****), but if not, it probably won't be up for a few days. Sorry about that, I know this is a big cliffhanger. I will try my best to get another chapter up today.**


	11. Emancipation

**Chapter 11  
Emancipation  
**

**Author's Note: Over 100 Story Alerts and 50+ Favorites for this story so far! I am so happy to see the response this story is getting. Helps me write more and more of this story and get updates out faster! **

**This Q&A could have possible spoilers:**

**Q: ****For me personally, I feel that Ginny ****should be with Harry first year, I think that will allow a different set of****variables with Hermione and Ron.**

**A: Really? Well, I heartily agree with you, and it may certainly go that way. You'll just have to wait and see!**

Dumbledore walked past Harry and toward Peter Pettigrew. The crowd in the store was now growing to a size that reached out into the street, all wanting to see what was going on. Whispers and loud voices rang through the witches and wizards."Pettigrew? Not possible!"

"Peter Pettigrew is dead! Has been for over a decade!"

"Sirius Black killed him!"

_Well, that did not go how I expected, _Ginny said,_ But I can't believe this! Pettigrew's caught!_

_Er, yeah, I just thought of something, Ginny. He still needs to be free in the future to help bring back Voldemort so I can defeat him… _

_Oh, yeah… err…_

_I have a plan. Try to distract everyone._

_Got it._

Harry slowly walked toward Pettigrew, aware that Mr. Weasley and Dumbledore were still close to him.

"Er… Dad," Harry heard Ginny say, "Getting kind of crowded in here."

"The Aurors are coming, Ginny," Mr. Weasley said, "We're witnesses to this."

"Yeah, but there is a lot of people in here," Ginny said, "Perhaps we should help clear it for the Aurors?"

"Ah, yes," Mr. Weasley said, "Good idea, Ginny. Stay here. Albus?"

"Pettigrew is restrained," Dumbledore said, "He won't get away."

"The Aurors aren't going to like this crowd, Albus," Mr. Weasley said.

"Ah, yes," Dumbledore said, "No, they won't. How about we do something about that?"

Harry ducked behind a large cage, so Mr. Weasley and Dumbledore wouldn't see him, as they passed him toward the crowd. He then walked toward Pettigrew, and took his wand from his pocket. He closed his eyes and concentrated on a spell, hoping it would work.

_Imperio, _he said, silently, and Peter's closed eyes fluttered, _Peter Pettigrew, you will confess to your crimes without resistance. You will stand trial and go to Azkaban, where you will stay there for two years and two months until you escape Azkaban through your Animagus form. You will search for Harry Potter, fail to find him, and go find your Master._

He then opened his eyes and snuck back toward the main part of the store.

_Harry, what was all that about? Why did you tell Peter to escape in two years instead of three? He searched for Voldemort when he escaped at the end of your third year, right?_

_It keeps the timeline accurate in a way. A prison escape before my third year. Peter will try to go after me, which causes Hogwarts to get tighter security._

_Ugh, Dementors…_

_Yeah, but if we don't do it this way, Peter could find Voldemort earlier and really mess things up._

_Then why not keep him in prison until later?_

Because he might miss his chance, and not find Voldemort. And that would change what happens. We can't do that.

_Oh, okay… man, Ron's pretty upset. When he meets you, try to calm him down. Maybe that will get him to like you right off the bat._

'_Kay. I didn't expect this day to turn out like this. With Pettigrew I mean. _

_And you think I did? I mean, I was hoping to reveal him soon, sure… but… I couldn't have predicted that! Know what this means, though? Sirius will be free soon._

_I expect a trial, though. That could take a while. Even if Pettigrew confesses, the Wizengamot is always slow as molasses._

_No, we can't let that happen. We're witnesses. You're a key witness, and a big part of this. Use that if you have to, Harry!_

_Yeah… I guess so. If it helps Sirius, I'll do anything._

"Make way!" a voice that Harry thought sounded familiar said, "Clear out everyone! Except for witnesses! Aurors coming through! Rookies! Keep those reporters away. That includes you, Skeeter! Oi, Cadet Tonks, keep her away from here, or it will be back to laps at the Corp instead of following me around! Come on, Kingsley, let's see what this is about…"

Harry then saw Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, looking grizzled and scarred as ever. His magical eye was spinning around its socket, taking in the scene. Kingsley Shacklebolt, tall and broad, followed in behind him.

"What happened in here?" Moody asked, walking up to Dumbledore, "Ah, Albus, you're here. Were you a witness?"

"You could say that," Dumbledore said, smiling, "Heard the commotion as I was passing by, and I walked in and saw… well, you'll see, Alastor. Quite shocking, if I may say so."

"Lead me on, then, Albus," Moody said, "Nothing shocks me these days, though. I've seen too much, you know. Kingsley, talk to that red-headed family over there. Weasleys looks like… yeah, there's Arthur. Bet they're witnesses."

"Of course, Alastor," boomed Kingsley's voice as he walked over to Ginny and the Weasleys.

Moody and Dumbledore passed by Harry, and Moody stopped in his tracks.

"Well, what do we have here?" he asked, turning on his good heel and looking at Harry, "I'll be… Albus, am I right to say -?"

"Yes, Alastor," Dumbledore said, "This is Harry Potter. He was a witness. Kind of amusing circumstances too. You may understand once you see the culprit."

The witnesses in the shop started to whisper and Harry looked over at the Weasleys.

"It is Harry Potter!" Mr. Weasley said, "I told you, Molly."

"Harry Potter?" Ron asked, "That's him?"

Harry blushed and saw Ginny, who was trying her best to look shocked and excited.

"You stay there, Mr. Potter," Moody said, "I'll be talking to you, I expect."

"Oh, Alastor," Albus said, "Don't frighten the boy. I think it might be best if I talked to him about this. If he doesn't get the correct story, he'll get the wrong one, and in this case, that is not a good idea. As I said, you'll see what I mean. Look… there's the culprit. You might even recognize him."

"I see him," Moody said, "Who is he? Do I know – Great Scott! It can't be, Albus!"

"Alastor?" Kingsley called out, across the shop, "Arthur said something about Peter Pettigrew. But that can't be –"

"You would think so, but –" Moody said, "It does look like the Pettigrew I knew… aged ten years, of course. But, I don't know Albus… you know the story. This guy could have drank Polyjuice Potion."

"He was apparently hiding in his rat Animagus form with the Weasleys for ten years," Dumbledore said, "Then something happened in this shop…"

"What was that, Arthur?" Kingsley asked.

"We saw it, Moody," Mr. Weasley said, "Scabbers – Pettigrew I guess – ran in his rat form toward – well, I guess that's Harry Potter – My Merlin –"

Harry blushed and looked away from Mr. Weasley.

"What else happened, Arthur?" Moody asked.

"He ran toward Harry, like I said," Mr. Weasley said, "and then some kind of force – well - _forced_ Pettigrew away from Harry, and flung him across the room. He crashed into a cage full of snakes – Runespoors, from the look of them – and got knocked out. I guess he turned into his human form when it happened."

"I don't know, Albus," Moody said, "What kind of force could do that? I know they say Potter survived the -– well – I mean he couldn't just do that, could he?"

"It was a protection amulet, Alastor," Dumbledore said, "Harry has it around his neck. I gave it to him so he could wear it and be protected for his first visit here at Diagon Alley."

"Aye, that'll do it," Moody said, nodding. "Well, this is most interesting. Peter Pettigrew alive. I wonder what this means for Sirius Black…"

"What's that about Sirius Black?" another voice said, this one familiar to Harry too.

Harry turned around. He saw Nymphadora Tonks in the doorway of the shop. She was probably eighteen or nineteen years old now.

"You're supposed to keep an eye on those reporters, Cadet!" Moody growled.

"Sorry, sir," Tonks said, "But Sirius Black – he's my cousin, you know. Well, Mum's cousin, you know… family."

"You may be reuniting with your family soon, if things go right, Cadet," Dumbledore said.

"What?" Tonks asked, "Sirius could go – you mean – blimey, I got to tell Mum!"

"You can do that later!" Moody said, "Keep an eye on the reporters! Mainly Skeeter!"

"Skeeter?" Tonks said, turning around, "I think she's gone. Must have scared her off."

_Yeah, right. _Ginny said to Harry, _Do you see any bugs in here? Beetles, perhaps?_

_I'll keep an eye out._

"Well, if this isn't the strangest thing I've ever seen," Moody said, with a sigh. "Merlin, Fudge and Crouch are going to be on a rampage with this one. Imagine how many owls will be showing up on their desks when this gets out. Pettigrew alive. All right, I better take him in."

"I suggest Anti-Transfiguration wards on his cell, Alastor," Albus said, "Ministry and Azkaban."

"Huh?" Moody asked, "Oh. Aye. Right. I'll be sure to do that myself. Kingsley! Get the stories from witnesses! But let Professor Dumbledore talk to Mr. Potter over there. Make sure nobody else talks to Mr. Potter unless Albus says so!"

"Yes, sir," Kingsley said, "Amelia's going to want to hear about this, you know, Alastor. The rumors about her and Sirius when they were at Hogwarts, you know. And after Hogwarts too, if I am correct. And she always believed his innocence."

"They were more than rumors, Kingsley," Albus said with a wink.

Kingsley chuckled and returned to his work. Dumbledore walked over to Harry.

"Ah, Harry," he said, "We seem to be running into each other a bit today. Might I have some of your time? Perhaps in the Leaky Cauldron? A private room, I expect. I need to explain what happened today, and some things you are going to hear about pretty soon."

"Sure, sir," Harry said, and proceeded to follow Dumbledore out of the shop.

"Back everyone!" Tonks was saying to the crowd, when they arrived at the door, "Get back! First camera flash I see means a night behind bars! No freedom of press right now! Back – oh, hello Albus, who do you have there. Blimey, is that -?"

"It is, but I think you're too busy for introductions at the moment, Nymphadora," Dumbledore said, "Perhaps another time."

Tonks scowled at the mention of her first name. "Yes, of course, Headmaster. Let them through everyone! No pictures! No it isn't Harry Potter. I mean – aw, damn it. That would make it seem too obvious, wouldn't it? Sorry, Headmaster. I need practice at crowd control, I see."

Dumbledore chuckled heartily as he bid farewell to Tonks and gently led Harry past the crowd. They walked up the cobbled pavement and headed for the Leaky Cauldron.

_I'll try to convince Mum to let us have lunch at the Leaky Cauldron after we finish up with our shopping. Perhaps you can find us after you talk to Dumbledore. Mum has been looking at you from time to time ever since she realized who you were. I bet she's going to want to talk to you. This worked out better than I hoped!_

_Yeah. We can do that. I'll look for you soon. _

'_Kay. See you then. Oh, and Harry? Try not to look at me too often if we have lunch. Ron might find that weird at the moment. May not make a good first impression._

_Ha. Yeah… probably not. See you soon, I hope. Going to drop this link while I talk to Dumbledore so he doesn't get suspicious._

Good idea.

Harry felt the link push away from his mind. They were now inside the Leaky Cauldron, and Dumbledore was leading him to a door near the bar.

"Can I help you, Albus?" Tom asked, at the bar.

"Need one of your private rooms," Dumbledore said, "A chat with Mr. Potter, you see?"

"Ah, yes," Tom said, "Right through that door. I'll bring some butterbeer, how's that? Anything to eat…"

Dumbledore looked at Harry.

"Maybe afterwards," Harry said, "Not hungry right now."

"Is he okay, Albus?" Tom asked, as he led Harry and Dumbledore into the private room.

"Something happened in Diagon Alley," Dumbledore said, "You'll hear about it soon, I expect. Maybe in the Evening Prophet."

"I was wondering about that," Tom said, "I saw Mad-Eye come through with a few Aurors. Must be big."

"It is," Albus said.

"I'll make sure you get no visitors," Tom said, "Oh, almost forgot. Accio Butterbeer!"

Four butterbeers flew into the room and landed on the small table.

"No charge, Albus," Tom said, "Nice to see you again, Harry."

Harry smiled and sat down at the table, then took a bottle of butterbeer. Tom left the room and Dumbledore took a seat across from Harry.

"Well, it seems your first visit to Diagon Alley has been more exciting than I could have expected," he said, smiling at Harry.

"Yes, sir," Harry said.

"I'm sure you're wondering what all the fuss was about concerning that man," Dumbledore said, "Am I correct?"

"Yeah," Harry lied; he already knew what it was about, but he decided it was best to let Dumbledore talk.

"First I have a question for you, Harry," Dumbledore said, "When that man was a rat, did he try to run to you, or was he running toward the exit?"

Harry raised his eyebrows. He wasn't sure exactly what Pettigrew had been trying to do.

"It all went so fast," Harry said, truthfully, "I can't be sure. Why would he want to run to me, sir?"

Dumbledore smiled, and looked at Harry through his eyeglasses.

"What I am about to tell you, Harry," Dumbledore said, "Is only a piece of a bigger story, a story I will tell you another time…"

"At Hogwarts, right?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Correct," he said, "On Halloween in 1981, the night your parents died, there was one other big thing that happened. I cannot began to understand what truthfully happened, though I believe we will get those answers soon. But from what I can understand, a man named Sirius Black, whom I will tell you more about in a little bit, confronted Peter Pettigrew on a street. The result of the confrontation was eleven Muggles dead and – well, at least the story was told this way that night – it was assumed Peter was dead too. It was thought that Sirius Black did it."

Harry frowned but said nothing. He didn't want to say anything that would give anything away.

"The events were pretty gruesome," Dumbledore said, "But all they could find of Pettigrew that night was a finger."

"Pettigrew was missing a finger!" Harry said.

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "I expect we'll find out the truth about that soon enough. Anyway, Sirius Black was found on the street after that happened and he was arrested and sent to Azkaban, the wizard prison."

"Just like that?" Harry asked, "No trial?"

"No trial," Dumbledore said, frowning, "There are a few wizards and witches who believe Sirius was innocent."

"And now it seems he is innocent!" Harry said.

"Yes," Dumbledore said, nodding, "It does, doesn't it? But there was circumstantial evidence against him. You see… Sirius Black was, from what we know, the Secret Keeper to your parents. If this was true, which some people say is not, from what I've heard, then Sirius Black betrayed your parents and told - ah, the man who murdered them the Secret that led him there. As I said, more of this story will come later."

"But then why do people think he's innocent?" Harry asked, fishing for the right answer.

"Ah, well, you see, Harry," Dumbledore said, "Your father and Sirius Black were best friends at Hogwarts when they were students. An inseparable pair, really. Peter was also their friend, but I don't think he was ever as close as they were. On the day you were born, Harry, James and Lily named Sirius as your godfather."

"My godfather?" Harry asked, "But… that means… if Sirius is innocent… if he is free from Azkaban… wouldn't that mean he could be my guardian."

"Ah. Harry," Dumbledore said, lines creasing across his forehead, "I am not sure that is the best idea."

"But he was my father's best friend," Harry said.

"Yes, I understand that," Dumbledore said. "But you see, Harry. Azkaban does things to the prisoners. Sirius has been there for almost ten years. That is a long time. He's going to be a changed man. It will take him a while to recover. I'm afraid the Wizengamot would not allow him to be your guardian until he is well."

"But he's a wizard," Harry said, a bit angry now, "Unlike the Dursleys. He'd understand me."

"I'm sure the Dursleys do understand you, Harry," Dumbledore said, frowning.

"No, they don't!" Harry growled, "They've avoided me like I'm a disease since you came by the house. I'm lucky to get food. Before you came, I – well, I was sleeping in that cupboard you see. Even as a baby, I was there. Sometimes for days…"

"Harry, I know you're upset," Dumbledore said, "But there are things you must understand. It is best you stay with the Dursleys. It is your home…"

Harry smiled mentally. He had caught Dumbledore in his own trap.

"What if I can no longer call it my home?" Harry asked.

"Harry," Dumbledore said.

Dumbledore looked – well, he looked afraid, if Harry was correct. This almost made Harry grin for real.

"What would happen?" Harry asked, "Because it has never been a home for me. Not really. I would have been better in an orphanage. Or… on my own. I'd be better off with Sirius, even if he takes time to mend after he is free. That house was like a prison to me anyway. Sirius and I would have something in common, really."

"Harry," Dumbledore said again, "You must understand. I –"

"I'm sorry, Professor," Harry said, then closed his eyes, "I can no longer call Number 4 Privet Drive my home."

Dumbledore looked absolutely terrified when Harry said this. And Harry knew why too: these words had probably canceled the blood wards. He remembered Moody's words in the other timeline the night Harry left the Dursley's forever…

_"When you can no longer call this place home," _Moody had stated. That was when the wards would cancel out. Harry couldn't believe it had been that easy all those years to get away from the Dursleys.

"Harry," Dumbledore said, "You don't know what you've done."

"I don't care, Professor," Harry said, "I've learned things today. I have enough wizarding money to help me, even if I had to stay in Diagon Alley until I went to Hogwarts. I've been welcomed back into the wizarding world today, and I'm not going to leave if I have my way. I think you can understand that. Thank you for telling me who I really am and for helping me get here to Diagon Alley. Thank you for telling me about Peter Pettigrew, and my godfather, Sirius Black. Don't worry about me, Professor. I'm sure things will work out. Now if you excuse me, I want to get something to eat."

Dumbledore looked as if he didn't know what to do. And Harry knew why too: if Dumbledore knew anything about the Soul-Bond, he would probably know about the Emancipation process of it. Harry had the right to do what he had just done without anyone telling him otherwise.

Harry stood up, picked up his trunk and Hedwig's cage, and left the room.

_Ginny? _he asked, opening his mind link, _You there?_

_Yeah! Harry, I convinced Mum. We're at a table in the Leaky Cauldron. Look for us._

I have so much to tell you. I don't think I will ever have to go back to the Dursleys.

_Really? _

_Yeah. I basically told Dumbledore I no longer called the Dursleys house my home. He couldn't say too much. I bet he knows about the emancipation thing. _

_So now what are you going to do?_

_I'm going to figure out some kind of story to tell your parents. If they don't ask me where I live, you ask me sooner or later. _

_And then when they find out you are basically homeless, they will invite you to come home!_

_Yeah… even if I am just a guest for a little while. With Sirius soon to be free of Azkaban, I could live with him._

_Oh._

_Is that okay, Ginny?_

_Yeah, Harry. I should be happy for you. I'm just…_

_I know… but we'll see each other a lot if I live with him. I promise._

_Well, come and find me anyway, or we'll not see each other at all yet!_

Harry chuckled mentally and walked through the room. He found the Weasleys sitting at a table, and then saw an empty table behind theirs. He walked over to the empty table and sat down in a chair.

_I see you, Harry. Watch me play my part in this._

_Have fun._

"Mum! Mum!" Ginny said, "Look over there. Isn't that -?"

"Ginny, don't point!" Mrs. Weasley said, "It is very rude."

"But," Ginny said, "That's –"

"Yes, I know who it is, Ginny," Mrs. Weasley said, "No pointing."

_Damn it, Mum! Let's try this…_

"He's alone, I think," Ginny said, frowning, "Doesn't he have someone with him?"

"Doesn't look like it," Mr. Weasley's voice said, "Molly…"

"Hmm?" Mrs. Weasley asked, "Oh – well – go ahead, Arthur. See if he will…"

_Something's up with Mum, _Ginny said.

_Maybe she still remembers Dumbledore's visit. He did ask her about me. It must seem odd to her._

Harry quickly picked up a menu and looked at it. Then he heard a slight cough and looked up. Mr. Weasley was smiling at him.

"Hello, there, young lad," Mr. Weasley said, "May I sit here for a moment? You may have seen me with my family at the pet shop…"

"Oh – err – sure, sit down," Harry said.

"Are you here with anyone?" Mr. Weasley asked, "I saw Professor Dumbledore with you…"

"Er… he had to leave," Harry said, "I'm alone again."

"Really?" Mr. Weasley asked, "Well, how about you come sit with my family. Nobody your age should be alone."

"Okay," Harry said, nodding.

Mr. Weasley smiled. Harry picked up his trunk and Hedwig's cage and followed Mr. Weasley over to the table. Mr. Weasley pulled a chair up to the table and Harry sat in it.

"Oh, beautiful owl!" Ginny said.

"Thanks," Harry said.

"Harry, isn't?" Mr. Weasley asked, and when Harry nodded, "I am Arthur, and my wife is Molly. These are our youngest children, Ron and Ginny."

"Hi," Harry said.

"Hello," Ron said, shyly.

"Ron, right?" Harry asked, "You were the one with the rat."

"He wasn't a rat," Ron sighed, "Ten years we had him, and he was… that man."

"I'm sorry," Harry said.

Ron shrugged. "It's okay."

"Harry," Mrs. Weasley said, "Why are you here alone? Surely you have someone to come with you? Your guardians?"

Harry shook his head, remembering the story he came up with.

"A few days ago," he said, "Professor Dumbledore came to my relatives' house, where I was staying. He told me I was a wizard."

"Wait," Ron said, "You didn't know you were a wizard?"

"No," Harry said, "Not until he told me."

"How old are you?" Ron asked.

"Eleven in July," Harry said.

"Eleven and you didn't know you're a wizard?" Ginny asked.

"No," Harry said, "Er – well – my relatives, I guess they knew. But they never told me. Turns out they don't approve of our kind. They said we were freaks."

Mrs. Weasley gasped and put her hand over her heart.

"That was the last straw for them," Harry said, "when I found out I was a wizard, I mean. They thought I'd curse them or – or blow up their house or something."

"Good heavens," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Next thing I knew," Harry said, "They kicked me out of the house."

"How could they do that?" Mrs. Weasley asked, "I would have never expected you to be living with -"

"You said this happened a few days ago?" Mr. Weasley asked, and Harry nodded, "Where have you been staying?"

"At first I thought I was going to be homeless," Harry said, "I was just sitting there on the sidewalk near the house, and I raised my arm to stretch, and all of a sudden this great big bus appears out of nowhere."

"The Knight Bus," Mr. Weasley said.

"Yeah, that's it," Harry said, "The conductor asked me where I wanted to go. I said I didn't know, and he let me come aboard, and soon I was here. Been staying in a room ever since. Today was the first day I was brave enough to go out into the marketplace."

Harry looked at Ginny and he could tell she was impressed with the story.

"Good heavens," Mrs. Weasley said again, "That's just not right. No, not at all. A boy should have a proper home."

"Dumbledore said something about me having a godfather," Harry said.

"Godfather?" Mr. Weasley asked, "Who?"

"Sirius Black?" Harry asked.

Mrs. Weasley gasped.

"He said because Peter Pettigrew was found," Harry said, "Sirius might be innocent. I figured I could live with him… he could be my guardian."

"Oh, Harry," Mr. Weasley said, "If he is innocent, that could still take days to – well, you would be here for a while."

"We can't allow that!" Mrs. Weasley said, "Arthur, may I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure, Molly," Mr. Weasley said.

The two adults stood up from the table and walked a few feet away, and began talking in whispers.

"You're going to be eleven, right?" Ron asked Harry, "In July?"

"Yeah," Harry said.

"So… so you're going to Hogwarts this year," Ron said, "So am I!"

"Cool," Harry said, smiling, then looked at Ginny, "And you?"

"Not until next year," Ginny said, with a sigh.

_Prat, _Ginny added in Harry's head.

"So this is your owl?" Ron asked, looking down at Hedwig.

"Yeah," Harry said, "Her name's Hedwig."

"Wicked," Ron said, "We have an owl – the family does, I mean. Errol. He's getting old, though. Then there's Hermes, he belongs to Percy. Hey! That reminds me, Ginny, shouldn't we hear from Fred and George soon? About the Quidditch final?"

"Yeah, I expect so," Ginny said, "It is today."

"You know about Quidditch?" Ron asked Harry.

"I heard people talking about it," Harry said, "Don't know details."

"You're joking?" Ron asked, "Best game there is… I'll tell you that."

_And with that, he's your best mate again, Harry._

_Jealous?_

Ginny scowled in his mind and Harry tried his hardest not to laugh out loud. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley returned and sat down.

"Harry," Mr. Weasley said, "Me and the missus were talking, and we'd like to give you an offer. How about you come and stay with us down at our place for a few days? We have enough room. Plenty of bedrooms. You might be able to have one of your own. Charlie, that's our second oldest, he doesn't come around much, he works in Romania, see. What do you say?"

"I wouldn't want to be a burden," Harry said.

"Nonsense, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said, "You'd be our guest… at least until we figure out what is going on with your godfather."

"Okay," Harry said, nodding, "Sure, but I have one condition, if it isn't too much."

"Anything," Mr. Weasley said.

"Since I am a guest," Harry said, "I want to pay for my own food and stuff. Like I said, I don't want to be a burden. If I was here, I'd pay for my own food and housing. I at least want to give something for your generosity."

Mrs. Weasley hesitated as she looked at Harry. He knew she was quite vocal when it came to money.

"We'll talk about that, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Okay," Harry said, "Then I accept."

"Brilliant," Mr. Weasley said, "We'll celebrate with lunch, and then we'll be off to the Burrow. Fantastic place. I think you'll love it. Now… you said you lived with Muggles, right? You must tell me…"

Mr. Weasley stared at Harry dramatically, and he looked very serious.

"Exactly what is the function of a rubber duck?" he asked.

_And with that, _Ginny said,_ you won the heart of my father._

_And your mum?_

_I'm not sure. You might have offended her with the money talk. And she might still think something is odd about Dumbledore's visit. But we'll see. You did affect her with that story of yours. Good one, my love._

Harry nodded and smiled mentally and then did his best to explain the function of a rubber duck.

-  
**Ha-ha, I loved that ending. This chapter was all about changes. Pettigrew's capture which will lead into Sirius' storyline. And then Harry's emancipation from the Dursleys and going to stay with the Weasleys. Now… will Harry's new guardians be Sirius or the Weasleys? That… you will have to wait for to find out the answer to!**

**I don't think I'm finished when it comes to Dumbledore and the Dursleys. I'll have to see what I can come up with. Pettigrew's trial (with special guest, Sirius Black and others) will happen soon… a few chapters from now or so, and Harry will have a front row vieewing. But if I keep up with my ideas, that won't be only time Harry's inside a Wizengamot courtroom before he goes to Hogwarts. I have big plans coming up. A good storyline I've been planning before we get into Harry's first year.**

**Also, I hope you like how I introduced Moody, Kingsley, and Tonks. And perhaps Rita Skeeter? You also may have noticed a future ship I might be working with in this story: Sirius/Amelia Bones... haven't decided, but I have some ideas.**

**Hope you liked this chapter. This is definitely the last chapter I am posting today. Not sure when the next chapter will go up. Maybe Monday (May 7****th****), maybe later than that. But I assure you, more will come soon. At least I didn't end this in a cliffhanger, ha-ha.**


	12. Back To The Burrow

**Chapter 12  
Back To The Burrow  
**

**Author's Note: This is almost a filler chapter, though it does have conversations mentioning storylines. Now for a Q&A regarding an error on my part. Important.**

**Q: ****Did you change Harry's wand on Purpose? In the book it's 11 in and made of Holly. **

**A: Oops, I may have made a mistake with that. I must have read something wrong when I was looking it up. Maybe what I used was one he was trying out in the book… err… yeah, that's a mistake. Definitely not on purpose. From now on, I will have it be the correct version. My sincere apologies, everyone.**

**Also, I have been getting a lot of early criticisms about certain things in-story. I can't comment on a lot of it, because most will be explained in-story, by the end of it. It will all work out, I promise. To those of you asking about the guardianship (Sirius or Weasleys?)… some of that will be questioned in this chapter and the following chapter, though it won't give the final answer to it just yet. Enjoy!**

Almost an hour after Harry sat down with the Weasleys, the five were finished with their meal and Mr. Weasley was leading them all over to the fireplace on the other side of the large room.

"Now, Harry, if I am correct," Mr. Weasley said, "You have probably never traveled by Floo Powder, no?"

"No," Harry lied.

"That's all right," Mr. Weasley said, "Traveling by fireplace is very common in the wizarding world. Probably as common as Muggles travel by – what was that - bought-a-mobile?"

"Automobile?" Harry suggested.

"Ah, yes, that's it!" Mr. Weasley said, smiling. "Traveling this way sounds scary, and it can be for your first few times, sure, but I assure you that you'll be all right. As long as you speak very clearly. I will go first to lift the wards around the house, and then you can go, okay?"

Harry nodded. Mrs. Weasley took her bag of Floo Powder from her purse and offered it to her husband. He grabbed a handful and walked into the fireplace, then looked at Harry and winked.

"The Burrow!" he said, in a clear, strong voice, as he dropped the powder.

In a roar of fire, Mr. Weasley disappeared into the fireplace. Harry tried his best to look shocked, for show.

"Oh, don't worry," Mrs. Weasley said, catching Harry's expression, "Only looks scary, as my husband told you."

"I do it all the time!" Ginny said, chuckling.

_Show-off, _Harry said, with a mental smirk.

_Prat, _Ginny said, _for a moment I was wondering why Ron was talking to me like this._

Harry decided to ignore Ginny for the moment and he took a handful of the powder from Mrs. Weasley's bag.

"Don't worry about your owl and trunk," Mrs. Weasley said, "They'll be at the Burrow safely in just a moment. Off you go. Speak very clearly now."

Harry nodded and stepped into the fireplace. Ginny smiled at him and gave him a thumbs-up motion.

"The Burrow!" he said, clearly, dropping the powder.

Soon, he was turning and spinning in the cramped space known as the Floo Network. Fireplaces roared past him in a blur and he closed his eyes and moved his arms inward to his body. After what seemed like a full minute, he landed on solid ground. He coughed and spluttered as he walked through smoke and ash. A moment later, and the smoke and ash disappeared in a whirl of wind. Mr. Weasley smiled at him from nearby.

"Ah, excellent!" Mr. Weasley exclaimed, "A successful first ride in the Floo Network, Harry. Did you like it?"

"Er… it was okay," Harry said; truthfully, he had always hated it.

He walked away from the fireplace and looked around, trying his best not to smile too much. He was looking at the living room of one of his favorite buildings in the world. This place was like home to him in the old timeline, outside of Hogwarts. And it was home to him for a good few months after the Second War ended, until he got the letter about Potter Manor. If things didn't work out with Sirius, he would be okay with being here for a few years.

He heard a hooting noise, and saw, as Mrs. Weasley promised, Hedwig in her cage; his trunk right beside it… both near the sofa.

"This is our home for now, Hedwig," he said, as he walked over to the cage.

He heard Mr. Weasley chuckle, followed by the whoosh of smoke and ash. A familiar grumbling noise told him Ron had arrived. Ron, too, wasn't fond of the Floo Network.

"Made it all right then, Harry?" Ron asked.

Harry nodded.

"It ain't much around here, I know," Ron said, "But it's home."

"I think it is brilliant," Harry said, smiling.

Ron's cheeks went very red.

A couple minutes later, Ginny and Mrs. Weasley had arrived as well.

"All right, Harry?" Mrs. Weasley asked, as she stepped away from the smoke and ash, and vacuumed it up with her wand, "How about I show you where you'll be staying?"

"Ooh, can I do it, Mum?" Ginny asked, "Please? I really like Harry's owl. I want her to get to know me. I can take her upstairs for Harry."

"Oh… well, okay, I guess, Ginny," Mrs. Weasley said, "Don't stay too long, though. Harry will probably want to get used to his new room. When you come back down, Harry, we'll give you a guided tour."

"Yeah, and maybe we'll go out to the field near the orchard!" Ron said, "I want to know if you can fly!"

"Ronald," Mrs. Weasley said, "I'm not so sure if that is a good idea at the moment."

"I'd like that, Ron," Harry said, "Maybe in a little while, yeah?"

"Yeah," Ron said, "Please, Mum?"

Mrs. Weasley frowned. Then she let out a sigh and nodded. "All right. You boys need to work off that lunch anyway. Tom's cooking is always a lot heavier than mine. Though we do need to build you up, Harry. You look rather skinny."

"Come on, Harry," Ginny said, "Charlie and Bill's room is up two levels past mine!"

Harry knew this, of course, but nodded anyway. Ginny took Hedwig's cage, and Harry took his trunk, and they started off up the steps.

_I thought Ron might have challenged me to help you bring your stuff up here, _Ginny said, as they walked up the stairs, _You know how he is when it comes to me. Protective of his little sister around boys._

_Maybe he doesn't see me as a threat like that yet, _Harry suggested.

_I dunno. Could go either way. It will either hit him hard when it comes, or he'll be so used to you, he'd see it coming and not care too much._

Harry and Ginny passed the first floor, which was Ginny's room on one side, and the bathroom on the other. He took a peek in Ginny's room as they passed and went up the stairs.

_Did you ever change your room at all? It looks like it does ten years from now._

_Prat! It's been that way since I was seven, and I like it. A few things changed. In the old timeline, I had some new things over the years. Gryffindor Lion banners later, when I became a student. I had a few posters of Gwenog Jones and the Harpies. Remember that poster with me in it I put up the month before we got married? Poster previewing the team for that year. And then there were pictures of friends… pictures of you..._

_How sweet, _Harry teased, _Even when you were with Michael and Dean?_

_I'm not going to give you the satisfaction of an answer to that, Potter._

Harry laughed. They then passed the second level, which had Percy's bedroom, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's bedroom. The floor was rather creaky here.

"Oh, yes, the creaky stair near the parents' bedroom," Harry said, laughing.

"That's all right," Ginny said, smiling wickedly, "If I get the desire to see you, I can just teleport. Silent, so Mum wouldn't hear a thing. And you know how good her hearing is."

"Sneaky girl," Harry said, with a smirk. "Of course, that will only work until our bond is revealed to your parents and Ron."

"Yeah… right," Ginny said, frowning.

"We're going to have to tell them sometime," Harry said.

Ginny nodded, though she didn't reply. They reached the third floor. This was where Bill and Charlie's room was, where Harry would be staying. Across the hall was Fred and George's room. Up the stairs was the attic where Ron's bedroom was.

"Great," Harry said, rolling his eyes, as he walked into his new bedroom, "I'll have to hear the bangs and booms in Fred and George's room first-hand."

"You could always silence the door," Ginny said, "Though you wouldn't hear Mum call you for breakfast, or others if they want to come into your room."

"True," Harry said.

He looked around the bedroom. The walls were painted in what appeared to be a mix between Egyptian stuff and dragons (on one of the walls, a dragon was flying over a pyramid). It had a bunk-bed on the left-hand side of the room, and two desks and a dresser were on the other side of the room. The summer before Harry's sixth year, in the old time-line, the room had changed a bit, when Bill started living in the house full-time until he would get married the following year. One large bed had replaced the bunk-bed, where Bill would sleep, where he would sometimes be accompanied by his then-fiancée, Fleur Delacour, when she was a guest in the house for a few weeks.

Harry put Hedwig's cage on the desk near the window.

"I'll let you out soon, Hedwig," he said.

Hedwig hooted in understanding. Harry then put his trunk near the beds. He pointed his wand at the bedroom door, set a Muffliato Charm, then looked at Ginny.

"Ginny, we need to talk about your family and this whole thing with us," Harry said, as he sat down on the bottom bunk, "I can understand if you don't want to tell your parents yet."

"Mum will have baby kneazles when she finds out," Ginny said, frowning, and sat next to him, "Even if she reacts okay to the whole time-travel thing, which she won't, I don't think she's going to like the concept of us being bonded one bit. I'm still her little girl in this timeline, Harry. She hasn't given me away yet, and doesn't want to for a good ten years or more if she had her way."

"Yeah, I know," Harry said, "Like I said, I can understand that. But Ron… well, there was three people I immediately decided I wanted to tell about the time-travel thing. Sirius, Ron and Hermione. Technically I don't know Hermione yet. I will have to work on that come September. But it is those three I can't keep this secret from. I don't know about Sirius… maybe he already knows Occlumency, but Ron and Hermione will have to learn it. And then there's the Soul-Bond thing. I really haven't given it a good thought since Ragnok told us about it today, but... it looks like I will want to tell those three that secret too."

"Even Ron?" Ginny asked, with a smirk, "You know how he is going to react to the Soul-Bond. Hermione might understand… I bet she'll look up everything on it. We can lend her the books Ragnok will give us. But Ron…"

"We'll make sure he understands it," Harry said. "But even then, it will be a while before we tell him. He's going to be a pain when it comes to Occlumency… learning about it, I mean."

"Yeah," Ginny said, laughing, "He will. Hermione will take right to it, I bet."

"Yeah, and Sirius might already know it," Harry said, "I never asked him in the old timeline. If so, he'll be the first I share our secret with. Maybe as soon as he gets out of Azkaban. Agree?"

"I told you earlier this week I agreed on that, Harry," Ginny said, "We're going to need him."

"Yeah," Harry said, "Right. You know… it is funny. We were feet from Bellatrix's Vault, and I didn't even think about that Horcrux in there at the time."

"Speaking of Horcruxes," Ginny said, "You're one… or your scar is… however that works out."

"Right," Harry said, nodding, "Parseltongue."

"How are you going to work with that one?" Ginny asked, "Please don't tell me you'll handle it same as last time…"

"I may have to," Harry said, "But if I do it exactly how I did last time, I'll come back and Voldemort will be mortal and I'll defeat him."

"That almost killed _me _last time, love," Ginny said, "You know I used to have nightmares about that – for weeks on end."

"I know," Harry said. "But that is four years from now. Over four years if the timeline goes right. Let's not think about it."

Ginny sighed and nodded.

"I better go before Mum gets suspicious," she said.

She looked at him, and her eyes traveled to his lips which she kissed very briefly.

"I missed you," she said, softly, "And I love you."

"You too, Mrs. Potter," he said, with a grin.

Ginny sighed and rolled her eyes at the name. Harry chuckled. He knew that even though she had been Mrs. Potter in the timeline for a few months before everything happened, she probably felt that as a nine-year old, going on ten year old little girl, even with the mind of a young woman, it might have to take some time getting used to. Ginny stood up and walked over to the door, then looked back at Harry.

"You know," she said, "we still don't know what Ragnok meant about some records showing my name change. How many records…?"

"Dunno," Harry said, ""I think we would have had more than just Dumbledore visiting us if it was too bad."

"I can't believe Dumbledore knows," Ginny said, "Why doesn't he just tell us he knows?"

"Who knows with him," Harry asked, rhetorically, "Tell your Mum I'll be down there shortly for the guided tour."

Ginny smiled, nodded and left the room. Harry walked over to the window and opened it, then opened Hedwig's cage.

"There you go," Harry said, "I'm sure there are some good mice out there in the field. Watch out for gnomes though."

Hedwig hooted and flew out the window. Harry smiled and walked back over to the bed. He opened his trunk and started taking out the bags of things from Diagon Alley. He had bought a few pairs of clothes to last him throughout the summer, though he knew he would need more for school. Madam Malkin had suggested he not try on school outfits until closer to September, which he had agreed to. That was one more trip back to Diagon Alley he would have to make. If he planned it right, he and Ginny could visit the Potter Family Vault again before he had to go to Hogwarts. Perhaps they could even visit Potter Manor…

This thought and others about his vault swept through his mind over the next ten minutes as he unpacked his shopping bags. This consisted of putting clothes in Bill and Charlie's old drawers, which had been empty before, as well as sorting through his books (those he would want to read now, and those he'd save for later on in the summer), and putting away his assortment of school supplies. Since he had no use for these until September, most of it went closer to the bottom of the trunk, though fragile things were sorted near the top.

When he finished, he left the room and headed back down to the first level of the house. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were sitting at the kitchen table, cups of tea in front of them. Ginny and Ron were nowhere to be seen.

_I'm up at the empty field with Ron, love, _Ginny said, when Harry questioned her about her location, _Not on a broom though. I'm saving that surprise for Ron for when you get here_.

He was about to respond, when he heard Mrs. Weasley speak up to her husband.

"… if we only knew, Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley said, in a deep concerned tone, "I never expected those relatives of his would do something like that. And he hasn't even told us everything, you know. But I can imagine – and – well, I just can't believe it. I never expected the sister of Lily Potter to be so – so –"

"I'm sure he'll tell us more when he wants to, Molly," Mr. Weasley said, "We shouldn't push him. He needs the love of a proper family."

"I'm not sure if we can give him that," Mrs. Weasley said, "You heard how excited he was at the idea of living with Sirius. I mean… I do hope it all works out for Sirius. With Pettigrew alive, things have changed – I mean, of course I had believed those stories back then. I shouldn't have… you know, Andromeda Tonks never really believed his guilt. We had at least one debate over it, I remember. Anyway… I'd hold no objections if Sirius wanted guardianship of the boy, but – well, the man's been in Azkaban for going on ten years. Having to be in a cell and be affected by those – those _things._"

She shuddered.

"That's going to have some side-effects when he gets out," she continued. "Mark my words. Sirius might not be the same for a while, and to have Harry live with him – does he even have a home?"

"I think he would inherit that place on Grimmauld Street," Mr. Weasley said, "The Blacks lived there for – well, forever."

"But it has been empty since Walburga Black died," Mrs. Weasley said, "Except for – say – if they had house-elves, and a family like that probably would have. Sirius was okay, but – well, I wasn't surprised when I heard Regulus died, nor when Walburga did. Dark Arts lovers, the lot of them, except Sirius, from the sound of it. That house has to be infested with Dark Arts stuff… I can't imagine Harry living there, can you?"

"Dunno," Mr. Weasley said, "I would sure like to take a look at some of the stuff in there if I get a chance. Could be a goldmine for my department."

"What if – Arthur, what if we convinced Sirius that we could be Harry's guardians?" Mrs. Weasley suggested, At least temporary. Harry is going to be our guest here, anyway, until things get settled with Pettigrew's case. Of course, we'd have to apply for guardianship, but that can't be too difficult, can it? No… course not. It would have to be what Harry wants though…"

"We'll figure it out later, Molly," Mr. Weasley said, "Let's give the young lad time to get used to this place and everything… going to be tough for him."

"He seems close to Ron and Ginny already," Mrs. Weasley said, smiling, "They seem to like him too, but you know how Ginny is. She heard stories about him since she was in booties. She's had a bit of an innocent fancy for him for about that long too."

Mr. Weasley chuckled and nodded. Harry decided this was the right time to walk into the kitchen. He cleared his throat and stepped inside. Mrs. Weasley turned toward him.

"Oh, Harry," she said, standing up, "Are you settled upstairs?"

"Yeah," Harry said, "Ginny was a big help. Showed me whose bedroom was whom, and the bathroom."

"Well, then, you know just about everything in here then," Mr. Weasley said, "Sitting room there for family time, which is always nice. Kitchen here of course. Small, but we make due. I think Ron and Ginny are near the old barn, where the make-shift Quidditch Pitch is. Not like your standard Pitch, mind, but good enough for a nice small family game from time to time. You'll have to catch a game when the whole family is around."

"Most of the boys play, except young Percy," Mrs. Weasley said, "I've seen Ginny fly around too, though she thinks I don't know about it. I worry about her, but she's a fair flier, it seems. The boys don't know she can fly… so I bet Ron is itching to get you to play. He hasn't had anyone to play with since Fred and George – that's our twins – are at Hogwarts at the moment."

"You know," Mr. Weasley said, "Your father was a Quidditch Player, Harry. Chaser on the Gryffindor team, if I remember correctly. Molly and I were both out of Hogwarts by the time he arrived, but we still heard some things. Maybe you'll be a flier like him."

"Maybe," Harry said.

"Go on then," Mr. Weasley said, "You won't know until you try. Ron can help you with that. Look for the barn, can't miss it."

Harry smiled and nodded, and headed off through the kitchen and outside. He started off across the plot and a few minutes later, arrived at the barn. Ron grinned when he saw him.

"Finally!" Ron said, "Now we can have some fun. I'm going to teach you to fly. Before too long, you'll play as good as me. I've been wanting a one-on-one for weeks now. But no one is around to play."

"What about Ginny?" Harry asked.

Ron laughed and Ginny scowled.

"Are you serious?" Ron asked, "She can't play…"

"We should let her try at least," Harry said, "Three heads are better than two."

_Oh really? _Ginny asked._ Have you forgotten Fluffy?_

_Shush it or I'll stop defending you._

"Well," Ron said, looking at Ginny, "All right. I'll let you try. But if you get hurt, you better not whine to Mum about it being my fault."

"Same goes to you," Ginny said.

"Go get a broom," Ron said, "I only got two for me and Harry."

Ginny winked at Harry as she passed him and went into the barn.

"Sorry about her," Ron said, with a sigh. "Once she figures she's no Quidditch player, sky is ours. You'll use the Shooting Star and I'll use a Cleansweep. Well, I guess I should tell you more about Quidditch."

_Yawn. _Ginny said, as Ron started talking about the players and balls, _Why did you have to tell him you didn't know too much about the sport?_

_Because if I let him tell me, it gave him the spotlight and he'd be my best mate?_

_Oh, right. While I'm the little girl who apparently is 'no Quidditch player'. _

_No, you're the girl I love. You can show him how good you fly, and then he'll stop making fun._

_I can't wait._

"So," Ron said, when he finished, "What position sounds good for you?"

"Seeker," Harry said, easily, "They're usually small, right? I'm pretty small."

_Right you are, midget._

_Still taller than you, even in ten years._

_Prat!_

"Seekers have to be fast, Harry," Ginny said, as she walked up to Harry and Ron with another Shooting Star, "They're the players who usually win the game, since they have one goal and one goal only. Well, two goals. Catch the Snitch before the other Seeker does, and keep away from Bludgers and the other players who try to knock you off the broom."

"Sounds easy," Harry said.

"Wow, Ginny," Ron said, "I'm impressed."

"What can I say?" Ginny said, "I want to be a Chaser, but a Seeker could be good too."

"Right," Ron scoffed, "Okay, you two, drop the brooms on the ground."

Ginny rolled her eyes. She dropped the broom on the ground and said "Up!" It hovered in the air a few feet off the ground. Harry mimicked her and Ron raised his eyebrows.

"Good start," Ron said, "Brooms don't usually obey a person unless it can tell they're could-be Quidditch players."

"Hey, didn't your broom whack you in the nose the first few times you tried that?" Ginny asked.

Ron scowled. "Nose down, Ginny," he said, "Get on your brooms."

Harry and Ginny straddled their brooms and Ron did the same.

"It might be a bit uncomfortable," Ron said, "I think the cushioning charms on most of our brooms wore off ages ago."

"A pain in the arse, in other words," Ginny said.

"Dare you say that in front of Mum," Ron said.

Ginny stuck out her tongue, and Harry laughed.

"Okay," Ron said, "Watch me and try to mimic me when I finish."

Ron hovered in the air, then flew off about twenty-five feet up. Ginny looked at Harry and rolled her eyes then flew off into the air with ease and experience.

_There's my favorite Harpy. Thought I lost her._

_Ha-ha,, very funny Potter. Your turn._

"Whoa," Ron said, loudly, "How did you learn that fast, Ginny?"

"Sorry, Ron, I should have told you sooner," Ginny said, "I've been flying our brooms for a couple years now when you and the boys aren't looking."

"Right," Ron scoffed, "Very funny." Pause. "Wait, really?"

"No, I'm a fast learner," Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

"Nobody's that fast," Ron said.

Harry gave a smirk and took off into the air. Soon he was level with Ron and Ginny.

"Or… maybe I'm wrong," Ron said, looking utterly shocked, "Are you sure you lived with Muggles, Harry?"

"Yeah," Harry said.

"A natural, you are!" Ron said, excited, "Keep this up, and we'll have a blast against Fred and George! They're beaters, of course, but family games are usually just Chaser and Keeper. Rarely games for a Seeker, except for when Charlie's around. He's an excellent Seeker. Train up a bit and you could be good too."

_Wait until I get my Nimbus and Firebolt._

_True. These Shooting Stars ain't fancy._

_Then why did you pick it over one of the twins' Cleansweeps?_

_Cause you're using one too._

_Aw, thanks, love._

"Okay," Ron said, "Let's do a few laps, see what you can do, and then maybe we can toss the Quaffle around."

_He sounds like Oliver Wood._

_He sounds like you, oh former, and possibly, future Captain of mine._

_You're going down for that one, Mrs. Potter!_

Ginny snickered and started on her laps. Harry followed her around and heard Ron's whoops of surprise as he followed them. They spent a long time up in the air, doing laps, throwing the very worn Quaffle or just playing around, as Ron tested their limits.

"Hey, look!" Ron said, during one of their resting periods three hours later, "Hermes!"

Harry saw Hermes the owl flying through the sky toward the Burrow.

"Must have Percy's and the twins' letters," Ginny said.

"He isn't alone," Harry said, "Look."

Harry pointed at two more owls swooping toward the Burrow.

"One could be your owl, Harry," Ron said, "Coming back from a hunt."

"No," Harry said, squinting, "No snowy owls in that lot."

"Well, come on then, let's see!" Ginny said.

They put their brooms away and started off toward the Burrow, eager to see what the fuss was all about.

-  
**This isn't a cliffhanger, I promise. I just wanted to end it here. This chapter was getting long, and my plans would make it a lot longer. What post is from the other two owls? That will come next chapter! **

**As I said, this was just pretty much filler, with Harry's first few hours with the Weasleys. Though there was the conversations between Harry and Ginny (which I loved writing!), and the one between Mr. and Mrs. Weasley (loved that too). **

**Hope you enjoyed this one. More coming soon!**


	13. Newspaper Articles And Nightmares

**Chapter 13  
Newspaper Articles and Nightmares**

**Author's Note: Wow! My story is now on 13 C2 Communities, 107 favorite lists and 170+ Story Alerts at the time of this update! Thank you all This makes me very happy!**

**I was reminded that in book-canon that Ron received Scabbers from Percy because Percy got the owl, Hermes, when he became prefect. I decided to change it for my story, sorry… I wanted to do the Scabbers/Pettigrew storyline sooner than the summer before Harry's first year, so I had decided on that. It is uncanon, of course, but this story spews a mix of canon and alternate universe. Percy got Hermes before his fourth year in my tale, and he gave Scabbers to Ron then.**

Edit: Had to re-upload this chapter. FFN messed it up. Sorry!

Five minutes later, Harry, Ginny and Ron walked into the Burrow's kitchen. Hermes and the other two owls were leaving out the window. No reply was needed to the post, it seemed.

"Mail's here?" Ron asked.

"Letters from Percy and the twins," Mrs. Weasley said, holding up two letters.

"Evening Prophet came early," Mr. Weasley said, "They must have really wanted to get the news out about Pettigrew. Not surprised. They want to get the story out before things blow up."

"And this one is," Mrs. Weasley said, looking at the last scroll of parchment, "a letter to Harry. From Headmaster Dumbledore."

"He knows I'm here?" Harry asked, as Mrs. Weasley handed the letter to him.

"I wrote him a letter shortly after we came back here," Mr. Weasley said, "informing him of your whereabouts. Didn't want him to panic. Sorry about that."

"It's all right," Harry said, "It is better he knows so he doesn't worry."

"Right you are," Mr. Weasley said.

Ron eagerly took Fred and George's letter, which Ginny looked at too. Mrs. Weasley read Percy's while Mr. Weasley perused the front page of the newspaper. Harry unrolled the parchment from Dumbledore and began to read:

_Harry,_

_I'm sure Arthur Weasley told you by now, but he wrote to me shortly after noon today, and told me he had invited you to stay at the Burrow. The Weasleys are a wonderful family for you to get to know, so I have no objections against the way events have chosen to turn out._

_However, I do still wish you would have chosen to stay with the Dursleys. There is a reason for this, but it seems that is in the past now. All magical protection concerning you has been removed from the house and the Dursleys have been informed of your actions today. They were not very concerned, it seems. They were – how shall I put this – happy, it seems, to hear about this. Petunia Dursley has now signed you over to whomever becomes your future guardian however that plans out. Also, you may be happy to know that you are no longer a student at the primary school you were a part of. Petunia explained to them you had moved away, and because you'd be leaving Muggle school anyway very soon, there is no harm done._

_As to the future of your guardianship, you were right when your godfather has rightful guardianship at the moment he is proclaimed innocent, though I still stand by what I said. He may be too weak when he is free for you to join him right away. Arthur has also suggested he and Molly become your guardians, and I do agree this could be a good idea, especially if Sirius allows such, even if it is temporary. I know you wish to be able to get to know your godfather. I am sure this would be possible, truthfully. Even if the Weasleys became your guardians, I am sure they would not object to you spending time with Sirius. _

_Harry, there are things I need to talk to you about. Things I cannot explain in handwriting. Some things, even I don't completely understand. But I need to explain them to you before you find out from another source and something happens. However, if your godfather decides to tell you the story about your parents, before I get to, I will permit it. He would know quite a bit too, though he may not know all of the events. I would tell you anything he had missed concerning that story. We have a lot to talk about, and I look forward to it in September. Until then, I wish you a good summer with the Weasley Family. _

_Sincerely,  
Professor Dumbledore  
Headmaster, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

Harry read through the letter once more and tried to read between the lines to see what else Dumbledore was thinking. Was he, perhaps, planning on telling Harry and Ginny about the Soul-Bond? Had Harry's actions in the Leaky Cauldron surprised him, and worried him to the point he decided he would have to reveal that information?

And then there was his eagerness toward Mr. and Mrs. Weasley becoming Harry's guardians. Perhaps Dumbledore was worried Sirius would not be the best guardian for Harry? Harry had to agree that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would be excellent guardians, but living with Sirius had its pros too. Once he was informed of Harry and Ginny's secrets, Harry would be able to speak freely with him. But he also knew Sirius had a childlike recklessness to him. He knew Sirius would think he had Harry's father back with him, and that would take some time to change. In the old timeline, Sirius had still felt like Harry was his old best friend again those months before he had been killed...

"Oh, Merlin's sag – sorry, Mum," Ron said, grinning when she looked at him. "It's just… Gryffindor lost against Slytherin. Slytherin won the Quidditch cup… again."

"There's always next year," Mr. Weasley said.

"We'll be able to see the matches, Harry, you and I!" Ron said, grinning.

"Maybe now Fred and George can focus on exams like Percy is," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Yeah, right," Ron snickered.

"What does the Prophet say about Pettigrew, Dad?" Ginny asked.

"Well – err –" Mr. Weasley said, hesitantly, "I think you better look and see, Ginny. You too, Harry, it concerns you."

"What is it, Arthur?" Mrs. Weasley asked, as she eyed her husband, pushing the newspaper across the table.

"Two words," Mr. Weasley said, frowning, "Rita Skeeter."

_Rita? _Ginny said, grabbing the paper, and placing it in front of Harry and herself, _she did get past Tonks then? _

_Guess we'll find out._

Ginny spread out the paper so the whole front article was seen, and Harry began to read:

**PETER PETTIGREW BACK FROM THE DEAD?**  
**HARRY POTTER RETURNS TO THE WIZARDING WORLD!**  
**CHAOS IN DIAGON ALLEY!**

_Reporter Rita Skeeter Corresponding_

_A normal shopping day in Diagon Alley in London turned into chaos  
in the pet shop known as Magical Menagerie. Patrons of the store  
were buying animals, owl treats, and other products when Arthur  
Weasley and his family brought in a rat, who seemed to be a bit ill._

"_The rat looked fairly old," the clerk in the shop said to Auror Kingsley  
Shacklebolt, and this reporter here was the only one who was able to  
listen in, "The boy who owned the rat wanted some tonic to aid his pet.  
So I let the rat out of its cage, and the most peculiar thing happened…"_

_What peculiar thing was that, you ask? The rat started to run off across  
the counter. It might have gotten away if some kind of force hadn't repelled  
it, throwing it back into a tank full of snakes. And even more shocking…  
the force had seemed to come from "The Boy Who Lived" Harry Potter  
himself! Yes, readers, young Mr. Potter is back in the wizarding world. I  
saw him myself! Fabled scar and all, though he looked a bit scrawny.  
But the question is... how was he able to repel the rat back?_

_Oh, but readers, this was no ordinary rat. You see, this rat turned out to be_  
_none other than the thought-to-be-dead, unregistered Animagus Peter_  
_Pettigrew (more about Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black on page 4). It_  
_turns out Peter Pettigrew had been in hiding with the Weasley Family as_  
_their pet for almost ten years. Yes… that's right. Peter Pettigrew did not_  
_die that fateful night when the Potters were murdered, no. He ran away_  
_from the gruesome scene where eleven Muggles were killed._

_But this brings up questions! Is Peter Pettigrew guilty of the crimes Sirius_  
_Black went to Azkaban for? Did Sirius Black murder those Muggles, and_  
_was Peter Pettigrew lucky to get away? The answers aren't clear yet,_  
_but Peter Pettigrew is sitting in a cell at the Ministry, and rumors are that_  
_Sirius Black is going to go free if things go the way Aurors seem to think_  
_they will._

_Bartemius Crouch, the man who put Sirius Black away without trial, and_  
_Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge were unavailable for comment at the_  
_present time, which brings up the question. Were they really unavailable_  
_or are they hiding much like Pettigrew has been, and embarrassed of_  
_this new revelation? Time will tell, readers, and I, Rita Skeeter, will be_  
_here to give you the news!_

_For more information:_  
_Outside Opinions on Sirius Black: Innocent or Guilty? – Page 3_  
_Bartemius Crouch's history with Sirius Black – Page 5_  
_Should Cornelius Fudge Be Held Responsible? – Page 5_  
_What We Know About Harry Potter – Page 6 and 7_

Harry sighed and shook his head as he looked away from the paper.

"She said nothing about my amulet," Harry said, motioning to his necklace, "What is it? Does she think I have some unexplained power that made me fling Pettigrew across the shop? Accidental magic, sure, but…"

"Ignore it, Harry," Mr. Weasley said, "Rita's never written anything good for anyone."

"She actually has your name right this time, Dad!" Ginny said, grinning.

"I dunno," Mr. Weasley said, with a wink, "Might have been an accident."

"But how did she get past Andromeda's daughter?" Mrs. Weasley asked, "She was guarding the doors, and Andie says she's a proper little Cadet, even if she hasn't been in the Training Corp for too long."

"She has to be if Mad-Eye's fond of her," Mr. Weasley said.

"Bartemius Crouch and Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge," Harry read, then looked at Mr. Weasley.

"Barty was the one who sent your godfather to prison without trial all those years ago," Mr. Weasley said, sighing, "Now that he could be innocent – well, that's huge for Barty. And then Fudge – he wasn't Minister then – only got appointed Minister last year and worked in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes before then, but he was little more than a paper-pusher, some say – but since he is Minister now, he's going to get some opinions from the wizarding world."

"Owl droppings and Howlers," Ron said, grinning, "That is what he is in for."

"Ronald!" Mrs. Weasley said, though she ended up chuckling, not a minute later.

"Still, I don't like how Rita thinks Peter's innocent," Harry said, frowning, "Sets a bad name for Sirius."

"The truth will out, Harry," Mr. Weasley said, "They'll find out soon. Wizengamot won't take long to put Pettigrew on trial, you'll see."

"I wonder how Percy is going to take the news about Scabbers being Peter Pettigrew," Ginny said, "He was his rat for all those years."

"He'll probably write another foot long letter to us tonight or tomorrow," Ron said.

"Oh, most definitely," Mr. Weasley said, with a grin.

"Oh, in all this excitement, I almost forgot!" Mrs. Weasley said, "Ginny, your little friend is coming over tomorrow. Luna? Ol' Xeno, over the hill, said he has some important meetings away from home tomorrow and won't be there for a few hours during the morning and afternoon. He asked me if she could visit. Naturally, I said yes."

"Luna," Ron said, chortling, "Wait until you meet her, Harry. She's barmy, she is."

"Ronald!" Mrs. Weasley scolded her son again, "She is not. She's been in a very bad state since her mother died, the poor thing. You better be nice to her tomorrow, or you can stay in your room until she leaves. Harry, I'm sure she'll like you. Don't worry about that."

"I'm sure I'll like her," Harry said.

_Wow, young Luna Lovegood, _Ginny said,_ You know I haven't given a single thought about her since we arrived. She was always coming over here before we went to Hogwarts. But when we started at Hogwarts, and put into different houses, we didn't see each other much outside of class until… our fourth year, of course.  
_  
"Good," Mrs. Weasley said, "Now, I won't be starting dinner for a couple more hours, but wash up anyway from your time outside and go find something to do. Ron, I believe you still need to clean your room. Ginny, dear, you have those new clothes we bought today. Try them on, and if they don't fit, we can modify them with magic. Harry, would you stay here for a moment?"

Ron scowled as he walked off out of the kitchen. Ginny followed him as well.

_Looks like Mum and Dad want to talk to you without Ron and I in the room. That is never good. Do you want me to listen in or will you be fine?_

_I'll be fine, I think I know what this is about,_

Harry said, looking down at the Evening Prophet. He turned the pages looking at them curiously, so Mr. and Mrs. Weasley didn't notice anything strange during his mind-link with Ginny.

_Okay then. Tell me when you're finished._

Harry felt the mind-link close and he looked up at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"Harry, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, "Arthur and I were discussing a few things earlier, and we were hoping to talk to you about a couple of them. We understand how excited you are about this whole thing with Sirius Black. If he is truly innocent, that would be a very good thing, of course. He is your godfather, yes, which is basically family. You can easily understand we Weasleys know all about family. However, we want you to know that you are welcome here as long as you wish to be."

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said.

Mrs. Weasley smiled. "Now, we know that at the moment you have no true guardian and that you are nothing more, in the sense of the word, than a guest in our house. But, if things don't go very well with Sirius – I don't mean if he doesn't get out of Azkaban, because the way things look, there is a good chance things will be positive – but well, you must understand something, Harry. Sirius has been in Azkaban for nearly ten years. Azkaban, it –"

She hesitated and looked at Mr. Weasley.

"It does things to a person," Mr. Weasley took over for his wife, "Horrible things. The guards are not human, you see, and they are the guards for one reason – because they can control the prisoners. No one has ever broken out of Azkaban, and it is thanks to these guards. They affect the prisoners' minds. They take away happy memories and weaken a person down. This is what Sirius has experienced for a long time Harry. He will probably not be the same for some time. He might not recover for months, you see."

Harry sighed and nodded. He knew what Mr. Weasley spoke of, was the truth. Sirius said he had survived for so long because he knew he was innocent, and because of his Animagus form, but he still looked in pretty bad shape when Harry first saw him in the old timeline.

"Molly and I were discussing things," Mr. Weasley continued, "And we believe you need a guardian or guardians, or legal matters could get bad. Sirius would be your legal guardian the moment he is deemed innocent by the Wizengamot, but the Wizengamot may not see him fit for guardianship. However, if he would – let's say – temporarily hand over guardianship for a few months until he is better, then it would work out for the both of you. As to whom he could hand it over to… we'd offer to take it, but only until we believe he is well enough to truly do his duties as your guardian. It wouldn't be for too long, mind you, and you could still see him. Mind my French, but, heck, come September, you'll be in Hogwarts for many months, except for holidays. By the time you are finished with your first year, he could be well enough, and be ready to take you in."

Harry nodded. "I see what you're saying. We'll see what Sirius says, and then I'll tell you what I think, if that is okay."

"We would only do this because we know how much you need a proper family," Mrs. Weasley said, then hesitated and Harry noticed she looked almostscared, "Harry, if you're ready to talk about it… what happened at your relatives' house? How did they treat you?"

"I'll just say that I've only been here for a few hours, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said, "And those few hours have been… much better than the many years I spent there."

Mrs. Weasley frowned and looked at her husband. He nodded and she did as well then looked back at Harry.

"Okay," she said, "When you're ready to tell us more, we'll listen. We're all ears."

Harry took this with more meaning then Mrs. Weasley would have expected. He had decided then and there, that if things went right, and he still felt that way, he would offer to teach Mr. and Mrs. Weasley Occlumency, when he offered it to Ron and Hermione. He realized that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley truly did deserve to know the truth about what was going on with him and Ginny. _  
_

The following morning, Harry had the first nightmare he had had since he arrived in the new timeline…

He was sitting in the Courtroom 10 in the Wizengamot, the same room he had been in when he had his hearing about his use of magic in the presence of a Muggle before his fifth year in the old timeline. He was seated in the front row of guest seats. Ginny was on his left hand side. Before he could say anything to her, however, the large doors to the courtroom opened and Peter Pettigrew walked in, guided by two Aurors: Mad-Eye and Tonks. He walked into the room willingly and took a seat in the center of the courtroom.

Then, more footsteps were heard, and Harry saw Sirius Black guided into the room by two Dementors. Patronuses surrounded the guest chairs and Wizengamot so they were not affected. Sirius walked past Harry, and didn't even look at him. Ginny looked at Harry with a frown, but Harry was only looking at Sirius. Sirius sat down in another chair across from Peter Pettigrew.

Suddenly, Peter growled, and elbowed Tonks in the chest. He stole her wand, cursed Mad-Eye, then sent a Killing Curse toward Sirius. Sirius ducked to the ground, and the Dementors took this as an escape, because they swooped in on him, ready to Kiss him. Harry stood up, and screamed "No!". Pettigrew turned around and sent a Killing Curse toward him… and he heard a high-piercing shriek in his head…

Harry gasped as he woke up in the bottom bunk-bed in his new bedroom. He still heard the screaming in his head, and for a moment thought it was his mother. But no… it sounded more familiar than that.

_Ginny! _he said frantically in his mind-link, _Can you hear me?_

The screaming stopped instantly and Harry felt a sudden whoosh of fear then relief come through his mind.

_Ginny? _Harry asked again.

_Oh, Harry! _Ginny said, and Harry thought she could hear her sobbing in his head, _I had the most horrible nightmare. I was in this courtroom and Pettigrew and Sirius were there, and you were there –_

_Wait! You had that dream too?_

_W-what? _

_I was just experiencing that same dream._

_What? We… we dreamed it together? You were really there… well, the dream-you was you?_

_Yeah. I guess so._

_Oh, Harry, it was horrible. I saw Peter send a Killing Curse toward you and I-I guess I started screaming. It seemed so real._

_Yeah, I heard you, in my head I mean._

_That was – that – we shared the nightmare? Another Soul-Bond symptom, you think?_

_I guess so. Ugh… that was my first nightmare since we came back._

_Mine too. Merlin… I want to come to see you, but I'm afraid if we fall asleep -_

_We'd have another nightmare, yeah…_

_I was thinking, if we fell asleep, we might not wake up before my mother gets up…_

_Oh… yeah… just try to go to sleep. I won't drop this link until you do._

_Okay. I love you._

_I love you too, Ginny._

Harry felt Ginny start to calm down and he closed his eyes, but tried his best to stay awake. He focused on anything, anything he could, but his mind went back to that nightmare. He really wanted to be at Pettigrew's trial, as a witness to give testimony, but if he was there, and things even started the way they did in his nightmare… he knew he'd probably freak out or something, right in front of everyone. That would not be good, he knew, especially since Rita Skeeter already had told everyone in her article that he had forced Pettigrew back with some unexplained power, and not the amulet…

Harry felt Ginny calm down completely, and knew she had probably fallen asleep. He closed the link, and sat up in his bed, groaning along with the bedsprings. He reached for his glasses, then put on a fresh change of clothes. He found some Owl Treats in his things, and gave a couple to Hedwig.

"Hey, girl," he said, as she nuzzled his hand in thanks for the snacks, "How did you sleep? I'll let you out later, okay?"

Hedwig hooted and picked up a treat. Harry smiled and left his bedroom. When he reached the kitchen a minute later, it was empty: Mrs. Weasley had not woken up yet. Deciding he needed to do something to clear his mind, he started to make breakfast for himself and the Weasleys, hoping Mrs. Weasley did not object. He listened for any sounds in the house, then summoned a package of bacon and a few eggs, as well as a frying pan. He walked over to the wood stove and started cooking the food.

Five minutes later, Mrs. Weasley walked in, looking rather frantic.

"Oh," she said, "I thought I smelled something burning…"

"I don't think it is burning, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said, chuckling, "I hope you don't mind. I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep. So I decided to start making breakfast for everyone."

"You – you know how to cook?" Mrs. Weasley asked, startled.

"I cooked for the Dursleys almost every day," Harry said, "Mainly breakfast, but sometimes dinner."

"Did you volunteer there?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"No, it was a chore," Harry said, "As common as that gnome-tossing thing Ginny told me about."

Mrs. Weasley frowned. She looked as if she didn't know what to say next, so she looked at the frying pan.

"Well, doesn't that look delicious?" she asked, "And enough for everyone too. How about I take over, okay?"

"Your kitchen, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said, smiling.

Mrs. Weasley smiled and went rather pink. Harry backed away and sat at the table.

"Cooking by magic is much simpler," Mrs. Weasley said. "I don't know how Muggles can do it without magic. Arthur always tries to get me to learn. He is very fascinated with Muggles. I'm sure you could tell from his question yesterday about – what was it – some kind of duck? Anyway, this is how I was taught by my mother, and it is how I teach my children. Our oldest son, Bill, he isn't much of a cook, bless him,. He takes after his father that way. But Charlie impresses his fellow tamers at the dragon reserve in Romania with his meals. In one of his last letters, he told me that his co-workers thanked me for teaching him so many good recipes."

She chuckled and blushed pink again.

"My other children though," she said, with a sigh. "Well, Percy's so independent with everything. Scares me to think if he'll still live here after his seventh year at Hogwarts. Fred and George, well, I'm almost afraid to teach them. They might burn down my kitchen."

She laughed nervously.

"Ron, well," she said, "I just hope he'll enjoy my cooking and Hogwarts cooking until he gets older and finds a nice witch to cook for him. Ginny's the only other one besides Charlie I have real faith in. Though I will say… she seems just as independent as Percy sometimes. I hope she'd take after me… oh, look I am chatting up a storm! I'm sorry…"

"That's okay, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said, "I enjoyed the speech."

"Very polite of you, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said, "You know, we haven't had very many guests over lately. So with you and Luna here, it will be quite delightful! Usually it is just me and Ron and Ginny, and Arthur of course when he isn't at work. Oh, speak of the devil…"

"That's a new nickname from you, my dear," Mr. Weasley said, chuckling, "Oh, good morning, Harry. Sorry I can't stay and chat. Molly, I must be off. Urgent owl from Perkins. Mundungus Fletcher got caught with cursed silverware or something like that. You know ol' Dung and I are old friends. I have to help him."

Mrs. Weasley scowled.

"Now, now, dear," Mr. Weasley said, "He's a good man when he has his mind straight. Anyway, I best be off. If I am not back before Luna leaves, say hello to her for me. Always a dear."

"Well, at least take a couple pieces of bacon, Arthur," Mrs. Weasley said, "Harry did part of the cooking, you know."

"Did you, lad?" Mr. Weasley said, surprised, "Well, I can't pass that up."

Mrs. Weasley wrapped a couple pieces of bacon up in a napkin, handed them to her husband, then kissed him on the cheek and hugged him.

"Be careful, honey," she said.

Mr. Weasley smiled at his wife, and Harry, and walked off out through the door. A couple minutes later, they heard a light _pop._

"Dung Fletcher," Mrs. Weasley murmured, "Harry, you'll rarely hear me say a bad thing about a person, but that man… but Dumbledore seems to like him, and you can't go wrong with Professor Dumbledore."

Harry nodded in agreement, but remained silent as he watched Mrs. Weasley resume cooking. He thought he had heard her mutter more things about Mundungus Fletcher, and he tried his hardest not to laugh out loud.

-  
**Strange ending. I was going to put Luna Lovegood in this chapter, but then I realized how long this chapter was getting. The end, after Harry's nightmare and discussion with Ginny basically wrote itself and was almost filler. Don't know if it is too important to anything, other than Mrs. Weasley's shock at Harry cooking, but aw well. **

**The nightmare actually came to me just as I was writing the chapter. Surprised me… but it introduced a new symptom. It might just become an irritating symptom too as the story progresses.**

**I was thinking of adding more newspaper articles such as those "More information" pieces, but I might make those one-shots if I think about it. Not too important really.**

**Hope you liked this chapter! More to come! Luna arrives next chapter, and it is a very interesting meeting between her and Harry and Ginny, I promise you. I just hope I can get her character right. Tough nut to crack!**


	14. Luna Lovegood

**Chapter 14  
Luna Lovegood**

Harry was almost finished with his plate of bacon and scrambled eggs (which was saying something since it was a generously-sized portion) when Mrs. Weasley returned to the kitchen with a very sleepy-eyed Ginny and Ron, nearly an hour later.

"Bacon and eggs!" Ron said, gratefully, looking at Harry's plate, as he took a seat across the table from Harry, "Excellent."

"Good morning, Harry," Ginny said, as she sat next to him.

"Morning, Ginny," Harry said, "Sleep well?"

"Well enough," Ginny said.

_At least other than that nightmare, _she added, as her mother set plates of bacon and eggs in front of her and Ron.

"Harry's been up for an hour," Mrs. Weasley said, "And your father had to go into work early."

"On a Sunday?" Ginny asked.

"Bit of trouble with Mundungus Fletcher," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Dunce sool," Ron said, through a mouthful of eggs, then swallowed, "Oops, sorry, Mum, forgot. Anyway, Dung's cool. We met him a couple months back when Dad took us to his job, remember Ginny?"

"Er… kind of?" Ginny said.

_I hate it when he asks me to remember things like this! _Ginny said, glancing sideways at Harry for a mere second.

Harry ate a piece of bacon to keep from laughing out loud.

"Can I give a piece of bacon to Hedwig, Mrs. Weasley?" Harry asked, when he finished his plate of food, "I wouldn't want you to think I'm wasting it…"

"How very polite of you to ask, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said, smiling, "I'm sure your lovely owl would love a piece of bacon. Are you still hungry, dear? I could make seconds."

"No, I'm stuffed," Harry said, standing up, "Thank you, Mrs. Weasley."

Mrs. Weasley smiled again and Harry wrapped a piece of bacon in a napkin.

"Luna won't be here for a couple hours," Mrs. Weasley said, "Hmm, I think I'll make a pudding for later. Perhaps for after lunch. Luna loves it."

"Ooh, I'll help, Mum," Ginny said.

"Oh, thank you, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, "Ron, is your room clean?"

"Yes, Mum," Ron said, after swallowing a bite of bacon, "Though I don't want Luna in my room today. She's a girl!"

Harry laughed out loud and Ron frowned at him. Harry took this as an excuse to duck out of the kitchen. He hurried up the stairs back to his room. When he arrived, he walked over to Hedwig and opened the cage door. He unwrapped the piece of bacon from the napkin and handed it to Hedwig. She gobbled it up in two bites and nuzzled Harry's fingers.

"You can go for a fly if you want, Hedwig," Harry said, "Stay close. No letters yet. Sorry."

Hedwig hooted and flew off out of the cage and out the window. Harry turned to leave when he saw a parcel on his bed. He raised his eyebrows and walked slowly over to the box. A small card was laying on top of the parcel, and his mind buzzed with the possibilities of what this was.

He took his wand from his pocket and pointed it at the box.

_Cursio Revelio, _he said, silently, _Hexia Revelio_.

Nothing happened; there were no curses or hexes on the box. He slowly reached for the card and looked at it, as he glanced at the name below a note. It was from Ragnok. This parcel must be the books he and Ginny had asked for the previous day.

_Ooh, what's that, Harry? _Ginny asked, _I just had that sight-link thing again as I was eating, and I saw a box on your bed. I had to blink it away before Ron and Mum noticed anything strange._

_It is a parcel from Ragnok. Probably the books about information on our Soul-Bond._

_Ooh, wicked. Damn, I regret volunteering to help Mum with the pudding. If I would have known… _

_Parcel looks book enough to hold two books. I'll send one of the books to your room in a little while. I can't read them both at once._

_Thanks, Harry, I better drop this link for now._

'_Kay._

Harry felt the connection leave his mind and he looked back down at the card and began to read the note:

_Greetings, Mr. and Mrs. Potter,_

_Do not be alarmed if this parcel and note appeared to you without so much as an owl. It is part of my magic as a goblin which gives me the ability to automatically transport it to you._

_It has come to my attention that, Mr. Potter, your new residence, albeit temporary or not is the Burrow in Ottery St. Catchpole with Mrs. Potter and her family. I do consider this a good thing, because of your Soul-Bond. I won't say too much about it in this letter even though this note or parcel impossible to intercept. I will just let you read and find out more about that._

_However, I will lead you to the right spot. In the first of these two books I have given you, __(the top book on the stack), go to Chapter 7. You will find what I am talking about. You do not need to be concerned at this very moment, however, if I understand correctly, so don't assume the worst… yet. If you have any questions or concerns about the Soul-Bond, you can trust me to answer them, though might find most of your answers in the books. If you send a note by owl post, do not worry about the threat of interception. Any note addressed to me protects your owl, one-hundred percent guaranteed._

_These two books were in a bookshop that very few know about, human and goblin alike. It is ran by one wizard only, and I cannot reveal the location, because the location is under the magic of the Secret Keeper Charm. Every book in this bookshop is rare and one of a kind. However, I was able to receive these two books for ten galleons a piece because the wizard owes me a few favors for things I am not at liberty to discuss for his security. Normally one of the books could go anywhere between 50 and 100 Galleons. Care for these books with high regard, Mr. and Mrs. Potter. Show them to very few people, only those you can trust with your secret. If you do not pass these books on to your children, I make one request. Put them in your Final Will and Testament and give them to either myself, if I am still of this earth, or to the Goblin that I will pass my job over to, whoever that may be. We would gladly refund your Galleons, with interest, and return them to your Family Vault at that, if you did this._

_I look forward to future business with the two of you, and I hope I find you well when we meet each other again._

_Good fortune upon you, though I take none for myself,_

_Ragnok, Overseer_

Harry put the card down and grabbed the parcel. He almost dropped the parcel when he felt a warm touch come across his hands, but all that happened was the paper unwrapping itself to reveal a large gold-colored metal box, almost like a security box, though this had no lock. Harry set the box on the bed and opened it up. He pulled out two fairly thick books and kept the first one in his hand, while putting the other on the bed.

He looked at the book, taking in the details. It looked very old, but it also did not look worse for the wear. It was reddish orange, almost like fire, with gold lining around the edges of it. There was also gold wording on the cover and binding, which read:

_Love's Greatest Gift: The Soul-Bond  
by Nicolas Flamel  
and Additional Information/Commentary by  
Perenelle Flamel_

Harry went breathless as he read the two names. Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel. Suddenly a thought came to Ginny's mind, and Harry wondered how he didn't think of it the day before when Ragnok had spoken of it.

_Ginny, _he said in his mind.

_I'm here. Make it quick, Harry. My face is hidden in a cupboard. I'm getting supplies for the pudding._

_Remember what Ragnok said yesterday? About the only successful Soul-Bond taking place over six-hundred years ago?_

_Yeah. So?_

_So… what if the Bonded couple are still alive?_

_Still alive? Harry that's – ooh!_

_One of the two books was written by Nicolas Flamel and his wife. Why would they write a book about the Soul-Bond unless…?_

_Unless they have experienced it themselves! Oh, Harry, it makes perfect sense!_

_I'm going to start reading this book._

_Ron was headed up the stairs a few moments ago. He might be looking for you._

As soon as Ginny said this, Harry heard a knock on his door.

_Damn it, I want to read this book!_

_You could read it tonight after Luna leaves._

_Yeah, I guess. Dropping the connection for now._

'_Kay._

"Coming!" Harry said, as he hid the box and the books under the mattress of his bed.

He hurried over to the door and opened it.

"Hey, mate," Ron said, "I was curious. Do you play chess?"

"Er… not much - I've played it a couple times at the Muggle school," Harry lied; of course, he didn't want Ron to know he had played it with the other timeline's Ron on a regular basis for many years.

"That's Muggle chess," Ron said, "Wizard's chess is wicked. Come up to my room and you'll see. We can play a few games until Loony Lovegood gets here. Oh, don't tell Luna, or Ginny or Mum that I call her that."

"Best mate swear," Harry said.

"Best mate?" Ron asked, then grinned, "Well, okay!"

"What else would you be?" Harry asked.

Ron shrugged and turned to head up the stairs. Harry followed him after he shut his own bedroom door behind him.

"If you hear a loud thumping noise or something," Ron said, as he led Harry into the attic bedroom, "Ignore it. It is just the ghoul above this room. He's not dangerous or anything. Just annoying. But Dad seems to like him, so we don't do much about him. Now, where did I put that – aha!"

Ron pulled out his wizarding chess set from under his bed and set it on top, then sat down on one side. Harry sat across from him.

"Okay, you lot, set up, new game!" Ron said to the pieces, then looked at Harry, "They respond to voice commands… wicked, huh? Hopefully they'll obey you. This used to be my late Uncle Billius' chess set, and he gave it to me the day I beat him a total of ten times. Took me ages for them to obey me. Since you're new to this style, I'll take it easy on you, mate."

"Very kind of you," Harry said.

Harry had only beat Ron a total of three memorable times in the old timeline, and two of those times were because Ron was drunk on firewhiskey, both events taking place at the stag party the night before Ron and Hermione's wedding. Ron had made Harry promise he would say nothing about it for a week, because Ron didn't want Hermione teasing him about it during their honeymoon.

In the hour-and-half that Harry played against Ron that day, a total of seven games, Harry didn't beat Ron once. He almost had a shot the last game, but Ginny had opened Ron's bedroom door near the end of the game. This distracted Harry and Ron had taken that chance to checkmate Harry's king. The end result was Ron's queen battering Harry's king to pieces in victory.

"She didn't even let the king surrender!" Harry gasped.

"Bad luck, Harry," Ginny said, "Anyway, Luna's father called on the Floo Network just a couple minutes ago. He's using Side-Along Apparation with Luna. Said something about Floo Travel being very unlucky for blondes today. Didn't want Luna to take her chances I guess."

"Mental!" Ron groaned.

"Careful, Ronnie," Ginny said, "Mum might make you stay up here for the whole day."

Ron scowled and Harry laughed.

"I'll clean up the aftermath of this," Ron said, "It is better I make a late entrance."

Harry followed Ginny out of the room.

_If I didn't know better, Mrs. Potter, _he said, as he and Ginny made their way down the stairs, _I'd say you distracted me on purpose._

_I will neither confirm nor deny that I was watching your last match through our mind-sight._

_Why have you been receiving mind-sight so often and I haven't, I wonder?_

_Dunno. Maybe you'll get it soon. I bet the books will say something about it._

_Yeah. Probably…_

Harry was about to tell Ginny about the contents of Ragnok's letter, when he heard two simultaneous popping sounds in the distance.

"Luna's here!" Ginny said, grinning, as she hurried through the sitting room and kitchen.

Harry smiled and followed her.

"I'll let you and Ginny greet Luna, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said, as Harry passed her.

Harry nodded and walked outside with Ginny. Xenophilius and Luna Lovegood were walking down the driveway. Xenophilius almost looked the same he had when Harry had first met him in the old timeline. Except, Harry noticed, for one difference: His hair was blonde instead of greyish white. Perhaps this was because he was younger, Harry thought, or perhaps it was because later on in the future his health since the loss of his wife had deteriorated some.

Luna, however, looked almost the same, except for the height difference. She had the same dirty-blonde hair, and as she approached, she had the same familiar dreamy stare Harry was so accustomed to.

When the two were feet away from Harry, he noticed more things. Xenophilius had the Deathly Hallows sign around his neck even now, and Luna was not wearing the radish earrings she was usually seen with. However, she was wearing a necklace with one radish in the direct center, and a couple bottle-caps on either side of the vegetable. Perhaps this was the beginning of the necklace Harry had seen her wear when he first met her, minus the radish.

"Hello, Ginevra," Luna said, then looked at Harry, "Hello Harry Potter. I do hope I am not being rude for saying so before you even introduce yourself."

"Er… no, of course not," Harry said.

"Harry Potter," Xenophilius said, extending a hand, which Harry shook, "It is very nice to meet you. Molly did say you were here. I am Xenophilius Lovegood, editor of the magazine, the Quibbler. Ever heard of it? No? I'll have to give you a year's free subscription. This is my Luna. She is very good friends with Ginevra, of course."

"Any friend of Ginny is a friend of mine," Harry said.

"Brilliant," Xenophilius said, then turned to Luna, "Luna, my love, I must be off. The Snorcack will not wait!"

"Good findings, Xenophilius," Luna said.

Xenophilius did not seem to find it odd his daughter called him by his first name.

_Ah, yes, _Ginny said, _I do remember she went through an odd phase of calling adults by their first names at this age._

Harry tried his best not to laugh. Xenophilius bowed to the three of them, and walked back up the driveway.

"Before we go inside," Luna said, "I need to ask you a very personal question."

"Er… sure," Harry said.

"Are you okay with me calling you Harry and Ginevra, or Ginny?" Luna asked, "Or do you wish to be called Mr. and Mrs. Potter?"

Harry looked at Ginny, who's eyes were wide. He turned back to Luna.

"You know?" he asked.

"I see that you share souls," Luna said, nodding, "I've heard about it in fairytales, but it seems most fairytales tell true stories that make it look like fiction."

"You read auras," Harry said, "I didn't know that!"

"An odd statement for someone you just met," Luna said, smiling, "But I am used to odd statements towards me. Reading auras, did you say? Hmm, and here I thought I was gifted with Wrackspurt Sight."

"Maybe it is both?" Ginny said.

"Very likely," Luna said.

"Er… well, call me Harry," Harry said.

"You can still call me Ginevra, or Ginny," Ginny said.

"Ah," Luna said, "I believe I have just discovered a secret very few people know. I will take this secret to my grave. I won't speak of it unless you tell me otherwise."

"Thanks, Luna," Ginny said, "Come inside."

Luna smiled and Ginny led her inside. Harry followed behind her.

"Hello, Molly," Luna said, "Thank you for letting me visit. Xenophilius had to go right away."

Mrs. Weasley, too, did not seem to think Luna's first-name usage was odd. She must have witnessed it before.

"Not a problem, Luna," Mrs. Weasley said, "It is very nice to see you. I was just finishing up making a pudding for later."

"My favorite," Luna said.

"Mr. Weasley had to go to work, but he said to tell you hello," Mrs. Weasley said.

"I say hello right back then," Luna said.

Mrs. Weasley smiled. Luna walked into the sitting room and sat down on one of the chairs.

_So she knows about our Soul-Bond, _Ginny said, as she and Harry walked into the sitting room, _Could that be dangerous later?_

_You mean when it comes to Legilimens?_

Harry asked, _I'd say yes, but she probably won't be around too many of those until she goes to Hogwarts. If she doesn't know Occlumency yet, we can teach her it by then, I think._

_Best not to mention it right now though._

Harry looked at Luna, who seemed to recognize that he and Ginny were having a private conversation, but had said nothing about it.

"You're a lot smaller than I pictured," Luna said to Harry.

"I am only almost eleven," Harry said.

"Yes," Luna said, "But heroes are usually taller."

"Maybe he isn't that kind of hero," Ginny said, chuckling.

"There are smaller heroes, yes," Luna said, "Like Mighty Mouse."

"Mighty what?" Ginny asked.

"Muggle cartoon superhero," Harry said, "Mostly American I think."

"Xenophilius is trying to add a comic section to the Quibbler," Luna said, "all drawn by himself or me. So he collects comic books for inspiration. Hello, Ronald."

"How did you see me?" Ron asked, as he walked down the rest of the steps and into the living room.

"Perhaps you walk too loudly," Harry suggested.

Ron scowled and sat down in a chair on the opposite side of the room from Luna.

"Lovely day," Luna said, "I would suggest we go swimming, but your lake may be infested with Water Wimples."

"Water what?" Ron asked, glancing sideways at Harry and Ginny.

"They live in the water, like their name suggests," Luna said, "Though mostly they live in toilets. They like to drink human urine –" Ron laughed and tried to hide it with a cough – "but unless you wish to tell us something, Ronald, I think it might be safe. I did wear my swimsuit under my outfit."

Harry looked at Ginny, who was trying her best not to laugh and said, _Did she just suggest that Ron -?_

_Yeah, I think she did._

"Erm… sure, we can go swimming," Ron said, "I'll see what Mum says."

Ron did not take long to stand up and hurry into the kitchen.

"Have you ever gone swimming, Harry?" Luna asked.

"A few times," Harry said, "I'm not too good."

"I'm sure Ginny would rescue you if you started drowning," Luna said.

"Yeah, count on it," Ginny said.

"Mum says we can go swimming as long as we're back here in time for lunch," Ron said, and hurried up the stairs.

"I'll wait here for you," Luna said.

Ginny and Harry nodded and walked up the stairs.

"Good thing I bought a swimming costume in Diagon Alley," Harry said, "Just shorts really."

_I have a one-piece, _Ginny said, _Didn't get a bikini for a couple years. Surprisingly enough, Mum bought it for me. Seemed to think the top was a suitable training bra. Cheaper too. This is me._

Harry tried his best to not let his mind wander at what Ginny had told him, though Ginny seemed to get the gist of what he was doing, because she winked at him and disappeared into her room. Harry went up to his bedroom and returned to the bottom level ten minutes later, with a shirt and trunks on, and carrying a towel. Ron was hiding on the bottom level of stairs when he arrived. He was only wearing shorts and rather worn sandals.

"I should have put a shirt on," Ron muttered, "I think Luna was trying to get a peek at me."

Harry snickered and continued down the stairs. Luna wasn't looking at him too much; probably because she realized he was more or less married. After a couple minutes of silence, Ginny returned.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Mrs. Weasley said, when Harry, Ginny, Ron and Luna walked into the kitchen, "I need to put the Sunblock Charm on you. Especially you, Ron and Ginny, you know better."

"Ginger hair attracts sunburns," Ron and Ginny recited.

Mrs. Weasley nodded once and raised her wand in a circular motion.

"Solaris Protego," she said.

A cooling feeling which reminded Harry of the effects of a Disillusionment Charm washed over him.

"Now you may go," Mrs. Weasley said, "Have fun and be careful! Watch each other."

"Yes, Mum," Ron and Ginny said.

Harry followed the other three outside. A little over five minutes later, they arrived at the lake on the southwestern edge of the plot. They laid their towels down and Harry tested the water's temperature with his feet. Luna took off her top and shorts revealing a one-piece sunshine-colored swimsuit, then waded into the lake first.

"Any sign of Water Wimples?" Ginny asked.

"All clear," Luna said, "You must have Plimpies. They feed on Wimples."

Harry waded in after Luna and immersed himself temporarily to soak down. Ron and Ginny walked over to the small shed, and opened it. Ron then took out a small tire-like floatation device, then ran off across the dock, threw the tire in the water, and jumped in after it. Ginny took out a two-seated inflatable raft and threw it into the water toward Harry, and dove in after it. A few moments later Harry didn't see her surface, them was hit with a wave from behind. He turned around to see a giggling Ginny looking at him. She ducked underwater when Harry tried to retaliate, then came back to surface.

"Care to join me in the raft, Luna?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, no, I'm just going to swim," Luna said, "I'm sure Harry would love too though."

"I'd watch it, Harry," Ron said, laying comfortable in the tire, "She likes to tip people over when she is on it."

"That is just when you and Fred and George try to get on it with me," Ginny said, as she gracefully climbed onto the raft, "Sometimes all at once!"

"And why is Harry any different?" Ron asked, then added to Harry, "No offense, mate."

"Because he's nicer than you," Ginny said..

_Aw, I love you too, _ Harry said, as he climbed onto the empty part of the raft, _if we were alone, I'd kiss you._

_Hmm, I'll have to remember that later._

_I find it more and more difficult all the time to remember you're supposed to be nine, going on ten._

_Me too, truthfully. We have to remember that. We have been acting more mature than we're supposed to, and it may come back to bite us if we aren't careful._

_I can remedy that._

Harry sent a wave of water toward Ron, which caused him to yell out in alarm and fall of his float.

"Very funny, Harry," Ron said, when he came back to the surface.

Luna, not wanting to be left out, sent a wave toward Ron as well. This started a ten-minute splash battle, which resulted in Harry and Ginny falling off the raft and having to swim out to it, as it floated farther into the lake. After returning onto the raft, they relaxed for a while, soaking in the sun. They were able to chat with the mind-link, and Ron and Luna thought they were just resting, so it let them carry on conversations for a while.

A couple hours later, when the sun was at the highest point in the sky, their time in the lake was stopped by Mrs. Weasley's voice carrying from a few yards away from the shore.

"Daddy's back to join us for lunch!" Mrs. Weasley said, "And he said he has an important announcement to make!"

-  
**Hmm, what could that announcement be? I'll only say this. It will be something that leads into the next major event in the story. If you've been paying attention, you'll know what this event is. **

**So Luna's an aura-reader, and she is now another person who knows about Harry and Ginny's Soul-Bond. She's also another person besides Ron and Hermione that will need to learn Occlumency. Or perhaps she's a natural Occlumens? Those do exist in my story as you'll see later on. What do you think? I'd take suggestions on which way to go. Either way is fine by me.**

**Yes, we'll get to see some of the contents of the books (at least the Flamel book) soon, but I think this new event will distract Harry and Ginny for a little while and their minds will be focused on that.**

**More to come. Hope you liked this chapter! I love the response I've been getting for this story. We have a very long ways to go (possibly 100+ chapters, hopefully less) and I hope you'll stick around till the end!**

**On an additional note, I may have plans for a sequel, though that won't happen for quite a while. The only thing I'll say about it, is it will probably have something to do with the Soul-Bond and complications surrounding it. Only Harry will be the age of consent, by wizarding law (age 14 – at least body-wise) by the end of this story, and the sequel, if I write it, might show what happens when both bond-mates are of the age of consent by wizarding law. But like I said, that is a long ways away.**


	15. The Three Marauders

**Chapter 15  
The Three Marauders**

**Author's Note: I know Peter Pettigrew couldn't really be described as a Marauder anymore, but, he was once, and this chapter will be the first time in a little under a decade (in this timeline) that the three are in the same room. Yes, it is major spoilers for this chapter, but I wanted this to be the chapter title. Enjoy!**

Fifteen minutes later, Harry, Ginny, Ron and Luna arrived back at the Burrow and walked into the kitchen. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were currently seated at the kitchen table. Harry eyed a couple of scrolls of parchment in front of Mr. Weasley, as well as the Sunday edition of the Prophet.

"Go get changed," Mrs. Weasley said to the four of them, "Luna, you can change in Ginny's room. Then come back downstairs. Deli sandwiches are ready for you when you return. We'll also talk about what is going on."

Harry followed Ginny, Luna and Ron up the stairs. Ginny and Luna disappeared into Ginny's bedroom and Harry and Ron went up the stairs.

_Wonder what this announcement is, _Harry said to Ginny, when he was safe inside his bedroom.

_Well, whatever it is, Dad must have heard about it at the Ministry. _

_Wonder if it is about Pettigrew's trial._

_Ooh, it is possible, though strange for Mum to call it an announcement. Guess we'll see. See you in a bit._

Harry proceeded to change into the clothing he had on before he went swimming. Hedwig had returned as he was getting dressed, so he gave her a couple Owl Treats which she ate before she nodded off to sleep. Harry then returned downstairs. When he arrived in the kitchen, he saw that Ron had already joined his parents and was putting together a sandwich. Harry put together a sandwich as well (roast beef, lettuce, tomato and cheese on rye) and sat down. Mr. Weasley was reading the Prophet, and Mrs. Weasley was drinking from her cup of tea. Neither said anything until Ginny and Luna arrived. Ron seemed to know to wait as well, because he only spoke up when Ginny sat down beside Harry with her sandwich and Luna started making her own.

"So what's the announcement?" Ron asked, after swallowing a bite of sandwich.

Mr. Weasley folded the paper and set it on the table. He then pushed one of the scrolls of parchment across the table, toward Harry.

"Peter Pettigrew's trial has been set for Tuesday," Mr. Weasley said.

This response didn't click into Harry's mind for a good thirty seconds or so.

"This Tuesday?" he finally asked, "Two days from now?"

"Indeed," Mr. Weasley said, "I only know details I heard while at the Ministry today. Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt, the gentleman who took our testimonies – oh, sorry, Luna, you may not be following this –"

"I saw it all in the paper yesterday, Arthur," Luna said, as she sat down at the table, with a simple cheese sandwich, "Sounds exciting."

"I think it will be," Mr. Weasley said, nodding, "Anyway, Kingsley met me in my office. We have offices near each other, see. The Auror Department is on the same floor as my own department. He handed me these two letters. One is for myself and one is for you, Harry. I don't know what is inside yet, because he did not wish to say too much when we met."

"Exclusive information, it sounds like," Ginny said.

"Yes, very likely," Mr. Weasley said, "Harry, you can read your letter now."

Harry opened his own letter, and Mr. Weasley did the same with his. Harry noticed two seals on the top of the piece of parchment: one of the Ministry and one of the Magical Law Enforcement. He then started to read the letter:

_Mr. Harry James Potter,_

_According to Auror information, you were at the scene of Peter Pettigrew's reveal in Magical Menagerie at Diagon Alley, London, yesterday morning (May 8__th__). Because of this, you have been summoned as a key witness to give a statement in front of the entire Wizengamot during the trial against Peter Pettigrew. The trial will take place Tuesday, May 11__th__, at nine in the morning, in Courtroom Ten on the tenth floor of the Ministry of Magic in London, England. When you arrive at the courtroom, you will be escorted by an Auror for your own protection._

_At the trial, you will be asked to give your witness testimony, and it is required you be completely honest with your answers to the questions asked toward you._

_Also in attendance, besides yourself, Peter Pettigrew and the entire Wizengamot, will be the following: Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, other key witnesses to the event, and Aurors that were present at the time of Pettigrew's arrest._

_Prisoner Sirius Black will be in attendance as well, as the testimony expected to be given by Peter Pettigrew could be the key to whether or not Sirius Black is truly guilty of the crime he committed less than ten years ago. Because Sirius Black is a prisoner in Azkaban, he will be escorted into the courtroom by Dementors, the guards of Azkaban. Patronuses will be on hand to protect you and all innocent parties._

_If you have any questions, or are unable to attend, send owl-post directly to my office by no later than May 10th, at midnight, and I will reply to your post as soon as possible._

_Wishing you a pleasant day,_

_Madam Amelia Bones_  
_Head of the Magical Law Enforcement, British Branch_

Harry felt his mouth dry up, and he drank from the glass of water in front of him to remedy this. Two days… less than two days… and he would see Sirius Black again. Two days and Sirius Black could be an innocent man. His insides seem to squirm and he wasn't sure if he could finish his sandwich.

"Well, how about that?" Mr. Weasley commented, as he finished his letter.

"What is it, Dad?" Ginny asked.

"I have been summoned as a key witness for Peter Pettigrew's trial," Mr. Weasley said, "And I have the option of bringing you, Ron and your mother as witnesses as well, since you were all present at the event. What about you, Harry?"

"I'm a key witness too," Harry said, nodding.

"Oh, Arthur," Mrs. Weasley said, clutching a hand to her chest, "I'm not sure. I mean – the kids – and Peter Pettigrew will be right in the room. And you know those courtrooms are so unwelcoming. What about the fact that Dementors could be there?"

"We have been promised protection by Aurors on-site, Molly," Mr. Weasley said, "And Sirius Black will be in attendance."

Mrs. Weasley gasped.

"But Dementors always escort Azkaban prisoners!" Mrs. Weasley said, "It is law. Even if Sirius is supposed to be innocent! Oh, I don't know –"

"Patronuses will be summoned as precaution, I am sure," Mr. Weasley said, "Molly, our testimony could play a big part in Sirius Black's freedom and Peter Pettigrew's imprisonment. Ron and Ginny were both witnesses. Pettigrew posed as Ron's rat for these few months after Percy got his owl last summer. I'm surprised he wasn't listed directly as a key witness. I suppose it is because I am the head of the family."

"If I have to play a role in seeing him go to prison, Mum," Ron said, "I'll do it."

"Me too," Ginny said. "Sirius is Harry's godfather – family to Harry. If he's meant to be free, I want to help him."

"Well, I –" Mrs. Weasley said, frowning. She took a deep swig of tea and sighed. "If Sirius is innocent, he deserves freedom, of course. All right… but… Ron, Ginny, Harry, the three of you will go to bed early tomorrow evening. Oh, I should have bought a few bars of chocolate for medicinal purposes. It would protect us all from the Dementors, especially if we had it beforehand."

"I'm sure we'll be given some when we arrive," Mr. Weasley said.

"This is just so unexpected," Mrs. Weasley said, "We were witnesses, of course, but they took our testimony there."

"One time when my Uncle was watching Muggle television," Harry said, "he was watching this courtroom drama… where actors act out courtroom scenes. And the lawyer said the witnesses were there for emotional leverage."

"Muggle television, you say?" Mr. Weasley asked, "You'll have to tell me all about that. Were there –?"

Mrs. Weasley cleared her throat.

"Right," Mr. Weasley said, blushing, "Well, Harry, that could be a reason we're being summoned, yes. Emotional leverage could play a role."

"What about Sirius?" Ginny asked, "Maybe Harry was summoned because he's going to be there."

"I dunno," Mr. Weasley said, "I doubt Sirius would recognize him."

"Oh, tosh!" Mrs. Weasley said, waving a dismissive hand, then looked at Harry, "I don't know if your relatives ever told you… maybe they never met him, or just refused to say so… but you look just like your father. Sirius must remember what James looked like, even a younger James. I wouldn't be surprised if Sirius recognized you immediately." She frowned and looked back Mr. Weasley, "Of course – that might put Sirius in more danger. To see Harry would get him excited, and those Dementors –"

She shuddered. Harry did too as Mrs. Weasley's sentence played a scene like that in his head.

"I'll let Kingsley know that tomorrow when I pass him the message of our acceptance to the summons," Mr. Weasley said, more to Harry than his wife.

Mr. Weasley's response broke Harry from his thoughts and he nodded.

_What do you think, Harry? _Ginny asked, though she didn't look at him, _This sounds a lot like our nightmare. _

_Yeah, and what is more: the case is in Courtroom Ten. _

_The same room… ugh, I'm going to be thinking all about that today and tomorrow._

_Me too._

Harry's eyes caught the front of the Daily Prophet. Two pictures were shown side-by-side. Peter Pettigrew seen sitting in his cell, looking afraid, and beside it (Harry almost gasped at the sight), Sirius Black, though this was a younger looking Sirius. Perhaps the picture had been taken his last year at Hogwarts, or even at James and Lily's wedding...

Above the pictures, a title in large black letters read:

**PETER PETTIGREW'S TRIAL SET FOR TUESDAY, MAY 11TH!**

And below it in smaller letters:

_Sirius Black and Harry Potter Rumored To Be In Attendance!_

Harry felt an odd mixture of comfort and foreboding at the sight of his name next to Sirius'.

To Harry, Tuesday seemed years away at the moment.

* * *

Throughout Sunday night and Monday, Harry's nerves were affecting him ten-fold, and his stomach seemed to not want to come out of knots. Twice he thought he might be sick from the feeling, but nothing came out when he attempted to vomit into the toilet.

Ginny felt many of Harry's emotions through their Bond, and she tried to comfort him. She reminded him Sunday night about the Soul-Bond books they had received, and when Harry tried to look at Flamel's book, his eyes blurred and become unfocused. He could not take his mind off the upcoming trial long enough to focus on the book. He suggested Ginny read the book anyway, but she didn't like the idea of learning more information about the Bond unless he did as well. It was something that should be shared, she told him, like everything else they were experiencing with the Bond. She refused to even pick up the other book, entitled _Soul-Bond: Fairytale or Reality?, _even when he had placed it in her room Sunday night.

The night before Pettigrew's trial, Harry and Ginny shared another nightmare, which was similar to the last one. Except this time, Pettigrew did not take Tonks' wand. In this nightmare, the trial went on, though only lasted a few minutes. Harry and the Weasleys had not given testimony, nor did the Wizengamot ask what happened on that fateful Halloween night, and Pettigrew was set free in the end. As an aftermath of this, the Dementors swooped in on Sirius, and Harry and Ginny both woke up as a Dementor planted its jaw over Sirius' mouth.

Harry and Ginny sat up for an hour, not daring to go back to sleep, though they were still in their own beds. Each tried to convince the other the trial would not go the way of their nightmare, especially without testimonies and such. They were still in their mind-link conversation when Mrs. Weasley woke everyone up at half-past-seven.

Mrs. Weasley had made a large breakfast, so everyone would get nourishment before the trial. As Harry ate his own, he was reminded eerily of the morning of his own hearing in his fifth year in the other timeline, when he tried to eat a piece of toast, and it wouldn't go down very easy. It was pretty much like today, and Harry only hoped this was a positive sign, because the result of Harry's hearing was a very good one.

Harry had dressed in his nicest robes: one of the outfits he had bought from Madam Malkin's on Saturday, remembering Mrs. Weasley's line about first impressions being wonders. Of course, Harry would only have to give testimony for the trial, but he still took this as another positive sign. The four Weasleys had also put on their best; Ginny was wearing a white skirt that went past her knees, and Ron was wearing a plaid button-downed shirt and slacks, an outfit that was once Bill's, according to Mrs. Weasley.

At a quarter-past-eight, the four Weasleys and Harry took turns in the Floo Network, traveling to the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic. After a hurried inspection from Eric the security wizard, the five piled into one of the crowded lifts and were the only ones left inside when the lifts opened on the ninth level.

_Whoa, deja-vu, _Ginny said to Harry, as they walked out of the lift, _This is where we were before everything happened that sent us back in time._

_Yeah, I remember, _Harry said, _Occlumency barriers, you reckon?_

_Probably best to do so. Legilimens could play a part at the trial._

Harry started strengthening the barriers around his mind, focusing on those closest memories that hadn't been strengthened yet. He had done this many times over the past couple of days, that he felt confident nobody could get too far, before having to get out.

"Hello, you lot," a gruff voice, Harry recognized as Mad-Eye Moody, said.

Harry turned and saw Moody, Kingsley and Tonks walking up to them. Today, Tonks had short-blonde hair, blue eyes and a rosy complexion… or perhaps she was blushing at the sight of Harry.

"Weasleys, Kingsley and I will be your protection," Moody said. "We're expected to give our own testimony, so no one who is untrustworthy would think anything different seeing us accompanying witnesses. Mr. Potter, Cadet Tonks is with you. I give my full promise that she will protect you if the occasion arises. She's shown a lot of gusto in Auror training and has earned this right."

"Wotcher, Harry," Tonks said, with a smile, "Nice to see you again. Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you."

"Hullo," Harry said, surprised he could say anything since his stomach felt like it was in his throat.

"Here," Kingsley said, handing Harry and the Weasleys each a large bar of Honeyduke's Best Chocolate, "Eat up, it will protect you from the Dementors, right along with the Patronuses."

Harry started on his chocolate, as he followed the Weasleys, and the three Aurors toward the tenth level of the Ministry. When they passed the Department of Mysteries, Harry looked toward the familiar door.

"Department of Mysteries," Tonks said, in a whisper to Harry, "Nobody knows what goes on in there. Not even the Minister. Except for Unspeakables that is, and I would be amazed if they ever said a word to you."

Harry nodded, and took another bite of chocolate so he wouldn't have to say anything.

"Sirius Black is going to be here," Tonks said, as they started off down the stairs toward the tenth level, "My cousin, you know. I've always believed his innocence. Hey, did you know he's your godfather? At least that's the rumor."

"Yeah, I know," Harry said.

"So we're sort of family, you and I," Tonks said, grinning, "Unofficially, that is."

Harry nodded and finished his bar of chocolate.

"Aurors, Patronuses!" Moody said, "Just in case. Don't know if Dementors are here yet."

Harry watched as Tonks summoned her chameleon Patronus, joining Kingsley's lynx and Moody's large black bear. The three animals surrounded Harry and the Weasleys as they finally made their way onto the tenth level. Harry saw other Patronuses surrounding a large group of witches and wizards. Harry recognized a few Wizengamot officials and even news reporters, including Rita Skeeter, standing amongst Aurors and others.

_Harry, on your left coming up, _Ginny said, _Don't stare, only look for a moment._

Harry glanced to his left as they walked forward and he then saw what Ginny had seen – or whom, rather. Remus Lupin, looking frail and tired, was standing against a wall, talking to Amelia Bones.

_I should have known he'd be here, _Harry said, smiling mentally, _Two old friends, both of whom he hasn't seen in almost ten years. I bet he's here to see Pettigrew for himself and see if Sirius is really innocent. If I recall, he did believe Sirius was guilty, though he felt bad when the truth came out, and he had thought Peter was dead._

_Yeah. I can't wait to see that reunion, along with the reunion of you and Sirius, of course. If – when – everything goes well._

_Yeah, thanks for making me even more nervous._

I'm sorry. I love you, have I said that lately?

_I love you too._

"Stop here, everyone," Moody instructed Harry and the Weasleys, quietly, "The doors will open in a few minutes."

Lupin had heard Moody and looked over toward Harry's direction. Harry noticed Lupin's eyes go wide when they made contact with him. Remus looked away rather quickly, even more pale than before. Was he, perhaps, thinking about James and Lily? Even though Harry knew Legilimency, he only rarely performed it, and this was not one of those times, he knew.

Harry only noticed then that Kingsley had stood in front of him, and when he saw the reporters nearby, he knew Kingsley was using his broad body to guard him from their sight and cameras.

"Why are reporters allowed inside?" Harry asked Tonks.

"Biggest story in years," Tonks said, "Peter Pettigrew alive? A trial that could prove Sirius' innocence? You don't know what it has been like, Harry. At least ninety percent, if not more, of the wizarding population in Great Britain truly believed that Sirius was guilty, thanks to the story that had been put in the Prophet not long after his arrest. Myself and my mother and father were part of the few who believed his innocence. A rare breed, you might say. I had seen my cousin a handful of times before he went to Azkaban, and he's always been my favorite relative – of course, when you realize who I am related to, that is not surprising, I suppose. But most people believe him guilty. This trial could change a lot of things in the wizarding world, if it goes the way I think it might. Mark my words."

"You sound pretty positive, Cadet Tonks," Kingsley said.

"If Sirius was truly guilty, Pettigrew would really be dead," Tonks said, "Pettigrew is missing a finger, remember? Everyone knows the story. Or are you believing Rita Skeeter's writing?"

"No, definitely not," Kingsley chuckled quietly, his eyesight on a part of the hallway, probably where Rita Skeeter stood, "But you are right to be concerned, Harry. This place could be a – what's that Muggle saying? – ah, yes, a three-ringed circus before this is all over."

"He's right," Tonks said.

Harry was saved replying, by a loud noise of wood scraping on tile. The doors to Courtroom Ten were opening.

"Wizengamot goes first," Moody said, "Then witnesses and their protection. Be ready to move, folks."

"Tried by the entire Wizengamot," Harry heard Mr. Weasley mutter, "A few of them must already be in there, I guess. Is this a good thing?"

"Guess we'll see, Arthur," Kingsley said.

"You three kids okay?" Mrs. Weasley asked, "Harry? Need more chocolate?"

"No, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said, "I'm fine."

"He's a trooper, ma'am," Tonks said, "Possible future Auror – definite Gryffindor. Shame, Hufflepuff would have liked you, Harry. That is where I was at, you see."

Harry nodded.

"Us next," Moody said, "Aurors, keep your Patronuses up. Happy thoughts, Cadet."

"Yes, sir," Tonks said, "Go on, Harry, I'll be right behind you."

Harry walked ahead of Tonks and followed Moody, Kingsley and the Weasleys into the courtroom. Soon, they were seated together in the section reserved for witnesses, and Ginny had somehow ended up sitting next to Harry. Harry looked at the many rows of Wizengamot members, trying to recognize a few. He saw Dumbledore sitting in the front row, off to the side of the middle chair, where Amelia Bones was sitting. This was odd, considering Fudge was expected to be in attendance. And then, Harry found his answer. He recognized Barty Crouch sitting in the second row at one end, beside an empty seat. If Fudge was going to sit here, perhaps the two were going to try to avoid being in the spotlight. Then Harry saw, with a bit of rage, Lucius Malfoy sitting on the other side of the empty chair. So he would sit with his old pal, Fudge, and watch another old pal Pettigrew be put on trial. Harry briefly wondered how Lucius would vote when it came to Pettigrew's guilt or innocence.

The reporters followed in next, all sitting across from the witness' benches in the first two rows. Harry saw Rita Skeeter sitting in the front row, and when Rita noticed him looking at her, she directed her attention toward the Wizengamot. Then the other witches and wizards walked in. Perhaps they were old friends of Sirius Black who believed his innocence. Remus was among them, taking a spot in the back row… and so was…

"Ooh," Tonks said, seated next to Harry, "My Mum's here. She said she might come."

Harry nodded as he noticed a younger-looking Andromeda Tonks. She looked more and more like her sister, Bellatrix, but she looked much more cheerful. Harry also noticed Augusta Longbottom near Andromeda, and he wondered where Neville was; perhaps he was being watched by his Great Uncle Algie. Harry half-expected to see Narcissa Malfoy in attendance, given that Sirius was her cousin, but she must be at home with Draco. Of course, Narcissa would have never voiced too much of an opinion of Sirius' innocence or guilt, since she, being Lucius Malfoy's wife, knew Sirius was never a part of the Death Eaters.

Harry briefly wondered why none of the Hogwarts Professors, many whom had taught Sirius and Peter, were not a guest at this trial, like Dumbledore, until he reminded himself it was a school day, and they were in class with students. At the thought of the professors, Harry half-expected to see the former Professor, Horace Slughorn there, but he was not in attendance. At the thought of Slughorn, Harry wondered if he would see the old Professor again, if things went right with Harry's plans.

Suddenly, there was a ruckus from the crowd and Harry turned. Cornelius Fudge was there, being escorted by Auror John Dawlish. Reporters started to question him, but Dawlish quickly led him toward the Wizengamot's seats, where he sat between Barty Crouch and Lucius Malfoy. At this action, reporters and others in the room started to talk amongst neighbors, probably discussing why Fudge was not sitting where Amelia currently was.

Harry knew the only two left to arrive were Sirius and Peter, and Harry wondered who would arrive first. Then he started to become nervous again. Ginny must have sensed his emotions, because she looked at him, and smiled in reassurance.

_Calm down, my love, _she said, though she looked at her lap so there was no possibility of someone like Dumbledore seeing her eyes, _Everything will be fine, I promise._

Harry concentrated on the floor in front of him. _I know. I mean… how can it go wrong? We know what the true story is. I doubt even Crouch or Fudge would try to find a way for him to go back to Azkaban, what with the way the public would look_ _at them._ _Malfoy might… but he'd probably be thinking about how many would vote the same way, and if he voted against Sirius, and not many others did, it would raise questions. _

_True. See… cheer up. _

_I know. I guess our nightmares are still on my mind._

_Nothing like that is going to happen, love._

Before Harry could respond, he heard a number of camera clicks and raised voices, and looked toward the doors. Peter Pettigrew was being escorted in by four Aurors. Harry only recognized one of them: Proudfoot, whom he had been on a couple of missions with in the old timeline.

"Aurors," Moody whispered to Kingsley and Tonks, "Wand at the ready, just in case."

Harry thought Tonks might call Moody paranoid, but he saw her move her hand toward her pocket. Harry looked at Peter and saw that he was bound by steel shackles. But by the way his hands were positioned, Harry knew Peter was also magically bound as well. Harry could also easily see where Peter was missing a finger. Peter was facing forward, not daring to look anywhere, his expression somewhere between frightened and calm. This made Harry even more nervous.

Harry looked past Peter and saw Remus staring straight at his old friend. It was hard to tell what emotions were going through his mind, but Harry could list a few in his head: anger, shock, disbelief… maybe even remorse for what he had thought about Sirius for so long.

A sound of two consecutive thuds were heard, and Harry's attention turned toward the empty floor in the center of the room. Two chairs, a few yards apart from each other, had appeared. Both had shackles on the arms. The Aurors led Peter to the one farthest from Harry, and forced him into it, where they shackled him up and then pointed their wands at him. Magic binds were added to the chair as well. When they were finished, the four Aurors walked away from him and back out of the Courtroom. Harry did not need to ask why there wasn't an attorney present for Pettigrew. Nobody would defend him, since it was almost guaranteed they would lose.

Though, Harry knew that nobody would be with Sirius either. Like Tonks said, ninety percent of the world thought him guilty. There was enough evidence stacked against Peter, but nobody would dare sit next to a prisoner of Azkaban, no matter the possibility of their innocence.

Harry then noticed that the Patronuses around the room were growing larger, and seemed to grow tense. Tonks' chameleon, which was pacing in front of Tonks, Harry and Ginny, started humming.

"Sirius is coming, I believe," Tonks whispered to Harry.

She sounded nervous as well, and Harry couldn't blame her. She hadn't seen her cousin, her favorite relative, in so long.

And then Harry heard an order from an Auror for the Dementors to stay back.

"Proudfoot's mental," Harry heard Kingsley say, "He better know what he's doing."

"We'll see," Moody said, his gruff voice echoing from the end of the row, where he sat next to Mr. Weasley.

Soon, the buzz of the courtroom grew again, and most of those seated in the witness, guest, and reporter areas turned their heads quickly. Sirius was being accompanied by Proudfoot and the other three Aurors who had escorted Peter.

"Merlin, I hate Azkaban," Tonks muttered, "Look what it did to him."

Even though Sirius had been in Azkaban for less than ten years, instead of two years longer in the old timeline, Harry noticed that he looked just as bad. He looked pale, more-so than Remus, and he was very thin. Harry could see his ribs through the rags and cloth he was wearing. He had dark shadows under his eyes, and that was when Harry noticed that Sirius was looking around, unlike Peter had. He must not have noticed Remus however, because he had not looked that way.

Remus, however was looking at him, and Harry knew what emotions he must be going through now: guilt, sorrow, and hope… hope that he and his good friend would be able to speak to each other soon. Harry wondered if Remus had a good place to live at the moment. If – when, Harry corrected himself - Sirius was free, after today, perhaps it would be best if he lived with Remus for a while, and not the Black Manor on Grimmauld Place, which he hated so much.

Sirius' eyes narrowed, which made many people react negatively, but Sirius only had eyes for a portion of the Wizengamot. Harry could tell who he was looking at: Barty Crouch and Lucius Malfoy. Sirius must not have seen Harry nor Pettigrew yet.

And then….

Then Sirius' face lightened up. His eyes looked toward Harry and a very small sliver of a smile crossed his lips. Sirius' eyes seem to water too.

"He recognizes you," Ginny whispered.

"Or perhaps he thinks you are your father," Tonks said, reasonably, "many years younger, of course, but we don't know how much Azkaban affected his mind."

"Hopefully not enough to keep him telling his side of the story," Kingsley murmured.

"Silence, Aurors," Moody growled.

Sirius finally looked away from Harry, and saw Peter. But by this time, Sirius had been moved ahead of where Harry was sitting, so he could not see his expression. However, Sirius would not take his eyes off of Peter, even as the Aurors shackled him into the empty chair and also bound him magically.

The four Aurors then split up, and walked over to an empty portion of the front rows on either side of the guest seats and sat down, their wands in their laps. Proudfoot was on Harry's side.

The buzz grew in the room as all eyes were on Sirius and Peter, and the Wizengamot were moving ever so slightly in their seats, getting ready to begin. Amelia was shuffling through her papers in front of her, and Harry knew it was time…

What could possibly be the biggest trial in the past ten years was about to begin.

-  
**Oh, come on, you knew this cliffhanger was coming! Am I right?**

**Well, I couldn't possibly fit a whole trial with the rest of this chapter, or it would be extremely long. However, the next chapter might be a bit shorter because of this. Depends on how much I can go into detail.**

**So I really, truly loved the last half of this chapter, starting from the day of the trial. I loved how much detail I was able to go into, from the moment Harry arrived on the ninth floor of the Ministry. **

**So the three remaining Marauders are in the same room together, and the trial is about to begin. Can the suspense and excitement raise any further? Well, you'll have to wait and find out what happens! More to come soon!**


	16. Pettigrew Vs The Wizengamot

**Chapter 16  
Pettigrew Vs. The Wizengamot**

Harry felt nervous once again, and the noise in the room really did sound like buzzing. Harry had to look for Rita Skeeter, momentarily, to make sure she was still in her human form. Harry then felt a soothing feeling in his mind and knew Ginny was doing her best to, once again, calm him down.

_Harry, please calm down._ Ginny begged him,_You'll screw up your testimony if this keeps up._

_I know. It's just… so much rides on what happens in the next little while. With Sirius free, we can get at least one Horcrux, and hopefully a second quite soon. And that's not all – I can't even begin to think how Sirius could help us._

_It will happen, Harry. Just stay calm, my love._

Harry knew Ginny wanted to hold his hand, and he wanted to hold hers, but he couldn't. Too many people would see them and think it odd, including Mrs. Weasley and Ron.

Amelia Bones cleared her throat and looked at Sirius, then Peter.

"The trial will now begin," she said, "Peter Pettigrew versus the British Wizengamot. Key roles in the Wizengamot: Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, British Branch, presiding over the case. Interrogators: Albus Dumbledore, Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, Bartemius Crouch…"

As Amelia continued with a few names, including the Court Scribe, whom Harry did not recognize, Harry noticed that Fudge and Crouch looked flustered at the possibility they would have to interrogate Peter and Sirius.

"Also in attendance," Amelia continued, "Special Witness, Sirius Black. In essence, Peter Pettigrew, you are not being tried for any wrongdoing you did on May 8th of this year, though witnesses of the event will state their testimonies of your – let's shall we say your return to the wizarding world. You are being tried for the events that took place on October 31st, 1981, and the events that lead toward it, so that we may discover what really happened on that night, that is if the story commonly known around Britain is the truth or not."

Amelia's attention turned toward the reporters and witches and wizards behind them.

"Media and other guests," Amelia stated, "I am not the director of a madhouse, do not make one out of me. If you are not quiet and respectful during this trial, if there is need for order in this courtroom, because of you, you will be the first to leave. Ministry granted Freedom of Press only goes so far today. Members of the Wizengamot, do you hold any personal vendetta at all against the two men seated in front of you today. Raise your hand if this is correct."

Nobody raised their hands. Harry felt anger flow through his mind. At least two seated in the Wizengamot had some kind of vendetta against Sirius: Crouch and Malfoy, and possibly Fudge. Crouch would surely have retaliation from the public if Sirius went free, so may Fudge. Malfoy, as a Death Eater, could be ousted by Peter Pettigrew, if anyone dared ask him under a dose of Veritaserum. And Harry would have bet that Malfoy would kill Sirius if he had a chance. Harry felt Ginny in his mind, and he tried to calm himself down so she wouldn't goad him into doing so.

Amelia turned back toward Peter and Sirius.

"Peter Pettigrew," she continued, "Sirius Black, you are sworn to oath to be completely honest and calm with your testimonies, or we have been given permission to give you Veritaserum. The Ministry, mainly my own Department, has been a place of embarrassment these past couple of days, and I will get to the bottom of this story. Do you understand?"

Sirius gave a nod, but Peter did not make any movement at all.

"Very well," Amelia continued, "On the morning of May 8th of this year, 1991, in the shop known as Magical Menagerie, located in Diagon Alley, London, England, events took place that eventually led to the revelation that Peter Pettigrew, believed to be dead for going on ten years this October, was still among us. Until this day, he had been hiding in his Animagus form, a rat. Wizengamot member, Albus Dumbledore and Aurors Alastor Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt arrived on the scene shortly after the event took place. Witnesses were questioned, and Peter Pettigrew was taken to the holding cells in the Auror Department here in the Ministry. We will hear from those witnesses who volunteered to speak to us today. Due to the proximity and danger the witnesses could be in, we only ask that they stand where they are seated to give their testimony, and we ask that they do so honestly. Arthur Weasley, stand up please and recognize yourself."

Mr. Weasley did as was asked.

"I am Arthur Weasley, 48, of Ottery, St. Catchpole, England," he said, "And I was a witness to the event in question."

"Do you give permission, as Head of your family," Amelia asked, "to let the interrogators question the three members of your family who were also witnesses to the event?"

"I do, ma'am," Mr. Weasley said.

"Very well," Amelia said, "Albus?"

"Arthur, please tell the court what you witnessed starting from the moment anything went odd," Dumbledore requested.

Mr. Weasley started to give his testimony of the event that happened from his point-of-view. It took less than five minutes before he was finished and asked to sit back down.

"Young man," Amelia Bones said, looking at Ron, "Please stand and recognize yourself. Don't be nervous."

Ron stood up and cleared his throat.

"R-Ronald Billius Weasley, 11, of Ottery St. Catchpole, England," he said, "I was a witness to the – the event that day, yeah."

"Ron," Dumbledore said, "Can I call you Ron?"

Ron nodded.

"Ron," Dumbledore continued, "You told Auror Shacklebolt that when Pettigrew was a rat, he was in your care. Is this true? Explain your answer."

"Yes, sir, he was my rat," Ron said, looking at Pettigrew for a moment, before looking back at Dumbledore, "We called him Scabbers. I received him last summer – err – probably August, from my brother Percy. Before then, he owned Scabbers for almost nine years, I guess. He had found Scabbers in November of 1981 when I was not much older than a baby. He told me the story when he gave Scabbers to me. He said he found him walking on the side of the road, near our house. We – err – have protective charms guarding our house, and I guess Scabbers was walking outside of them."

"In your testimony to the Auror, you told him your rat was sick," Dumbledore said, "Explain."

"He was getting skinny," Ron said, "Wouldn't accept treats, like Fudge Flies, which he loved. He would pace back and forth around his cage. When I tried to hold him, he wouldn't let me."

Ron shuddered.

"Sorry, sir," Ron said, "I just can't believe I held him all that time."

"It is okay, lad," Albus said, "He cannot hurt you."

Ron nodded and continued, "So we – err – took him to Magical Menagerie to get some rat tonic. Somehow the cage got locked, I guess Dad might have locked it. When I set the cage on the counter, the clerk there opened the cage. He picked up Scabbers, and put him on the counter, and that is when he ran away. He then somehow was flung away from Harry when he tried to run, and crashed into a tank of snakes – Runespoors, like Dad said. And then a man appeared – that man, Pettigrew - and I couldn't find Scabbers anywhere."

"One more question, Ron," Dumbledore said, "Are you sure – quite sure – that Scabbers was the same rat all those years ago?"

"Yes, sir," Ron said, "I remember Percy mentioning how Scabbers was missing a toe, because I asked if it had happened while Percy had him. Percy said he was like that when he found him, and I think he might have said it looked like it had happened recently – I mean, recent to when he found Scabbers."

"Thank you, you may sit down," Dumbledore said, and Ron did as was asked, "Madam Bones, I do not need to question Mrs. Weasley nor her daughter. The testimonies would probably be very similar, correct?"

Ginny and Mrs. Weasley nodded.

"Very well," Amelia said, "Mr. Potter, please stand. Quiet, everyone, I will not have this trial interrupted by such reaction. I know Mr. Potter has not been seen in the wizarding world for many years. This is not important at all to this trial. Please stand lad and recognize yourself."

Harry stood up.

"Harry James Potter, 10," Harry stated, "currently residing as a guest at the Weasleys' house, in Ottery St. Catchpole, England. I was a witness on the day of the event in question."

Amelia looked at Albus and nodded.

"Hello, Harry," Dumbledore said, smiling, "Please give your share of the event."

"I was standing in line at Magical Menagerie to buy some Owl Treats for my new owl," Harry said, "and the clerk was taking the rat – Pettigrew – out of the cage he was in. He set him on the counter, and all of a sudden, the rat ran in my direction. I cannot tell you if he was running for me, or if he was trying to escape from the store. But when he came close, the protection amulet I was wearing reacted because I felt afraid of the rat. I had seen it looking scared in its cage, and thought it might have had rabies or something."

Amelia raised a hand to stop Harry. "You said you were wearing a protection amulet, correct? Why were you wearing such an object?"

Harry opened his mouth to speak up, but Dumbledore raised a hand up.

"That would be because of me, Madam Bones," he said. "You see, I had given him the amulet, when I instructed Harry on how to get into Diagon Alley, and I thought he might need it. This was Harry's first visit into the marketplace, and I thought he might get horded by people who realized who he was. The amulet warded or repelled off unfriendly and untrustworthy individuals."

"Very well," Amelia said, "You may continue your statement, Mr. Potter.

"Well, as I said," Harry said, "the rat was coming right toward me. And then, all of a sudden, I felt a force coming from the amulet. Next thing I knew, the rat flung through the air toward the center of the shop, and crashed into a tank. Runespoors, I think they're called, started slithering away, perhaps frightened, I thought, and I thought it funny. Since when was a snake afraid of a rat? So I looked to see what was going on, and I saw that man, Peter Pettigrew, laying there unconscious. And that was when you came into the shop, sir."

"Thank you, Harry," Dumbledore said, "You may sit. Your room, Madam Bones."

Harry sat down and looked at Ginny, who smiled at him.

"That wasn't so bad, was it, Harry?" Tonks whispered.

Harry shook his head.

"Thus ends the key witness testimony from the event in Diagon Alley," Amelia Bones said. "Witches and wizards of the Wizengamot, we have heard testimony of Peter Pettigrew's location for these years since he disappeared on the night of October 31st, 1981, when it was supposedly believed he was deceased. We heard that a young boy, Ron Weasley's brother, found Peter in his rat form, not long after the events that took place that Halloween eve in 1981 and decided to take him in as his own pet, by the name of Scabbers. He discovered that the rat was missing a toe. We have testimony from the night of October 31st, 1981, after the event between Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew had taken place."

Amelia shuffled through her papers and picked one up.

"'Aurors discovered Black in the street, which was now demolished'," Amelia read, "'Eleven Muggles were found dead on the scene, and Aurors had also found Peter Pettigrew's finger.' What else happened that night has only been guesswork because Sirius Black went to Azkaban without so much as a trial."

Amelia narrowed her eyes toward Bartemius Crouch, whose eyes went straight toward his lap.

"Now we will learn the truth of what happened on the night of October 31st, 1981," Amelia continued, and looked at Sirius. "We will start with your story first, Sirius. I have reason to believe such a story will make it easier to question Peter. Please start where you see fit."

"Madam Bones, to even begin my story," Sirius said, "I must do so by starting a few weeks before the night in question."

"Continue, Mr. Black," Amelia said.

"Yes, Madam," Sirius said, "James and Lily Potter contacted me one night through owl post and asked me to come to their house. I expected to go to what is known as Potter Manor, where they had lived at since before they were married. But the letter directed me to their place in Godric's Hollow. When I arrived, James had to allow me in, because protection charms and wards were up everywhere around the house. This made me feel very uneasy. When I sat down with James and Lily, they explained to me that Albus Dumbledore had visited them at Potter Manor, where he had asked them to go to Godric's Hollow. He had told them that there was strong evidence they were targets of Lord –"

He paused and looked at Amelia.

"Continue how you wish, Mr. Black," Amelia said, "There will be no interruption."

"Yes, Madam," Sirius said, "Albus had told James and Lily they were targets of Voldemort. They had also explained that young Harry was also a target. I could not believe it. Who would want to hurt a baby? But I did believe it. I told James and Lily I would do anything for them, and that – that was when they asked me to become their Secret Keeper."

Sirius sighed and looked down at his lap.

"Back then I considered myself a high target against Voldemort as well," Sirius said, "I was in the Auror Department, and was helping to capture some of the Death Eaters. I was the best friend of James Potter, who had already faced down Voldemort, and escaped his wrath three times. I-I was afraid that this would make me easy pickings. I considered myself strong-minded, but I knew that under hours of continued torture, I too would break and reveal things. I could not accept the role of Secret Keeper. So, I had suggested Peter be Secret Keeper. Only four people knew about this suggestion: myself, James, Lily, and Peter, of course. Albus Dumbledore did not know, and we didn't even tell our friend, Remus Lupin. You see, Albus warned us of a spy amongst those we knew, and –"

He cleared his throat and Harry thought he heard sadness in his voice.

"I-I thought my good friend Remus Lupin might have been the traitor," Sirius said, "I wish I could take that back, because Remus would have been an excellent Secret Keeper for James, Lily and young Harry. In fact, when James made me Harry's godfather, I questioned him and said 'why? Why me, James? Why not Remus, who seems like a father figure, more than I do?' James, he – he was such a loyal best friend and told me that I had always been his first choice, from the moment he discovered he would become a father. And yet, I told James to ask Peter to be the Secret Keeper. I thought hey, nobody would suspect Peter as the Secret Keeper. Weak, scrawny little kid. Always followed me and James and Remus around, but never once really spoke up his opinion toward us. He was the silent type. He had to be the safe choice. And James asked me again, why, why could I not be the Secret Keeper, and again I told him to pick Peter. So he did."

Sirius cleared his throat once again and looked over toward Peter, then back at Amelia.

"On the night of October 31st, 1981," Sirius said, "I went to visit the Potters in Godric's Hollow, ready to give a nice Halloween present to Harry. When I arrived, on my motorcycle, there was a large hole in the roof, where Harry's nursery was located. The house was dark, and I feared the worst. I went inside and – and I found James laying there on the floor… dead."

A sob escaped Sirius' throat.

"Excuse me," he said, clearing his throat, "Hard to experience again. I'm seeing it in my head as I say it. Anyway, I then hurried up to the nursery, where I found an awful sight. Lily lay on the floor, also dead. Across the room, the crib was broken and battered, and I feared the worst, but I heard little Harry crying. I found him and picked him up. He had this strange scar on his forehead, but otherwise, looked okay. I took him downstairs and out of the house. Rubeus Hagrid was there, ready to take Harry. On Dumbledore's orders, he said, he had to take him. I told him no… I couldn't allow him to take Harry, I was his godfather. I was meant to look after him if something happened to James and Lily. But no, Hagrid insisted. I trusted Albus and knew he would know what he was doing. I even let Hagrid use my motorcycle. It is strange to think about… maybe things wouldn't have turned out like they did, if I was more adamant in wanting to look after Harry…"

Harry looked up at Dumbledore, and Dumbledore looked back at him for a moment before returning his gaze to Sirius.

"After Hagrid left with Harry," Sirius continued, "I apparated to where Peter was living. I also feared the worst for him, because the Secret Keeper Charm broken. I thought that he had to be dead in order for it to break. When I searched his house, he was not there. So, I left the house and went out to the street, shouting, calling for him. And there… at the other end of the street was Peter. I asked him 'what happened Peter? James and Lily are dead, Peter! How did the Secret get told?' And then…"

Sirius looked at Peter, then looked back at Amelia.

"And then," he continued, "Peter screamed 'James and Lily, how could you Sirius?' at the top of his lungs. Sounded like bloody murder. Before I could even ask him what he meant, a group of Muggles ran out of their houses to see what the commotion was. Peter raised his wand, and all of a sudden, the road between us blew up and the Muggles went flying. I couldn't find Peter anywhere. I had lost him. And that was when I realized what truly happened. I knew it was Peter who had betrayed James and Lily. The perfect plan… I could see it in my head. Peter would have considered being named Secret Keeper a blessing in disguise. A blessing for his Master. It played in my head. I had sent James and Lily to their graves, all because I was too stupid to not accept the role of Secret Keeper. And that – that thought – really messed me up. I think the Aurors who found me, found me laughing in the middle of the street. Really, I guess I was laughing to keep from killing myself, because I truly felt like my life was over at that moment."

Sirius looked at Peter again.

"And now I ask you, Peter," Sirius said, "The same question you asked me that night. How could you, Peter? James and Lily. James, who treated you like a friend for so many years."

"Enough, Sirius," Amelia said, sighing, "Your story is over."

"Sorry, Madam," Sirius said.

Amelia looked at Peter.

"Pretty convincing story Sirius told us, Mr. Pettigrew," she said, "I'm sure if we put him under Veritaserum, he might say the same story all over again. So, Mr. Pettigrew, I only have a few questions for you, and if I see any hint of dishonesty,, I will order the Aurors to give you Veritaserum. Do you understand?"

Peter nodded in resignation.

"Mr. Pettigrew," Amelia continued, "Did James and Lily Potter make you their Secret Keeper, instead of Sirius Black?"

Peter didn't answer for a full minute.

"Mr. Pettigrew," Amelia said, annoyed, "Do I need to repeat –"

"Yes," Peter said, "They did name me the Secret Keeper."

Harry looked around at the members of the Wizengamot, many of whom looked surprised, either by Peter's answer or the way he was seemed so willingly to answer the questions. Bartemius Crouch seemed, however, to not be looking at Peter, nor Sirius, and Harry wondered if he was thinking of what would happen to him in the near future because of this trial.

"Did you give the Secret away to the wizard known as Voldemort?" Amelia asked.

"Yes," Peter said.

"Are you a Death Eater?" Amelia asked.

"Voldemort never officially named me a Death Eater," Peter said, "I just assumed I was part of the ranks."

Many of the Wizengamot members started shaking their heads, and Amelia raised her hand to quiet them, her gaze still on Peter.

"Did you murder eleven Muggles on the night of October 31st, 1981?" she.+ asked.

"Yes," Peter said.

"Are you an unregistered Animagus?" Amelia asked, "A rat, exactly."

"Yes," Peter said.

"And did you, Peter Pettigrew," Amelia asked, "cut off your own finger in order to stage your own death, and then transformed into the rat to make your escape?"

Peter looked down and Harry knew he was looking at his hand.

"Yes," he said.

"Witches and wizards of the Wizengamot," Amelia said, "We have heard testimony from Sirius Black, and answers from Peter Pettigrew, to questions I asked as a result of Mr. Black's story. Raise your hands if you need any time to think over what you have listened to. I think you know the questions I will be asking you."

After a good minute, nobody in the Wizengamot rows raised their hand.

_Here we go, _Ginny said.

_It looks good. The real question is, who in the Wizengamot will vote which way?_

"Very well," Amelia said. "Those who believe Peter Pettigrew is, in fact, a Death Eater even though he states otherwise, raise your hand."

Three-fourths percent of the Wizengamot raised their hands, including Amelia, Crouch, Fudge and Malfoy.

"Those against?" Amelia asked.

Five members of the Wizengamot raised their hands.

"The rest are considered undecided," Amelia said, "No matter. Next, those who find Peter Pettigrew guilty of the murders of eleven Muggles… and aiding in the murder of James and Lily Potter… and… aiding in the attempted murder of Harry James Potter, raise your hands."

Every member of the Wizengamot raised their hand.

"Peter Pettigrew," Amelia continued, "The Wizengamot finds you guilty of the two charges against you. Now… this is a very tough decision for me to make, I admit. Those held guilty of being a Death Eater serve life sentences in Azkaban. However, you have caused the end of so many lives, and that is a disgusting act against nature in itself. You are responsible for the fact that a young boy grew up without knowing his parents. Therefore… you will serve no more, no less than eighty years in Azkaban, the common life-expectancy of those Muggles you killed. After eighty years, if you are still alive to see the day, you will be administered the Dementor's Kiss. These penalties fit the crimes you have committed. May Merlin have mercy on your soul. Aurors, take Mr. Pettigrew to the Dementors, where they will then take the prisoner to Azkaban. Sirius Black, when Pettigrew is out of this courtroom, your fate will be decided then. Auror Moody… I believe you already know your task."

"Yes, Madam," Mad-Eye said, standing up.

He led the four Aurors to Pettigrew where they unbound him from the chair, but kept his binds on his hands. He was led out of the room, surrounded by the Aurors, and looked absolutely resigned to accept his fate.

_Harry, _Ginny said, _ I think Moody is accompanying Peter to Azkaban, to put the Anti-Animagus Charms on his cell. You know what that means…_

_He won't be able to escape that way in two years and two months… but I commanded him, using the Imperius Curse, to break out then._

_Peter isn't that smart, Harry._

_We'll figure it out then. We have to…_

_Okay, _Ginny said, though she sounded doubtful.

_Cheer up, they are going to decide Sirius' fate next._

"Witches and wizards of the Wizengamot," Amelia said, "Less than ten years ago, Sirius Black was sent to Azkaban without so much as a trial. Today, we learned his side of the events that happened before and on October 31st, 1981. You will decide his fate now. If you believe Sirius Black is not being honest with his testimony and is still guilty of the crimes he was sent to Azkaban for, raise your hand.

Nobody raised their hands.

"If you believe," Amelia said, already raising her hand, "that Sirius Black is innocent and has been so these years he was in Azkaban, and therefore should be a free man, raise your hand."

Every hand went up, though Harry noticed that Malfoy and Crouch were the very last to raise their own. Harry felt Tonks fidget in excitement beside him and Ginny did as well. Harry was doing his best not to smile too much.

"Sirius Black," Amelia said, "Please accept my apology, as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, British Branch, on behalf of the Wizengamot, for the wrongdoing that has been given to you for these many years. Today, the wizarding world has been made aware that you cannot always believe what you hear. From this moment forward, you are a free man, Mr. Black. You will be given a substantial amount of Galleons for every year you spent in Azkaban. In addition, you will also be given your wand back. If you have any requests, you can speak directly to me exactly one half-an-hour from now in my office, where you will receive your wand and payment. Welcome back to the wizarding world, Mr. Black. Media, please hold all questions back for now. We will grant you these questions in an hour-and-a-half in the front office of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

Amelia pointed her wand at Sirius' chair and the shackles disappeared. Sirius stretched his hands and bowed slightly to Amelia. Behind the reporters, many of the guests stood up and started applauding. Harry, the Weasleys, and Tonks did as well. Sirius turned and smiled at everyone. And then his eyes widened as he looked toward the back of the room. Harry turned and saw Remus looking at him. Remus nodded toward the hallway and Sirius nodded his head.

Sirius then slowly walked over toward where Harry was standing.

"Hello, Nymphadora," he addressed Tonks, "It is very nice to see you again."

"I think you remember you know better than to call me that, cousin," Tonks said.

Sirius smiled and looked at Harry.

"Harry Potter," he said, "Son of two of the best people I have ever met. I am your godfather, and I apologize for not being there for you all these years. We have much to talk about, I am sure. But first, I must greet an old friend. Two old friends, it seems."

He looked over his shoulder at Amelia, who was talking to Dumbledore.

"Arthur and Molly Weasley," he said, turning back around, "From what Harry said in his witness statement, he is a guest at your house?"

"We have a lot to talk about when it comes to that very subject, Sirius," Mr. Weasley said, "Perhaps we could discuss it sometime?"

"I am free tonight," Sirius said, grinning, "Heck I am free every day!"

"Congratulations," Mr. Weasley said.

"Yes," Mrs. Weasley said, nodding, "Say, Sirius, if you want, you could have dinner with us tonight at our home. We can discuss important matters then. Say, around six? We're hooked up to the Floo Network."

"I'll be there," Sirius said, "I'll talk to you then, Harry. It is so good to see you again."

"Nice to see you, Sirius," Harry said.

Sirius smiled.

"Excuse me," Sirius said, "I must go see my old partner-in-crime… so to speak."

Sirius winked at Harry, and headed out of the courtroom. Harry turned toward the Wizengamot, and saw Crouch, Fudge and Malfoy still sitting where they were. Crouch and Fudge looked very afraid of something. And Harry had to wonder… were they afraid of the repercussions that would be coming their way over the next few days, or were they afraid of something Malfoy was saying to them.

And then, as Harry stood up with the Weasleys to leave, Harry couldn't help but notice that Lucius Malfoy was looking directly at him. He felt Malfoy's eyes on him as he left the courtroom.

-  
**Whew, that was extremely fun to write! I loved writing Sirius' testimony. If Sirius seemed a bit too healthy when he was talking to the Wizengamot, and to Harry, Tonks and the Weasleys, it was because of the adrenaline rush. The idea of freedom, and then freedom itself, was a rush for him.**

**Next chapter will be, if my plans go that way, will be completely in Sirius' Point-Of-View. I have quite a few things planned for him next chapter, and they will set some things up toward the future of the story. Also, I don't know if it is really canon that Sirius was in the Auror Department before he was arrested, by in my story he was. It helps with things coming up soon.**

**Also, Mr. Weasley's age is just my guesswork. Might not be canon.**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I want your opinions in it. Did it seem too easy? Did the Wizengamot seem too easy on Sirius, or did you believe they were doing it to amend mistakes in the past under the threat of so much scrutiny from the wizarding world? If you believed that Peter was too lenient with his answers, remember how Harry commanded him under the Imperius Curse. That was one reason, and the other was, he knew he would probably end up revealing everything under Veritaserum anyway. Of course… when it comes to his use of the Imperius Curse, some things might work against Harry's plans for the future of the story…**


	17. A Sirius Conversation

**Chapter 17  
A Sirius Conversation**

**Author's Note: This chapter begins the moment Sirius walked out of the courtroom.**

Sirius inhaled and exhaled, taking in his first breath of freedom. Several people were standing in the corridor outside the courtroom, but Sirius only had eyes for one person. Remus Lupin was standing against a wall, and when he caught sight of Sirius, he smiled for what might have been one of the first times in weeks.

"Sirius Orion Black," Remus said, "Where have you been for the last nine-and-a-half years of my life?"

Sirius raised his eyebrows, and Remus grinned.

"Wow, Remus," Sirius said, "You do know how to tell a joke! Things have really changed since I've been in the madhouse!"

Remus shrugged. "You don't look too bad for spending so long in Azkaban."

"I'm still better looking than you, Moony!" Sirius said, grinning.

"No, I'm serious," Remus said, then paused for moment and Sirius shook his head when he knew his old friend was waiting for him to make a name-pun, "Okay, you look pale and skinny, nothing some rest, relaxation and food will do... but… well, I hear most prisoners usually go mad in there after so long."

"Are you joking?" Sirius asked, "I've always been mad!"

Remus rolled his eyes.

"Honestly, I survived in there," Sirius said, "because I knew I was innocent. The Dementors couldn't take that away from me. Plus, sometimes I was in my cell as Padfoot, when Aurors didn't come by my cell. Dementors couldn't sense me, really."

Remus frowned.

"I'm sorry, Sirius," Remus said, "I'm sorry I ever thought you were guilty. I should have known better. I do know better… I just never convinced myself to believe it."

"Moony, we both have our faults in this," Sirius said, "You heard what I said during my testimony. I thought you might have been a spy back then. I knew I wasn't the spy, and I couldn't believe Peter could be the spy because he was – well – Peter. But I was wrong about him. And I was wrong about you. So if you can forgive me for that, I can certainly forgive you."

Remus nodded and Sirius saw tears in his eyes. Sirius opened his arms a bit, and Remus smiled and hugged him.

"It is great to have you back, Padfoot," Remus said, patting Sirius on the back and backing away.

"Great to be back," Sirius said.

"Have you given any thought at all," Remus said, "to what you are going to do?"

"Well," Sirius said, "In a few minutes, I have to be on my way up to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to talk to Amelia. That should be interesting."

"Oh, Sirius," Remus said, shaking his head, "You really think Amelia Bones is still attracted to you after nine-and-a-half years of you being in Azkaban?"

"You old dog!" Sirius barked, laughing, "You know I wasn't talking about that."

"I know," Remus said, smiling, "But you were thinking about it, weren't you?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Anyway, after that – well – I guess I'm going to be doing some shopping. I'm joining Harry and the Weasley Family for dinner at six this evening. Harry… well, you saw him."

"He looks so much like James," Remus said, chuckling, "Thought I was seeing my old friend there for a few minutes."

"He still has Lily's eyes," Sirius said, then sighed, "Arthur and Molly want to talk to me about something. I don't know what yet, but I have a few theories. But we'll see…"

"Where are you going to stay?" Remus asked.

Sirius made a face. "Leaky Cauldron for a little while, perhaps. I really don't want to go to Grimmauld Place. But…"

He shrugged. Remus sighed and shook his head.

"Padfoot, mate," Remus said, "I have a place, you know. A small flat. A bit shabby… one bedroom, though, so arrangements would have to be made. But all you would have to do is ask…"

"I don't know, Remus," Sirius said, "I may just end up back in Grimmauld Place."

"That place has to be overrun with Dark creatures," Remus said.

"None worse than that mad old house-elf," Sirius said, laughing, "if he's still alive. Maybe if I'm lucky -"

"Look," Remus said, "Come stay with me for a while. As long as you need. We can work on Grimmauld Place, and if you end up not wanting to live there… sell it."

Sirius nodded.

"I'll think about it," he said, "First I need to go see Amelia."

"Well, at least take me up on the offer to stay at my place for a while," Remus said, "It is connected to the Floo Network, go-word is The Den."

"'The Den'?" Sirius snorted, "Really?"

Remus shrugged and smiled.

"Okay, I'll see you there," Sirius said, "I'll probably stop at the Leaky Cauldron first, since I am getting my vault back, with a – what did Amelia say? – 'substantial amount' of gold added in. I need to buy a few things."

Remus nodded.

"Hey, cousin!" a voice said behind Sirius.

Sirius turned around. He smiled when he saw Andromeda walking over to him. She was carrying a couple large bags with her.

"Andie," Sirius said, "You look lovely."

"You look like you just stepped out of prison," Andromeda said, grinning. "Fortunately, I can fix that. My Ted is roughly your size, and, of course, he had complete faith you would be let go. We also knew you'd look like hell, so he put together one of his outfits for you."

Andromeda offered the two bags to Sirius, and he took them with a small bow of his head.

"Thank you, my dear," Sirius said.

"We never gave up on you, Sirius," Andromeda said, "Even when others were doubting your innocence, we never believed you could do something like that to James and Lily."

"Thank you," Sirius said, "At least there is still some good Black lineage in this world."

"Thank Merlin for that," Andromeda said; she looked over Sirius' shoulder toward Remus. "Hello, Remus. Long time, no see."

"Andie, you look a delight," Remus said, "I saw young Nymphadora. She's grown up to be a lovely young woman. Auror Cadet, isn't she? Wow… last time I saw her she was barely above my waist."

Sirius raised his eyebrows at his mate when a thought went through his head. He brushed it away.

"Well," Sirius said, "I will let the two of you catch up. I need to get changed and meet Amelia. Andie, lovely to see you again. Thank Ted for me, and I will get these back to him as soon as possible. Remus, I'll see you in a few hours."

Sirius bowed slightly and headed off down the corridor.

Fifteen minutes later, he was on the second floor of the Ministry, and on his way to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He was wearing silver-and-black wizarding robes with a pair of black leather jeans and shoes to match. The moment he had seen his outfit, he made a mental note to ask Ted to take him shopping sometime. The man had taste.

Andromeda had also brought a magical razor, that easily trimmed his long beard and his hair down a couple inches. His hair was still long, but suitable. And hopefully he could walk through Diagon Alley later and not be too recognizable yet. He may like attention, but sometimes it became a bit too much. Besides… he didn't know exactly who he could trust. He still remembered that most of the wizarding world thought him guilty, and were going to get a shock when they read the next edition of the Prophet.

"Sirius?" a familiar voice said behind him, as he neared the Department's front door.

Sirius turned and saw Amelia walking toward him.

"You cleaned up nicely," Amelia said, giving him a once-over.

"My dear Amelia!" Sirius said, smiling, "How are you?"

Amelia scoffed. "Less than half-an-hour of freedom and you're as flirty as you were at Hogwarts."

"You started it," Sirius said, with a wink, "Besides, if I remember correctly, 'flirty' was a good look for me back then."

"Uh-huh," Amelia said, a hint of blush in her cheeks; she pushed open the door to her Department, and led Sirius through it, where the front office was located.

"Follow me, Sirius," Amelia said, as she led him across the room, "We have much to discuss, and only an hour to do so before the media will want their say. That reminds me…"

She turned to the desk, where a witch who looked as if she hadn't been out of Hogwarts for very long, was currently reading what looked like a trashy romance novel.

"Samantha," Amelia said, "No messages unless I say so. Oh, and a few men from Magical Maintenance are going to be here to set up for the media event. They won't bother you."

"Are they expecting me to be there as well?" Sirius asked, as they walked toward a door on the other side of the room.

"What do you think?" Amelia asked.

"Maybe the better question," Sirius said, "is are you expecting me to be there?"

Amelia gave a very brief laugh. The secretary finally looked up, and saw Sirius. He smiled and gave her a wink, and she blushed and returned to her book. Sirius grinned to himself. Fresh out of Azkaban, and he still seemed to be a magnet toward women. Amelia cleared her throat, and Sirius looked around.

She was standing near two security wizards who were standing on either side of a mahogany door. Sirius didn't recognize either of them, and when he walked over to the door, he sized the two wizards up. He nodded to them as they looked at him with curious, narrowed eyes, then followed Amelia into the office.

Amelia Bones' office had a nice homely feel to it. Almost everything was made out of some kind of wood. The desk was a nice reddish mahogany, the flooring and walls were wood paneling, and a the file drawers were also wood, instead of the usual metal. fireplace on the left side of the room was the only stone figure there. Amelia summoned a comfy chintz chair on the front side of her desk and Sirius sat down in it, while Amelia went to her own comfortable leather chair.

"Sirius Black," Amelia said, shaking her head, "Will you ever change?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sirius asked.

"I saw you eyeing my secretary," Amelia said. "She's your cousin's daughter's age. May even have been dorm-mates in Hogwarts, those two. Oh, and did I mention she's related to Cornelius Fudge? Like his second cousin through marriage or something. She's only at my desk because her parents wanted her to get a Ministry job."

"Hmm, you seem jealous," Sirius said, grinning, "Are you jealous? I mean… I notice the only family I see in your photos are relatives. Nobody waiting for you when you go home?"

"I'm married to my job," Amelia said.

"That is very sad," Sirius said.

"Uh-huh," Amelia said, "Anyway… let's cut the small talk. The moment I deemed you free, the Gringotts Goblins recognized you as such and you are now the owner of the Black Family Vault. Also a healthy amount of Galleons have been added to the Vault as compensation for your time served."

Amelia took her wand and waved it, not around the room, but toward a drawer on her side the desk. It opened and a box flew out and landed on the table.

"Earlier this morning," Amelia continued, "Before the trial, I went to the Auror Department and retrieved a couple of things for you."

"Aw, Amelia," Sirius said, with a smirk, "Did you have the foreknowledge of the events of the trial? Or were you just very hopeful that things turned out right for me?

"Yes," Amelia said, not revealing which question she had answered.

She took a long thin box out of the bigger box, and handed it to Sirius. He took off the lid from the top of the box and smiled as he saw its contents. Inside was his old trusty wand.

"You're quite lucky to be able to have that, Black," Amelia said.

Sirius looked at Amelia and raised his eyebrows.

"When you were arrested, Bartemius Crouch was all for snapping your wand in two," Amelia said, "But he was overruled."

"Just another thing I need to talk to him about when I see him," Sirius said.

"Sirius," Amelia said, "That isn't a good idea. Barty is already going to get the retaliation from the wizarding world for what he did, I can guarantee that. You don't need trouble from him, believe me."

Sirius shrugged.

"Now," Amelia continued, "while some of the Wizengamot – and I think you might be able to guess some of those who I am talking about – may object against this decision, in the end it is my decision and mine alone. Before you were arrested, you were one of the most promising Aurors in the group, and you could have been high up, or even Head of the Auror Department now if you hadn't been arrested. Therefore… if you accept -"

Amelia took something out of the box, then revealed it as Sirius' old Auror badge.

" - I want to reinstate you as an Auror," she continued; then she raised her hand up, "I don't want you to accept just yet. I want you to think about it, and I will not let you accept until you are back to your full health. I don't need you accepting your job back, then the next day go out into the field and get killed. St. Mungo's will need to clear you for work."

"It might take me a few months to recuperate," Sirius said, "But I will write to you when I am ready."

"All right," Amelia said. "I will hold this badge until that time. Now, is there anything I can do for you?" She frowned and added quickly, "In the business sense, Sirius."

"You know me too well," Sirius said, grinning, "I have two requests. One may be easier for you to accept then the other."

"Name them," Amelia said.

"As you can probably guess," Sirius said, "I am an Unregistered Animagus."

"I figured so when Pettigrew confessed," Amelia said, nodding, "Peter wouldn't have been able to do something like that alone. And I suppose you want to be registered without punishment."

"Like I said," Sirius said, "You know me too well."

"Why do I have a feeling this is the easier of the two requests?" Amelia asked.

Sirius grinned. "As you know, I am the last male heir to the Black Family Legacy at the moment. I would like to be seen as Lord Black by the Ministry –"

"- which would give you some power to do things here in the Ministry," Amelia said, nodding.

"I do not want to be a part of the Wizengamot, Amy," Sirius said, using his old pet name for her.

Amelia narrowed her eyes, but Sirius saw a tinge of blush in her cheeks.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Just the power to have a vote in the decision-making when it comes to the laws of the wizarding world," Sirius asked, "I want to try my hand at creating laws. For example, I want a law passed so that nobody would ever have to go through what I did – every criminal must have a trial. And I would like to see Veritaserum used for cases. Particularly cases in which there is question whether someone is a Death Eater or not, because not everyone is honest in the court of law."

"No, you're just a rare breed," Amelia said.

"Aw, Amy, you do love me!" Sirius said, grinning.

Amelia sighed and shook her head. She looked back up at him. "I can see that isn't all you want, Sirius."

"I also want some of the Wizengamot and higher-ups in this Ministry investigated," Sirius said. "Perhaps not yourself, because you seem trustworthy. Though you could go through it, just so the media doesn't smell anything ugly. I trust you have nothing to hide. But the truth is… I could smell corruption in the Wizengamot from Azkaban. Bribes and blackmail just to name a few."

"That's a big request," Amelia said, raising her eyebrows.

"Oh come now, Amy," Sirius said, "You must know what I'm talking about. Do you honestly trust all of your fellow officials here in the Ministry? Why, I noticed during the trial that you had to ask the members of the Wizengamot to raise their hands if they had any vendettas. That tells me you can see that there are people in those chairs who do not deserve to be there if they can't be entirely objectionable. I see a time for change, Amy. And I think you do too."

Amelia sighed and tapped her fingers on the desk; Sirius could hear the clicking sounds her fingernails made.

"It could take months for anything to begin, Sirius," Amelia said. "Very few people could know what is going on, if this is going to work out. I would have to bring in friends here that I would trust with my life."

"I very much hope I am one of them," Sirius said.

"Okay, I'll work on it," Amelia said, then smiled, "if you promise not to call me Amy anymore."

Sirius barked in laughter. "I see you haven't changed much since Hogwarts either. You always knew how to drive a hard bargain."

Amelia laughed as well and stood up. She walked over to a large portrait on the wall. Sirius hadn't seen this portrait until now, and he recognized its inhabitant.

"Dear Edgar," Sirius said, with a frown, looking at Amelia's late brother and his old mate from the Order of the Phoenix, "Gone too soon."

"Back then too many people went too soon," Amelia said.

Sirius watched as Amelia pulled on one side of the portrait. It moved as if it was a door. Behind the portrait was a small black safe. Amelia turned the lock a few times and the safe clicked and opened. She pulled out a bottle of something and two glasses. She then closed the safe, and put the portrait back in its place, then returned to her desk. Sirius chuckled reminiscently when he saw the bottle.

"Ogden's Old Firewhiskey," Sirius said, then grinned and shook his head, "Oh the memories! Sixth year Yule Ball…"

Amelia raised her eyebrows then laughed. "Lily almost flayed you and James alive when she caught you trying to put it in the punch bowl… only she didn't realize you had put it in the _other _punch bowl already."

"James still couldn't get her to dance with him even when she was tipsy," Sirius said, "Though if I remember correctly… you knew which bowl was spiked and you still had two glasses of it. Not one – two!"

"What can I say?" Amelia asked, as she poured two generous portions into the cups, "I like my firewhiskey."

Sirius lifted the glass in a toast, as did Amelia. She took a drink from her cup and Sirius took one from his. He gasped when he felt the burning sensation of the drink in his throat.

"Wow," Amelia said, "Nine-and-a-half years really did do you in. You used to be immune to the burn."

"Nine-and-a-half years," Sirius said, with a sigh, as he looked at his glass.

"A lot can happen," Amelia said, nodding, "_did _happen."

"I missed seeing my godson grow up," Sirius said, and he felt tears in his eyes. "Out of everything, it is that which has affected me the most. That night, if I just took him away instead of Hagrid – I – ah, I dunno – maybe the prospect of taking care of a kid would have kept me away from checking on Peter that night – or just made me forget about him. Nah, not even then –"

"That doesn't matter anymore, Sirius," Amelia said, "You can do that now."

"Lily's sister is more family to him than I am," Sirius said.

"Sirius," Amelia said, "Harry no longer lives with Lily's sister."

Sirius slowly raised his eyes up from his glass and looked at Amelia.

"But I thought Dumbledore wanted him to live there," Amelia said, "That is why Hagrid took him that night…"

"I don't know much about it," Amelia said, "But apparently Dumbledore visited Harry a week ago, and it was only then that Harry learned he was a wizard. One thing led to another, and Harry now no longer calls Number 4 Privet Drive his home. All the protection wards around that home are gone."

Sirius tried to comprehend what he had just heard.

"Harry didn't know he was a wizard until that moment?" he asked.

"I guess not," Amelia said.

"I should have known!" Sirius growled, "Petunia hated Lily – because of what she was. Called her a freak, if I remember right. Didn't even come to Lily's wedding because of all the witches and wizards that would be there. I-I should have taken him that night. Merlin…!"

"When he gave his residence," Amelia said, "He said he was a guest at Arthur Weasley's house."

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, Arthur and Molly invited me to dinner at their house to discuss a few things. I thought that they wanted to talk to me about Harry getting to know me, but... Harry has no true guardian at the moment, does he?"

"Legally, his guardian is you as his godfather," Amelia said.

Sirius looked back at his glass. "Guardian," he said, shaking his head, "Look at me. I just got out of Azkaban. I'll probably be sleeping on Remus Lupin's couch tonight. While I could afford a nice place with the money I'm getting, I already own Black Manor. Gods, I hate that damn place."

"But," Amelia said, "if you really want to be Harry's guardian…"

"I'd have to either get a nice flat," Sirius said, "or accept my fate and live in that hell-forsaken house again. Which means cleaning it up which could take a while. Heck, getting back on my own feet would take a while…"

Sirius felt his mouth dry.

"I know what Arthur and Molly want to talk to me about," Sirius said; he looked at Amelia, who was nodding, "And so do you, it looks like."

"Would you let them?" Amelia asked, "Even temporarily."

"They know him better than I do, it seems," Sirius said.

"Sirius, if you want my advice, here it is," Amelia said, "You need to make a decision soon. Because soon – very soon, most likely – word is going to get out about Harry's situation. The Wizengamot is going to be hard-pressed to make sure the Boy-Who-Lived has a proper guardian."

"And I'm not going to be seen as a proper guardian," Sirius said, nodding, "Even legally. At least until I can get back on my feet. Okay, I'll talk to Arthur and Molly about it tonight."

Amelia nodded. Suddenly, the door to Amelia's office opened, and Samantha appeared there.

"Damn it, Sammy," Amelia said, "I said no messages."

"I'm sorry, Madam," Samantha said, "It's just… reporters are starting to come in. Looks like they'll all be here very shortly."

"They're early!" Amelia groaned.

"Want me to tell them to come back?" Samantha asked.

Amelia frowned and looked at Sirius.

"I'm ready if you are," he said.

Amelia nodded and looked at Samantha.

"Okay, Sammy," Amelia said, "Tell them I'll be there out there in a couple minutes. Don't let them know Mr. Black will be out there yet. I want it to be a surprise."

Samantha nodded and shut the door.

"Maybe that will give you very few questions, Sirius," Amelia said.

"If you're right, I'll kiss you," Sirius said.

Amelia rolled her eyes and looked at her half-full glass of firewhiskey. She drained it in one, and set the glass down.

"It is a good thing I'm not a lightweight like I was in Hogwarts," she said.

"Shame," Sirius said, grinning.

"Oh, Black, you'll never change," Amelia said.

"I should probably try to change a little," Sirius said, shrugging, "I mean… I am Lord Black and future guardian of Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived."

Amelia laughed and stood up.

"Let me guess, " Amelia asked, "You're going to do everything you can to make sure Harry continues the Marauder's legacy?"

"Oh, undoubtedly so!" Sirius grinned.

He drained the rest of his drink and joined Amelia at the door of her office.

"Ready, Black?" Amelia asked.

"With you, Amy?" Sirius asked, grinning wickedly, "Always."

Amelia smiled and opened the door, and Sirius followed her through it, ready to face the onslaught of reporters.

-  
**Unfiortunately I am not going to do the media session. I might do a bit of it in a newspaper article, but I'm not sure.**

**Okay, so I really like how I am doing Sirius and Amelia's relationship. Things between them will go further as the story progresses, but in order to do that, the story needs to progress! As you can guess, I used "Amy" as a pet-name for Amelia. I know this is common short-name for Amelia, because my Grandma had a friend named Amelia who she sometimes called Amy.**

**So after the next few chapters, I might be skipping a couple months or so! I really want to get to Hogwarts! But I still have a couple big things to do before I do that.**

**So a couple of the things that Sirius discussed with Amelia will come into play as the story progresses, like investigations into the Ministry, but it won't happen for a while, because I have some plans for it and I need other things to happen first.**

**More to come soon! Next chapter will be back in Harry's PoV. Might do a bit from Nicolas Flamel's book, and also Sirius has dinner with Harry and the Weasleys! A few things interesting during that!**


	18. Chapter 18: No Title

**Chapter 18  
No Title**

**Author's Note: ****First off, apologies for this chapter having no title. Could not figure out one. Second, t**o those wondering about Harry's guardianship, this chapter has a big part to play in it. For now, I'll just say that readers WILL get what they want, but it might not come right away. I want things to happen in this story first. I have a big idea coming up pretty quickly.  
  
Harry laid on his bed in the Burrow, dressed in a more comfortable outfit for lazing about, but proper enough for dinner that evening, feeling leagues better than he had that morning. It was a little after half-past-noon. Mrs. Weasley had just treated him, Ginny, Ron and Mr. Weasley to a light lunch, since dinner that evening promised to be filling. Now he had nothing better to do than to roam through his own thoughts.

Sirius was free… an innocent man, and soon, everyone in Great Britain, magic and Muggle would know it. Mr. Weasley had suspected that Cornelius Fudge would inform the Muggle Prime Minister of the news before the day's end. Harry couldn't help but smile. Things were going right so far in this timeline. Sure, there was a chance things could go wrong when it came to Peter Pettigrew, but Harry didn't want to worry about that right now. His plans were going smoothly. He was away from the Dursleys, and Sirius was an innocent man.

Now he just needed to figure out a way for him and Ginny to talk to Sirius alone and let him in on their two secrets. He wasn't sure how Sirius would react, but he figured it wouldn't be too bad. He'd probably get a kick out the whole Soul-Bond thing, and use it as something to make fun of Harry about. And the whole timeline thing… well, it wasn't exactly Harry's fault, but he could almost picture Sirius calling it the "world's greatest prank against Voldemort" if everything went right. This thought alone made Harry chuckle for a good half-a-minute.

_Well, somebody's happy, _Ginny's voice rang in his head.

_Oops. Did you hear me laughing because of our link or for real?_

_Perhaps both. But don't worry. I'm glad you're happy. I like happy-you a lot better than mopey-you._

_Sirius is free two years early, and this time he's actually free to walk around in public. _

_I told you things would work out. Remember our conversation in the orchard? I promised we would do something about the Dursleys and Sirius. _

_Two-for-two, my love._

_Aw, I'd kiss you for that, but I'm trying to read the Soul-Bond book you put in my room. At least I was before I was rudely interrupted._

_Hmm, maybe I should start reading Flamel's book. I have nothing better to do._

_Oh, thanks._

_Hey, you started it. Reading instead of talking to me._

_Touché. This book is strange, though. It talks about how Soul-Bonds were supposed to be received during a marriage ceremony. Like it was supposed to be common. But this make it sounds like pureblood imagination. Something that could be created by magic, not by… well, however we were given it. It says it is supposed to ensure that a married couple stays together, though this makes it sound old-fashioned. When purebloods started to lessen in numbers, and they were desperate to keep the blood going, fathers started selling off their daughters to the best male, even if they were not around the same age as the girl, to continue each line. The way they talk about Soul-Bonds in this book, they make it really sound like a pipe-dream. No wonder most people think it is a fairytale._

_Nicolas Flamel's book will probably have more facts, given that he and his wife are the only other successful Bonded couple._

_Right. Well, if you find anything interesting in that book, share it with me. I'm going to try to find something convincing from this thing. Really… I mean, this cost 10 Galleons, didn't it? _

'_Kay._

Harry kept the link up, but pushed it back a bit so he and Ginny could concentrate elsewhere. He stood up from the bed, and reached under his mattress. He found the book and took it then sat back on the bed. He opened it, and the very first page was an introduction from Nicolas Flamel. This introduction was written in Nicolas' actual writing, while the rest of the book looked typed. Harry started to read the introduction:

_Greetings Readers,_

_If you have purchased this book, then congratulate yourself, because you bought the only edition of it. Be wary when you read this book, for it is not a fiction of any sort. It is a very informative book about what was formerly known as a phenomenon. That's right… the Soul-Bond is very real. My wife and I have experienced it first-hand and, at the time of the publication of this novel, are the only successful Bonded couple to exist in the world, past or present. I say successful because there have been failures. You will read about those failures in these pages. Every page of this book is filled with true information. Most of it was experienced first-hand by myself and my wife. _

_Now I have a question for you, Reader. Are you reading this because you, yourself, and another person, hopefully very close to you, are currently experiencing the wonders of the Soul-Bond? If so, then I am honored that you are reading this. The Soul-Bond is a wonderful gift… as the book-title suggests, it is the greatest gift love can give us. Though I urge you to peruse this book carefully. Be wary of some information, because not every bit of the Soul-Bond is particularly pleasant… at least some events weren't that way when my wife and I experienced them. Nightmare-sharing is just one of these experiences, and there are others. If you indeed are part of a Soul-Bond, please read this thoroughly until you understand it. You will not regret it._

_Please know that this book was written for one purpose. To enlighten a few lucky readers in this world with the wonders of the Soul-Bond. It is a most delightful experience, and I have had quite a few things to experience in my long life. It is my wish that my wife and I are not the only ones to experience this. We can't be the only lucky ones in this world._

_I hope you enjoy my book, and that even if you are not one of the Bonded, you may find that the contents of this book is a delightful subject to read._

_Best wishes and happy reading,  
Nicolas Flamel_

Harry smiled. So Nicolas and Perenelle were indeed the other Bonded couple, and they seemed to have such a great experience with it that they wished to publish a book describing it. But to only publish one copy of the book was an odd move. Harry then remembered what Ragnok had said. It was best if very few people knew about his and Ginny's Soul-Bond, so they would be given their freedoms without issues. Perhaps Nicolas had written this with the hope that it would be found by, or passed on to, a Bonded couple who could use it. If so, then Nicolas got his wish.

Harry turned the pages until he found the Table of Contents. He ran a finger across the pages, until he found what Ragnok had suggested he read:

_Chapter 7: The True Power Of The Soul-Bond_

Goosebumps ran down Harry's back and arms. True power? What did that mean? He skipped through the book to the desired page and found the chapter. Between the chapter number and title was a heart-shape with a wand laying through it diagonally. The wand had three sparks emerging from it. Eager for more, Harry started to read the chapter:

_The True Power Of The Soul-Bond_

_For the first year of the soul-bond, when I was fourteen, and Perenelle sixteen, the worst experience we went through was the nightmares (as described in Chapter 3). At that time, we thought we had faced the worst part of the Soul-Bond, and that everything else we experienced was wonderful._

_And then Perenelle turned seventeen years old - what was considered, by law, the age of consent in the wizarding world at that time._

_Note: Before I continue, I guess I should mention one thing. It is not known why, but the Soul-Bond seems to adapt to society laws and this changes the way the Soul-Bond acts. Perhaps it is so those who experience the Soul-Bond can live a relatively secret life if they wish to do so. So, if the age of consent is changed in society to a different age when you read this book, it is suggested you take that into thought when you peruse this chapter._

_When Perenelle turned seventeen years old, she started to experience things that we could not explain. Below, Perenelle describes her own experience:_

"_The day of my seventeenth birthday was a joyful one for me. I could perform magic outside my teachings without fear of getting in trouble. The first piece of magic I did on that day was hovering a simple plate, and bringing it over to the table, just to prove I could without repercussion. However, when I hovered the plate, it raised high in the air, too high, and crashed into the ceiling, shattering it to pieces. I thought something was odd right then, but when I tried again, I succeeded at my task. So I did not think about it anymore. However, later that day I tried my first attempt at Apparating by myself. I was aiming for the village, which was only five miles away from my cottage. But when I had apparated, I landed not five miles away, but fifty! That was when I realized something was wrong. My magic was powerful. Too powerful._

_There were some good things, I do admit. I could successfully perform charms I had trouble with before. But with the good comes the bad. When I went to go shopping in the village, a few days after my seventeenth birthday, a thief tried to mug me. I cursed him, only wishing to Stun him. The result was the thief ending up in a coma for three months, and no spell could wake him up. I was terrified. I didn't know what was happening to me. Unfortunately I didn't get the answer until two years later…"_

_Two years after my dear Perenelle turned of age, and the age of consent, so did I. By then, Perenelle's magic had calmed down some, but she was still a lot more powerful with spells than she had been. So the terror of those first few months after she came of age was long forgotten… until I turned of age. I experienced the same thing. I dueled an old enemy of mine, and severely injured him, almost killing him. I transfigured a rock to turn it into a small dog, and it ended up turning into a very large wolf. And things progressed from there._

_But that wasn't all that happened to me, and this time Perenelle and I learned about it together._

The page ended there. The rest of the page was blank, and the next page was the beginning of chapter 8. Harry looked at the title of Chapter 8. It looked like it had nothing to do with what Chapter 7 was talking about.

_What the hell? _Harry said, mentally.

_What's wrong, Harry? _Ginny asked, _Find some odd information?_

_Ragnok wanted me to read Chapter 7, and well… it seems the chapter isn't finished. Or the rest of the information was removed from the book somehow._

_Who would remove information from a book?_

_The better question is why? And how? Because apparently this book was in a very hidden bookshop. Whatever this information is… someone didn't want it known._

_Ragnok? _

_No, he wanted us to read it._

_What is the rest of the chapter about? _

_It says when we reach the age of the consent… which I guess is when we turn fourteen, unlike when the Flamels did at 17 back then, because Nicolas writes 'the Soul-Bond seems to adapt to society laws and this changes the way the Soul-Bond acts'. When we reach fourteen years, our body's age, I mean, our magic will heighten ten-fold. That is 'age of consent', and not when wizards are considered 'of age'._

_Ten-fold? That's a lot. _

_Yeah, and our magic knowledge is already very high for our bodily age. _

_That could be dangerous._

_Yeah… and apparently that isn't all that happened to Nicolas and Perenelle. Apparently something happened when Nicolas reached the age of consent that didn't happen to Perenelle._

_Or_ _something happened when they both were old enough to be the age of consent. Perenelle is two years older than Nicolas._

_Yeah… damn it. I wish I knew what happened. What if this is something really dangerous? Perenelle and Nicolas sounded frightened because of the new power, and the next part might have been worse…_

_Good chance of it. _

_Harry, maybe we should write to Ragnok? See what he says? He could talk to the bookshop owner…_

_Yeah, good idea. Okay, I'll write to him._

_Harry, I just thought of something… what if our Soul-Bond changed the prophecy about you? All that 'power he knows not' stuff? The Soul-Bond is all about love, and you'll reach fourteen again before you face Voldemort in the graveyard. See where I'm going with this_?

_It is a lot to think about… okay, I'm going to write to Ragnok. I'm not in the mood to read any more at the moment. I might see if Ron wants to play chess, just to take my mind off things before Sirius gets here._

'_Kay. I'm going to read some more. Love you._

_Love you too._

Harry felt his connection break away, and he scooted down the bed and over to his trunk. He rummaged through it and took a roll of parchment and a Self-Inking Quill out. He then walked over to one of the desks and started to write:

_Greetings, Master Ragnok,_

_I realized I haven't thanked you for delivering the books. I didn't expect them so soon after my visit, and I am very happy with the service. So thank you._

_I am writing because I was reading Chapter 7 of Flamel's book like you suggested, and there was something very odd. It seems like a portion of the chapter is unfinished and a large portion of it is gone. I think someone might have magically charmed the words away so that readers would not know the contents of the information. It seems to be really important and I really want to know what it was. _

_I was wondering if you knew anything about it, or if you could contact the shopkeeper where you bought the book. It isn't very urgent, because it seems whatever the missing information is will not happen for a few years. I thank you in advance for your service. _

_I am also looking forward to my next visit to Gringotts and my vault, but I have not scheduled one yet. So perhaps we will meet again very soon._

_I hope you are well,_

_Harry Potter_

Harry rolled up the parchment, then walked over to Hedwig's cage. When she noticed the parchment in his hand, she hooted and flapped her wings in excitement.

"Your first delivery, Hedwig," Harry said, as he opened the cage, "And it is pretty important."

Hedwig offered her leg and Harry tied the parchment to her talon. She then flew off out of her cage, and out the window. Harry watched her go, and suddenly, as she went half-way into the sky, she disappeared as if a Disillusionment Charm had been placed on her. Harry was shocked for a few moments until he remembered what Ragnok had said in his letter when he delivered the books. All owls sent to Ragnok would be protected by the Goblin's magic. This seemed to be what that protection was.

Harry then walked out of his room in search for Ron and a few games of chess.

* * *

At ten minutes to six that evening, Harry, Ginny and Ron were sitting in the living room. Ron and Ginny were still dressed in their formal wear from the trial. Mrs. Weasley were finishing making the meal for the dinner with Sirius, and Mr. Weasley was outside, modifying the wards to allow Sirius entry into the house.

Over in one of the chairs, Ron was nervously looking at the fireplace every few seconds, as if expecting it to explode. Ginny was straightening out the wrinkles in her dress and trying to pull out a loose string from the end of it. Harry was happy to see he wasn't the only one nervous.

"What if he doesn't like me?" Ron asked quietly.

"Of course he'll like you," Ginny said.

"He didn't really look at me today," Ron said.

"He was more focused on his godson and cousin, Ron," Ginny said.

Ron nodded and looked at Harry. "Are you okay, mate?"

Harry shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

"I understand if you're not worried," Ron said. "The man looked like he was going to break down in front of you. That whole story about how he took you from your parents' house and –"

He blanched and looked away from Harry.

"Sorry," Ron said, "I shouldn't talk about that."

"It's okay," Harry said, "It's not like I can remember much."

"I'm sure your godfather will tell you a lot," Ron said. "About your parents, I mean."

Harry nodded. He was saved responding when the fire in the fireplace turned green.

"He's coming!" Ginny announced rather loudly.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, the former who had just returned inside from doing the wards, hurried into the living room.

"Stand up, kids," Mrs. Weasley said, "Show some respect."

Harry, Ginny and Ron stood up, just as smoke and ash filled the room. Harry heard a whooshing sound, followed by footsteps. He then heard Mr. Weasley mutter something and a blowing wind swept the smoke and ash away. Sirius stood there, wearing black-and-grey wizarding robes and looking much better than he had that morning.

"Sirius," Mr. Weasley said, "Welcome to the Burrow."

"Hello everyone." Sirius said, looking around; he looked at each of the Weasleys, and Harry in turn. The latter he looked at the longest, "Wonderful place you have here, Arthur, I can see why it attracted Pettigrew –"

He frowned and looked on apologetically.

"Sorry," he said, "I'm sure you'd just like to forget about that and move on."

"Well, come on," Mrs. Weasley said, giving a warm smile, "How about we take this into the kitchen? Dinner is almost ready."

"Excellent," Sirius said, "I'm being spoiled today, it seems. Tom at the Leaky Cauldron gave me two helpings of the Special for lunch, for free, when he saw me and demanded that I tell him what happened today. Of course, I told him that the wizarding world will know everything soon, but he wanted to know right away. Hasn't changed that man. And now…here I am about to have dinner with you good people."

Sirius smiled, and Harry waited until the Weasleys walked into the kitchen. Harry then led Sirius in, and he sat down at the table beside Ginny, and Sirius sat on the other side of him. Already set out on the table was salad, dinner rolls, mashed potatoes and a tureen of gravy. There was also two jugs of butterbeer. The smell of roast wafted throughout the kitchen as Mrs. Weasley took it from her oven and set it on the table.

"Wonderful," Sirius said, as Mrs. Weasley sat down, "Haven't seen a meal like this since I had dinner at James and Lily's house a few months before… before everything happened."

"Well, then eat up, Sirius, and everyone," Mrs. Weasley said.

The next couple of minutes were silent as everyone started to fill their plates; Mrs. Weasley kept offering Harry and Sirius more and more before their plates were filled with a bit of everything.

"So where are you staying right now, Sirius?" Mr. Weasley asked, "I know with your mother long gone, you own that place out on Grimmauld Street."

"It might be some time before I step foot into there," Sirius said. "Truth is, I haven't been there since my heinous mother kicked me out… almost literally. Thankfully, your father, Harry – a saint, that man was, especially to me – he and your grandparents were so wonderful to me and let me stay at their place for a while, before I got a load of gold from an Uncle I barely knew and bought my own flat. But at the moment, I'm staying with my good friend, Remus Lupin, at least for the foreseeable future."

"You don't want to go to your old house?" Harry asked, as he felt Ginny's presence in his mind.

"What you must understand, Harry," Sirius said, "is that place – in some ways it was worse than Azkaban. It hasn't been lived in since my dear mother died, and do pardon me if I do not wish her soul a good rest. Merlin knows how many Dark objects are in that place and what else that house is infested with – creatures, I mean, Dark ones: doxies, boggarts, quintapeds, you name it, it might be there. The house-elf we had – Kreacher - if he is still alive, he would have had nobody around to tell him what to do, and he was always a lazy, good-for-nothing beast. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not cruel to anyone or anything, but this house-elf – well, let's just leave it at the fact that he never had a nice word to say to me or about me."

"Actually, I am more interested in some of those Dark objects you say the house may hold, Sirius," Mr. Weasley said, "I'm sure my Department – that's the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts, you see – and other Departments may want a look-see in there."

"I wouldn't dream of saying 'no', Arthur," Sirius said, "If I don't have to deal with it myself, I don't want to. We can talk about that later. Not good table-talk, I'm sure."

_Harry, _Ginny said, focusing on the roast on her plate, _if Dad and the Ministry raid that place with that locket still in there…_

_Yeah, I know, Ginny, _Harry said, as he took a sip of butterbeer, _I'll talk to Sirius after dinner. No one here will find it strange I'd like a few minutes of alone time with him._

Yeah, good idea.

"Now," Sirius said, "I believe, Arthur, you said you had an important topic you wished to discuss with me tonight."

Mr. Weasley looked at Mrs. Weasley, who nodded. He then looked back at Sirius.

"I'm not sure what all you've heard, Sirius," he said, "since you left the courtroom today. But at this moment, your godson – well – a few days ago, Harry was kicked out of his relatives' house."

"I heard very little bit about that," Sirius said, nodding; he looked at Harry, "and I want you and I to have a discussion about that sometime, Harry – perhaps after dinner? I want to know what happened when you were in the care of Lily's sister and that walrus of a husband of hers. If it was enough for them to kick you out or make you leave, then – well – I'm sure it isn't good table talk either."

"Okay," Harry said, nodding, "we can talk after dinner."

_Good, _Ginny said, _Now nobody will think it odd. _

_I can't tell him everything tonight. It would take too long._

Yeah, and I want to be there with you when you talk about it. We'll figure it out, Harry.

"Go on, Arthur," Sirius said.

"Well," Mr. Weasley said, "Harry doesn't have so much as a proper guardian at the moment. He's been living here since Saturday afternoon. I know that since you are back amongst the general population, you would be seen as his rightful guardian –"

"I was actually having a discussion about this with my old friend, Madam Bones," Sirius said, "And she believes that I may not be seen fit for the duties of a proper guardian by the Ministry at this moment. I can understand that – it's been less than twelve hours since I've been free. Good food like this, and being away from those horrible Dementors and cursed walls is doing a good service to me. But it will take a few months for me to be the proper wizard I was before I was snatched up and carded off to Azkaban. I don't know what you were expecting, Harry, and maybe by the time you come back after your first year at Hogwarts, you'll be able to live with me, but right now I wouldn't be able to be your guardian, no matter what I want."

Harry nodded. "I think I can understand that."

"Well," Mr. Weasley said, "that would give Harry no guardian at the moment, and the Ministry would have a field day with this one."

"'Boy Who Lived' – no offense, Harry, on that one – without a home," Sirius said, nodding, "That wouldn't bode well."

"Molly and I would love to be Harry's temporary guardians, Sirius," Mr. Weasley said, "Even if it is only until – like you said - Harry comes back from his first year at Hogwarts. I talked to the Ministry about it, and they said they would get back to me on what to do. I'm sure they'd be interested in what you would have to say."

"Well," Sirius said, smiling, "How can I say 'no'? I mean, I know the Weasleys are all about family, and this home looks very welcoming. And… well… you look extremely happy to be here, Harry."

"Yeah," Harry said, "I'm not sure how it will compare to living with you though."

Sirius barked a laugh. "James was meant to be the father out of my friends, kid. Heck, maybe even Remus, though – no, perhaps not, now that I think about it. I thought your Dad was mental naming me godfather. I was the wild one in the bunch. But maybe after spending time with this lot, you'll need someone like me to put you right – and by that I mean, make you just as mental as your father."

Harry grinned.

"Well, Arthur," Sirius said, "As long as Harry's happy with the arrangements, I am happy. We'd have to make it official in front of the Wizengamot, you understand. Of course, I can hardly say a good word about some of those folks, so hopefully everything will go fine with them. Which it should, as long as there is no snags. If it is monetary issues, you understand, I'd give a few Galleons if needed."

"We're not one for charity, Sirius," Mrs. Weasley said, smiling.

"I heartily respect that, Molly," Sirius said, bowing his head a little, "But those filthy, old-fashioned purebloods the Wizengamot likes to be made up of – which is most of them – they might not like it, especially since it is the famed Harry Potter as the subject of this whole business. But with me as Harry's godfather, I have a say, and they are not likely to cross me, what with the retaliation about my whole situation coming back to bite them –" he looked at Mrs. Weasley, and added - "well, coming back to bite them, and I'll just leave it at that" with a wink to the children.

Ron and Ginny chuckled.

"Well, not that we're done with that topic," Mr. Weasley said, "What are you going to do with your freedom, Sirius?"

"Well, if Remus gets his way, he and I are going to try to clean up the Black Manor," Sirius said, "Even if I don't live there, I can sell it. I wouldn't mind. The family I do appreciate wouldn't disown me for it, and the others – well – most of them are in Azkaban or should be there. In a few months, when I am fit for it, Madam Bones is giving me back my Auror badge – I was an Auror, you see, before I went to Azkaban."

"Congratulations," Mr. Weasley said, "The Aurors could use you back in their Department."

"It is where I should be," Sirius said, "One of the things you hear when locked up in Azkaban, is stories from other inmates, at least those who aren't lost in their own heads. And a lot of them were those who were caught during the days – err – You-Know-Who – was still around. And from what they say – there are still those whom are free who should be in Azkaban. I know a good number of those who supported You-Know-Who gave some rubbish tale about being under the Imperius Curse and breaking free of it when You-Know-Who disappeared. I don't believe that at all. And when I get my badge back, I'm going to be looking for them."

"That sounds dangerous, Mr. Black," Ron said.

"Please, lad, call me Sirius," Sirius said, "Mr. Black was my no-good father. And yes, it is dangerous, but I know what I'm doing, young Weasley. Maybe in seven, eight years when you're out of Hogwarts, and the off-chance there are You-Know-Who supporters around, you might understand what I mean."

He looked at Harry.

"You too, kid," Sirius said, "I can already see that you would be a brilliant Auror."

"That is what your cousin said," Ginny said, "That Cadet. She said Harry would be a good Auror."

"Tonks," Sirius said, nodding, "Don't call her by her first name, she hates it. What do you think?"

"Harry would be a brilliant Auror, yeah," Ginny said.

_I think you have said that before, love._

Ginny grinned.

"Well," Sirius said, "We'll see where we are in seven, eight years. If you're lucky kid, I'll save you a bad guy or two to send to Azkaban."

Harry grinned and nodded.

Over the next half-an-hour or so, as dinner went on, and moved onto dessert (a nice apple tart), conversation went to less serious things. Sirius wanted to know some things about Harry, but the subject had not turned to the Dursleys yet. Sirius also wanted to know more about the four Weasleys, and in return, they wanted to know some things about Sirius, before he went to Azkaban.

"Well," Sirius said, after his second plate of tart, "Molly, I am stuffed. If Harry's done, I'd like to have a bit of time alone to talk to him."

"Of course, Sirius," Mrs. Weasley said, "I already expected you'd want a heart-to-heart. You deserve one after so long."

Sirius smiled and looked at Harry. He motioned outside and Harry nodded. Suddenly, an eagle-owl flew in through the open window and dropped a scroll of parchment on Mr. Weasley's plate, then flew away.

"What's this, I wonder?" Mr. Weasley murmured.

He unrolled and started to read. Harry watched as his eyes traveled back and forth across the parchment. Then his eyebrows narrowed and he frowned.

"What is it, Arthur?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"It is about Harry's guardianship," Mr. Weasley said, "We have a challenger against our request to be Harry's guardian. Lucius Malfoy has made a request to take the role of guardian to Harry."

-  
**Cliffhanger!**

**Remember a few chapters back how I said Harry might see the Wizengamot courtrooms more than once in the near future? This is the other thing I was talking about. It has been on my mind for a while, and I love how it is playing out. Of course, Sirius will have a say in Harry's guardianship, but what will Lucius Malfoy bring to the table? You'll just have to wait and see.**

**Next chapter, however, is part one of Sirius' talk with Harry. It isn't the big conversation everyone is waiting for. But it is leading up to it. That, too, will happen soon. I recently said I have two events I am looking forward to before I do a bit of a time-skip in this story and move on to Harry's first year at Hogwarts. The guardianship hearing, and Harry and Ginny's conversation with Sirius are the two events I was talking about. I am looking forward to both of those.**

**The other big part of this chapter is the information in the Flamel book, and the missing information in the book. Unfortunately, I have some bad news about that. Remember the sequel I was planning? Yeah, well the missing information has to do with my plans for the sequel, and unfortunately, you may not found out about the information until then. So yeah, this was an ultimate teaser. Sorry about that! If, in the future, it turns out I don't want to write the sequel, after I finish this story… at this moment, the sequel is a long ways a way from now, but it is probable… then I will find a way to put that missing information in this story. If you are familiar with Soul-Bond stories, however, you may already know the subject of that missing information.**

**So I hope you liked this chapter! More to come! I've said it before, but thank you again for reading, reviewing this story and putting it on favorites. The response is amazing already, and we have a long way to go. Thank you again. I write this for you as well as me, because like you, I too am wondering where I can take this story**.


	19. Padfoot and Prongslet

**Chapter 19  
Padfoot and Prongslet**

**Author's Note: Title explanation time! To those who do not know, Prongslet is usual nickname for Sirius to Harry in fan-fiction (though he does not call him so in this chapter). It was the only good title I can think of. Sometimes a good chapter title is hard to come by! As of this update, this story now has over 100+ reviews. Thank you for such response!  
**  
_Previously on "Harry Potter And The Bonds Of Time"..._

"What is it, Arthur?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"_It is about Harry's guardianship," Mr. Weasley said, "We have a challenger against our request to be Harry's guardian. Lucius Malfoy has made a request to take the role of guardian to Harry."_

* * *

Voices of shock and disbelief emerged from the table's occupants.

"Damn him – sorry for the French, Molly," Sirius added quickly, "But that lousy pure -"

Sirius growled.

"Nothing good can come out of this, mark my words," he said, "Lucius Malfoy does not have any good reasons for wanting guardianship of you, Harry. He may have brainwashed the Ministry into believing his lies, but he's so deep in the Dark Arts, I can smell him from here."

"You think he wants Harry just so he can raise him up to be a – a Dark Arts supporter?" Mrs. Weasley asked, her voice shaking in rage and fear.

"A good chance at that, Molly," Sirius said.

"But we can do something about this, can't we?" Ginny asked, "I mean – you have more say out of this, than anyone does, right Sirius?"

"Money talks in the Ministry, Ginny," Sirius said, "and Lucius has a lot of it. Arthur, let me see that letter."

Arthur handed the letter to Sirius, who put it on the table between him and Harry. Harry looked at it and began to read:

_Greetings Mr. Arthur Weasley,_

_Let me introduce myself. My name is Samuel Beauford of Almond, Beauford & Lynch, Wizarding Attorneys-At-Law. I represent one Lucius Malfoy and his estate._

_Mr. Malfoy contacted me this afternoon and said that he was doing a bit of researching – of the legal kind, mind you – in the Ministry, and he found that you are currently housing one Harry James Potter. Now, as I am sure you know, young Mr. Potter has no Ministry-approved legal guardian, and is, in essence, a ward of the Ministry of Magic._

_It has come to Mr. Malfoy's understanding – and through his, my own – that you and your wife have requested a hearing in front of the Wizengamot to take the role of guardian to Mr. Potter. Well, that is just fine with me, Mr. Weasley, but unfortunately for you, Mr. Malfoy thinks otherwise. As of this afternoon, he has also requested to become the guardian for Mr. Potter._

_So this is what is going to happen. We understand that this is a big shock for you, and Mr. Malfoy understands that for the past few days Mr. Potter has been a guest at your house. That is just fine for him, and he will not complain to the Ministry if Mr. Potter remains a guest for now. But in exactly one month from now, June 11__th, at noon, it is requested that Mr. Potter, and yourself, or whomever wishes to accompany him, be present in Courtroom Five, where a hearing will take place and it will be decided by the Wizengamot who will become the guardian of Harry James Potter._

_Now, according to the research – again, legal – Mr. Malfoy understands that you are not as – shall we say – wealthy as many purebloods are. If you so request, myself and my partners at Almond, Beauford & Lynch will find a suitable attorney to represent you at this hearing. If you accept, please send an owl post toward me and I will get back to you as soon as possible._

_Wishing you a pleasant day,_

_Samuel Beauford_  
_Almond, Beauford & Lynch_

"Absolute – pureblood – trash!" Sirius growled, rolling up the parchment into a ball, making it tighter with each word. "Samuel Beauford – ha! I knew this creep in Hogwarts. Slytherin as they come, a couple years above myself, and probably got to know Lucius Malfoy while he was there. Lucius was a prefect, fifth year, I believe when I became a first year. I'm sure Lucius did Samuel a load of favors. I'm sure he did… Beauford was not – shall we say – well-endowed, and he used to get bullied a lot. Malfoy probably saved his backside quite a bit. Oh, and he says he 'will find a suitable attorney to represent you at this hearing'? Ha… more like someone who will, too, be in the pocket of Lucius Malfoy! This is a ploy, Arthur. Plain and simple. Fortunately, you have me on your side, and I know how these minds work. We have a month to prepare, Beauford says – that is Malfoy's downfall, I assure you."

Sirius harrumphed and looked at Harry.

"Don't worry, kid," he said, "Lucius Malfoy and Samuel Beauford won't know what hit them. Now, I think you and I were going to have a conversation before Mr. Beauford decided to interrupt our wonderful dinner party. What say you, Harry? A trek around the Weasley plot?"

Harry nodded.

"We'll be back very shortly, Arthur, Molly," Sirius said, "Thank you for dinner, and do not fret at all about Lucius Malfoy. I'll take care of it."

"Thank you, Sirius," Mr. Weasley said.

Sirius bowed lightly, and he and Harry walked outside. Neither talked as they walked up the driveway, but Harry could tell Sirius was fuming. They reached the top of the driveway, just inside the wards, and started walking across the plot.

"Purebloods," Sirius scoffed. "Now, don't get me wrong, Harry. There are some good purebloods in this world. I'm one of them, your father was one of them, and that dear family back there – probably the best lot. But most of my family, and quite a few other Purebloods, including Lucius Malfoy – no good. Sad to say I am actually related, through marriage, to that filth of a man. His wife, Narcissa, is one of my cousins. She's Andromeda's sister, you know Andie's daughter, of course. I know Narcissa and Lucius have a kid, and I can already tell that boy is just like his father. That boy is nothing like you are, I'm sure of it. Lucius Malfoy, guardian of Harry Potter. Not on my damn watch! And the nerve of Lucius to sit next to Cornelius Fudge at the trial. Well, I expect Fudge is in Malfoy's pocket too. Not surprising…"

Sirius harrumphed and looked at Harry.

"But enough ranting from me about that," Sirius said, "We'll take care of it. I promise you. No Potter is going to be a ward of Lucius Malfoy. Okay… so, obviously I wanted us to come out here to talk about you. About Lily's sister and the way she treated you, which I expect was not very well. But I have this strange feeling you want to talk to me about something, kid."

"Yeah," Harry said, "Actually I do."

"Name it," Sirius said, "Want to know about your parents? Lily's sister never talked about your Mum, did she? I'm all ears."

"Nothing like that… no this is more serious," Harry said, then quickly added, "And no puns from you, I mean it."

"Damn it!" Sirius groaned, "I've been wanting to get you on one of those."

Harry laughed then sobered up. "Sirius, I have something to tell you. But I can't tell you right now. And not here."

"Keeping a secret, kid?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," Harry said, nodding, "And not just one. Two."

"It sounds more serious than a couple of innocent, pre-adolescent 'I stole a cookie from the cookie jar' kind of thing," Sirius said.

"Definitely," Harry said, "In fact, only one other person knows one of my secrets right now. And four people and one goblin know the other one. And out of the four in that house, only one of them know my secrets."

"I'm going to take a wand-shot in the dark," Sirius said, "And say it is that little lady you were sitting next to."

Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise. "H-how do you know that?"

"I noticed you and her looking at each other once or twice during dinner," Sirius said, "You seemed to be saying something without words. Now, I'm going to take a guess and say this is not anything romantic between you two yet."

Harry shrugged. Truthfully, it was…

"Oh, come now, Harry," Sirius said, "You're not even eleven! Oh, you're definitely James Potter's son. Pining after red-heads! Ha!"

"Sirius," Harry said, sighing.

"All right," Sirius said, "I'll bite. And no poet jokes, kid!"

He looked at Harry and frowned for a moment.

"This isn't a joke, is it?" Sirius asked.

"No," Harry said.

"I can tell," Sirius said, nodding, "Okay. Let's see. This Saturday, lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. Private room, I think. We can talk about it there. And if you want your – girlfriend – there, she can come too."

"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley can't know about this yet," Harry said, frowning, then had an idea, "But I think she can be there. Oh, that reminds me. How well do you know Occlumency?"

"You know what Occlumency is?" Sirius asked, impressed.

Harry raised his eyebrows, but said nothing.

"Okay, no questions," Sirius said, "I'll wait till Saturday. Yes, Harry, I do in fact know Occlumency. Between my lessons as a child in Black Manor, and my teachings in the Auror academy, I'm a well-accomplished Occlumens. So… I'm guessing that these secrets you're going to tell me… you want to make sure nobody – not even accomplished Legilimens – can know about it."

"All evidence supports that one Legilimens does know about one of the secrets," Harry said, "As much as I hate that he does. But yes… these are too important."

"You hooked me in, kid," Sirius said, "I'm interested."

"There is one other thing, Sirius," Harry said, "And I can't tell you why right now. You'll understand on Saturday. You can't allow Mr. Weasley or anyone from the Ministry inside Black Manor yet. And you can't take anything out until I tell you on Saturday."

"What do you mean, kid?" Sirius asked.

"There's something in your house, Sirius," Harry said, "Something really important. You'll understand more about it –"

"On Saturday," Sirius and Harry said together.

"Yeah," Harry said.

Sirius sighed and looked at Harry. "Well, kid," Sirius said, "Either this is an outstanding prank – which I wouldn't doubt – not when it comes to the son of James Potter – or this is something really important. Whatever it is, I'll play my part."

"Thanks," Harry said.

"Hey," Sirius said, "That is what my role of godfather is for… and now, I must play another role as godfather. I want to hear what Petunia and her good-for-nothing walrus of a husband did to you. And don't go holding anything back. I mean it, Harry. I'm used to no-good relatives."

Harry sighed and put his hands in his pockets. He looked at the ground and said nothing for a good minute as he and Sirius walked along the plot.

"My uncle and aunt didn't tell me anything about my wizarding side," Harry said.

"I know that much," Sirius said, "Madam Bones – she hears things."

"For a long time," Harry said, "Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia told me my parents died in a car crash."

Sirius stared at Harry, his eyes wide.

"Preposterous!" he growled,, "Vernon Dursley, I could understand. But Petunia lying to you about your Mum? I know Petunia hated her, but –"

"They also told me my father was a good-for-nothing jobless drunk," Harry said.

"Damn them!" Sirius scowled. "Good-for-nothing? Oh, definitely not. Drunk? Well – perhaps during wild parties at Hogwarts, sure. But nothing that would define what your relatives probably meant. Jobless – eh, you saw your inheritance vault, right? You know your parents were rich. The Potters had a load of gold. James didn't need to work. But he did – oh, it wouldn't be in the Ministry records, no. James and Lily were both part of something far more important than a couple jobs at the Ministry. Hell, so was I, but I was an Auror to get inside information."

"I know about the Order of the Phoenix, Sirius," Harry said.

Sirius raised his eyebrows and stared at Harry. "Saturday?"

"Saturday," Harry agreed.

"Right," Sirius said, with a sigh. "Okay, what else did that trash of a Dursley do to you?"

"I was sleeping in a cupboard from the night Dumbledore put me on the doorstep of Number 4 Privet Drive, until the day Dumbledore told me I was a wizard," Harry said, then laughed, "Ironic coincidence, now that I think about it."

"A cupboard?" Sirius asked, "Even as a babe?"

Harry nodded. "Sometimes I was locked in there for a week with very few meals. None, sometimes. One time, when I was – eh, five or six – I broke my arm because Dudley pushed me down a couple stairs, and I was crying in the cupboard for a whole day before the Dursleys took me to the emergency room. I had to do chores every day. I cooked breakfast almost every day, and the occasional dinner. Can't be too unhappy there. I'm a good cook now. Let's see… I had to wear Dudley's hand-me-downs, and the kid is a great porker of a boy, mind you. If I did better than Dudley in school, I got punished for it."

"And he is as dim as a Flobberworm, isn't he?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah," Harry said, "The only relief I got was when I had to be babysat by Arabella Figg"

"The squib?" Sirius asked, "Ha! Dumbledore must have put her near you to watch over you. And Dumbledore did nothing even though ol' Figgy would have known you looked underfed and abused. Well, I might have to have a word with Albus 'I have a long middle name' Dumbledore. And those Dursleys too!"

"Sirius," Harry said, frowning, "Please don't bother the Dursleys. I am done with them. I don't want to even think about them anymore."

"They can't get away with this!" Sirius said, "Your Mum and Dad wouldn't have –"

"If Mum and Dad could were here to do something," Harry said, "I wouldn't have ever had to meet the Dursleys, Sirius. Oh yeah, and I would know you a lot longer than a bit less than twelve hours at the moment."

Sirius frowned and nodded. "There's a lot of truth in that, kid."

"Sirius, you just got out of Azkaban," Harry said. "I am not seeing you go back because you have a vendetta against the Dursleys for what they did to me. And that means no pranks!"

"Oh, come now," Sirius said, "I can do some good transfiguration. Vernon would make a very funny looking pig."

"Sirius," Harry said, "No. Pranks."

"Hmm," Sirius said, frowning, "If you didn't look like a ten-year old James Potter, I might have had to check and see if Remus Lupin had an affair with Lily. Because you sound like him."

Harry rolled his eyes.

"All right," Sirius said, raising his hands in surrender, "I'll leave those bastards alone. Besides… I have a bigger bastard to take care of. Ol' Lucy's not going to know what hit him. Nobody messes with Sirius Orion Black or the kid of James Potter and gets away with it."

"Just make sure you do it legally," Harry said.

"You're no fun, kid," Sirius said, grinning, "All right. I think we need to go back inside. Don't worry about anything. I can take care of it all, including this little private lunch on Saturday."

Harry nodded and followed Sirius back to the Burrow. When they arrived, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were in the kitchen, and Harry could see Ron and Ginny playing wizard's chess in the sitting room.

"Did you two have a good discussion?" Mrs. Weasley asked, from the washtub she was magically cleaning dishes in.

"It was quite… illuminating," Sirius said, "But I think Harry and I have a few more things to discuss soon. Molly, I want to thank you for your delightful dinner. I also hope you can allow Harry to have lunch with me in the Leaky Cauldron this Saturday? Just a little something as a proper godfather."

"I think that would be all right," Mrs. Weasley said, smiling.

"Wonderful!" Sirius said, "Now… unfortunately I must be going. I have some things to do over the next few days, and I am definitely going to need to look into this Malfoy business. Arthur, I'll talk to you more about those dark objects in Black Manor, but I'm going to be too busy at the moment to do too much. Perhaps sometime next week?"

"Whenever you wish, Sirius," Mr. Weasley said, "It will give me time to set things up anyway."

"Wonderful," Sirius said, "And as I said, do not worry one bit about Lucius Malfoy and Beaumont. If he sends you any letters this week, give them to Harry, and he can pass them on to me."

"Of course," Mr. Weasley said.

He stood up and walked over to Sirius, and extended his hand.

"It was a delight to see you again," he said.

Sirius shook his hand. "You too, Arthur," he said, "We'll have to do this again. Molly, excellent dinner. Any more like that, and I might come back every night!"

Mrs. Weasley smiled warmly. "I was happy to have you join us."

"Now I really must be off," Sirius said. "Harry, will you see me out?"

Harry nodded and led Sirius to the sitting room.

"Ron," Sirius said, "Ginny. It was a pleasure to meet you too."

"You too," Ginny said.

"Yeah," Ron said.

"Ron," Sirius said, "I can't promise anything, but I feel very responsible for the reason you don't have a pet anymore. So, I might have a going-to-Hogwarts surprise for you before too long."

"You don't have to do that," Ron said, his eyes on the floor.

"Rubbish!" Sirius said, then looked at Harry, "I'll see you on Saturday, Harry. Noon?"

"Yes," Harry said, "I'll be there."

Sirius smiled. He then took out a small bag from his pocket and poured a handful of green Floo Powder into his hand and threw it into the fire. He then took another handful and put the bag back in his pocket. He bowed very slightly in goodbye to Harry, Ginny and Ron and walked into the fireplace.

"The Den!" he said, dropping the Floo Powder.

Sirius disappeared in a roar of green flame, and Harry looked longingly at the fireplace.

"Where are you going on Saturday, mate?" Ron asked.'

"Eh?" Harry asked, distracted; he turned to Ron, "Oh. I'm having lunch with Sirius at the Leaky Cauldron."

"Brilliant," Ron said, "That'll be good for you two."

Harry nodded, and sat on the couch next to Ginny. "Hey, I got winner, eh?"

"Won't take long," Ron said.

"Ha!" Ginny scoffed.

_So? _Ginny asked Harry,as she moved a pawn forward on the board, _Lunch on Saturday with Sirius? I guess that is when you'll tell Sirius. I didn't listen in on your conversation with him. It was private._

_Thanks. Yeah, I'll tell Sirius everything then. No, we'll tell him. I want you to be there. You can teleport to me. Make an excuse to your Mum or something. We should do this together._

_Hmm… I think I can do that. I'll figure something out to tell Mum before then._

_Good._

Ron moved a pawn forward and then scowled as it was taken by Ginny's rook.

_Harry, I had a thought about Lucius Malfoy. During this hearing in a month… if things go bad, you can always pull out the hidden ace up your sleeve._

_What's that?_

_The Soul-Bond, Harry! The Emancipation rule. If Sirius and my parents can't do anything… if it looks like the Wizengamot is going to go Malfoy's way, we can reveal the Soul-Bond to everyone. Yes, we'll have to further explain it to my parents, but I'll make that sacrifice if I must. Malfoy will not get away with this._

_Ginny…_

Ron took out Ginny's rook with his queen and claimed check. Ginny scowled and moved her king out of harm's way. Ron moved his queen back and Ginny moved another pawn forward to begin another assault.

_No, Harry. Emancipation lets you declare your own guardianship and you could still live or with Sirius. I will be living here anyway… I can't do that to Mum, no matter how much I'd love to return to Potter Manor instead. Look… Sirius will agree with me too once he hears about our Soul-Bond._

Fine… if it goes that way. You know, you brought up another point: Potter Manor.

_Yeah, so?_

_We could ask Sirius if he wants to live there. He'd still keep Black Manor for now, but he doesn't have to live there. It would help Sirius' health, and after my first year, I can live there too._

_Good plan. Besides, we need a place to keep the Horcruxes until we can destroy them, and Potter Manor is well-protected. _

_Right. _

_Okay… well, we'll see how things go on Saturday. I'm closing the link for now, before Ron asks me if I'm feeling okay. Seriously… it might be better for our Soul-Bond to be discovered. I hate having to risk it when I want to talk to you like this._

_We'll discuss it later. Link closing…_

Five minutes later, Ron defeated Ginny and Harry took over. They played for a couple hours until Harry said he was getting tired. He headed up the stairs and into his room, where he found that Hedwig had returned and was sleeping in her cage. A scroll of parchment was laying on Harry's bed. He walked over to the bed and picked up Ragnok's letter, then unrolled it and began to read:

_Mr. Potter,_

_Your letter came at a good time. I was meaning to write to you anyway. I'm sure by now you've heard about this business with Lucius Malfoy's guardianship request over you. You do know that your Soul-Bond gives you the right of emancipation. I doubt you wish to be a ward of Lucius Malfoy, and I would be against it whole-heartedly if you did. It is better if you and your bond-mate be close together. However, you probably remember our discussion about keeping your Soul-Bond status a secret, and declaring emancipation in front of the Wizengamot would go against that entirely. I suggest using it only as a last-move kind of deal._

_But I can also help you with this. Money talks, as the Muggles say. And goblins hear a lot of things. I know all about this Samuel Beaumont. He has a lot of questionable dealings. Perhaps we continue this discussion face-to-face soon. Reply soon if this is good for you._

_As for your letter. What you mentioned is very concerning to me. I did not look through the book when I bought it… only through the table of contents, and that is how I knew to tell you where to read. However, to discover that much of this chapter has been removed is quite worrisome indeed. I will indeed have a discussion with the bookshop keeper and see what he knows. The investigation may take me even deeper from there. But as I oversee your vault, I too will also oversee this problem and hope to rectify it soon. Thank you for letting me know and do not fret over it._

_I hope to hear from you very soon._

_May your riches be ever plentiful,_

_Ragnok, Overseer_

Harry sighed as he looked over the letter again. Another suggestion to use the tool of emancipation against Lucius Malfoy, except this one was to use it only if everything else failed.

He looked at Hedwig who was still fast asleep in her cage. He walked over to the cage and silently shut the door. He would write to Ragnok, but that would wait until tomorrow. For now, he needed to sleep and prepare for his chat with Sirius at the end of the week.

-  
**And that chat will come next chapter! Going to be a good one, I promise you.**

**Hmm… so a lot of things could happen in the hearing against Lucius Malfoy. A lot on the line, including the possible reveal of Harry and Ginny's Soul-Bond status to the world.**

**All right… so I think there will be about three or four more chapters until I do a time-skip. Then I will probably do Harry's birthday party and possibly something else to prepare for Hogwarts, and then finally, Harry's first year will begin. I can't wait for that, to be honest. Good things to come, I promise you! At least three or four scenes already in my head when that time comes, and I love them. But it is still a few chapters away.**

**For now, I hope you liked this chapter, and, if you wish, I hope to see some feedback. I love reading it! Makes me very happy!**


	20. Secrets Revealed, Part 1

**Chapter 20  
Secrets Revealed, Part 1**

**Author's Note: As I explained, the former details of Harry's wand in this story was false. His wand will now be correct starting this chapter. Also… part of this chapter might not be believable (when it comes to Hermione, you'll see), but I hope it is. I'll explain my worries more at the end of this chapter.  
**  
The rest of Harry's week seemed to stretch for days in Harry's opinion. Harry's stomach seemed to be tied up in a permanent knot from nerves. Although he felt that Sirius wouldn't react too negatively with what he and Ginny would be revealing, he also had the doubts in the back of his head. What if Sirius didn't believe him? What if he took things the wrong way, or overreacted? What if Harry did tell him, and Sirius' Occlumency wasn't as powerful as he seemed to think it was, and then a Legilimens was able to leech it out of his head?

Harry tried his best to distract himself from negative thoughts, and he kept himself rather busy.

On Wednesday, the morning after Pettigrew's trial, and the dinner with Sirius, Harry wrote back to Ragnok and said that he could meet the goblin on Saturday, though he didn't know what time he would be able to do so. Harry didn't want to meet Ragnok until after he met with Sirius, just in case Sirius did agree about his idea with Potter Manor, and Harry could work this into his discussion with Ragnok. Ragnok's response returned that evening, and said he would be at Gringotts all day on Saturday, which was good for a unpredictable meeting time.

Also that morning, the wizarding world received a shock when the truth about Sirius' innocence, Pettigrew's guilt, and the real events that happened on the night of Halloween in 1981 were revealed in the Daily Prophet. Mr. Weasley reported that evening that a record number of owls and memos, and even a few Howlers, were seeing flying through the Atrium and Ministry lifts and corridors throughout most of that day, and he was sure most letters were going to Cornelius Fudge and Bartemius Crouch. On Thursday, Percy, Fred and George wrote back with long letters informing Harry and the Weasleys of their opinions about Sirius and Pettigrew, and also what was going on around Hogwarts in relation to this. According to them, McGonagall and a few other professors who knew Sirius and Pettigrew were heard expressing their opinions many times on Wednesday.

Harry also occupied most of his time that week with jogs around the Weasley plot, swimming in the lake, and chess with Ron. He also read a few chapters of Flamel's book, and while he found some useful information, he didn't see any other parts of those chapters where somebody might have obliterated it. This left more questions with Harry. What was the information that was taken? What was that information, and why was something like the 'true power' of the Soul-Bond left in the book, when that seemed to be just as dangerous as this other knowledge.

Harry discussed this with Ginny, but she didn't have any more answers than he did. They also discussed the upcoming chat with Sirius, trying to figure out exactly what to tell him. This included everything about the Soul-Bond, and a lot of important details about what happened in the previous timeline that could and would probably happen in this one, at least up to the end of Harry's fourth year, if everything went his way. When Ginny asked Harry if they should reveal the other timeline's Sirius' fate to him, along with other stuff like that, Harry wasn't sure how to answer this. In the end, he only decided they would reveal this if Sirius asked that particular question.

* * *

At a quarter to noon on Saturday morning, Harry was dressed in a nice outfit and was standing alone in the sitting room of the Burrow. Ginny walked into the room with a grin on her face.

_Well, I took care of everything on my end, _she said, _I have an excuse that might give me a couple of hours if I need it. So when you leave, I'll be heading up to the orchard. Just tell me when you're ready, and I'll be there. Remember what we went over?_

_Yeah. Should be easy enough. I hope._

_We'll be fine, my love. I'm sure Sirius will believe us. Cheer up! In a couple of hours or less, we'll be officially underway on the hunt for the Horcruxes, with Sirius' help._

_If everything goes well._

_It will, Harry. No negative thoughts._

Harry grinned. No negative thoughts. He hadn't heard that from Ginny in a while. It had been their advice to each other the night before their wedding in the old timeline, so neither would be too nervous and mess up their vows. And it had been almost like a motto to them for much of their time even before that night.

_No negative thoughts,_ Harry agreed.

At the moment, Mrs. Weasley walked into the room and looked at Harry.

"You look very proper, Harry," she said. "I do hope you enjoy your time with your godfather. The two of you need this. Are you ready for the off?"

"Yeah," Harry said.

"Wonderful," Mrs. Weasley said.

She walked over to the mantle of the fireplace and took the small bag. She started a fire with her wand, and threw a handful of the powder into the fire.

"Hmm," she said, "Bit low. I'm going to need to stock up."

"I could buy some, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said.

"Oh, I couldn't ask you for that," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Nonsense," Harry said, "I have to use it too. I can pitch in."

"Oh, all right," Mrs. Weasley said, "Thank you, dear."

She offered the bag and Harry took a handful. He walked into the fireplace and smiled, mostly to Ginny, who gave a very small nod.

"The Leaky Cauldron!" Harry said, dropping the powder.

After a dizzying journey that lasted about a minute, his feet found solid ground and he walked out into the Leaky Cauldron. The bar was full of weekend patrons visiting for lunch. As Harry looked around for Sirius, he saw a couple of familiar faces: Neville Longbottom was sitting at a table with his grandmother, and the Patil twins were seated with Lavender Brown, and a witch who Harry recognized as Lavender's mother; Harry had met Lavender's mother at Ron and Hermione's wedding in the previous timeline (how Ron had convinced Hermione to agree to invite Lavender to the wedding, Harry still didn't know). It seemed the three girls were friends long before Hogwarts.

And then (Harry had almost passed over her, and had to look back to see if he really did see her), he noticed Hermione sitting with her parents. He was incredibly surprised at this, and it took a moment for him to realize that she would have known she was a witch since her birthday in September, when – if Harry remembered right, from Hermione's story of the day – Professor McGonagall had come and told her so. Harry figured that Hermione must have convinced her parents to come to Diagon Alley again to buy her more books. If they had first visited back in September, and had bought some of her school books then, he knew she probably had read them many times since then.

It took everything Harry had not to go over to her table and re-introduce himself to her. A possible friendship this early would work wonders for him, Hermione and Ron in the future, but he decided that because he had already stopped one memorable meeting on the Hogwarts Express on September 1st, he didn't want to stop the other one. Of course… if he had his way, that meeting would go a bit differently this time. He already had plans for Hermione and Neville to join him and Ron on the ride to Hogwarts. Hopefully that would secure their friendship then and it would help to have Neville become his friend then too.

_You with Sirius yet, Harry? _Ginny asked, _I am almost in the orchard._

_No, not yet._

_Oh. I sensed you becoming excited, and I thought that might have been why…_

_You will not believe who is here at the Leaky Cauldron._

_Who?_

_Hermione._

_Are you serious?_

_No, I'm not Sirius. Yes, Hermione's here with her parents._

_Haha, Harry. Anyway, are you going to talk to her?_

_No, I want to set up that meeting on September 1st._

_Ah. Well, try not to let her see you then. She probably already read all about you and would come over and introduce herself._

_Yeah, she probably would. All right, I'll find Sirius and set everything up. Dropping link until then._

_Okay. See you soon._

"Hey, kid," a familiar voice said, "Thought I'd find you already here."

Harry smiled and turned around. Sirius was walking over to him from the direction of the fireplace.

"Hi, Sirius," Harry said.

"I reserved a private room a couple days ago," Sirius said, "Just have to go see Tom. Come on, kid."

Harry followed Sirius over to the bar, where Tom was cleaning a glass.

"Ah, Sirius, my old friend," Tom said, "There you are. And Harry, too. Wonderful. You'll be wanting that private room then?"

"That's why we're here," Sirius said.

Tom smiled and motioned for them to follow him. He led them into the same room where Harry had talked to Dumbledore a week ago.

"As requested, charms are up to protect you from eavesdroppers and unwelcome visitors," Tom said, as they walked into the room.

"We're expecting one more guest," Sirius said, as he and Harry sat down at the table, "She knows we're in here."

"The charms won't hurt her then," Tom said, "What can I get you to eat?"

"Three specials with dessert," Sirius said, "And half-a-dozen bottles of butterbeer."

Tom raised his wand, and a large pail with ice and six bottles of butterbeer floated into the room and placed itself on the table.

"Your lunch will come in half-an-hour or so," Tom said, "Have a good one."

Tom bowed and left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Should we wait for your girlfriend?" Sirius asked Harry, with a wink.

"She'll be here very soon," Harry said, "But in order to do so, I have to reveal the first part of my first secret."

"I'm all ears," Sirius said, relaxing in his seat.

"First we need to take a vow of wizard's honor," Harry said, "When Ginny gets here, she'll do the same."

"Harry, I won't tell a soul any of this," Sirius said.

"I know," Harry said, "This vow is so you can trust that everything Ginny and I tell you today is the truth."

Sirius shrugged. "All right then. Do you know how to do a vow like this? First and foremost you need a wand."

Harry smiled and removed his wand from the pocket of his jeans.

"11 inches long," Harry said, "made of holly with a phoenix feather core."

"Beautiful," Sirius said, and took out his own wand.

He and Harry crossed their wands.

"I, Harry James Potter," Harry said, in a clear voice, "do promise by punishment of the removal of my magic that everything I reveal today to Sirius Orion Black is the honest truth."

"I, Sirius Orion Black," Sirius said, "accept this vow and do promise by punishment of removal of my magic not to reveal the words I hear today unless Harry James Potter gives me permission to do so."

Two golden bands of magic wrapped themselves around Harry's and Sirius' wrists.

"Much more proper than an Unbreakable Vow," Sirius said, examining his wrist, "Much safer too. Okay, kid, like I said, I'm all ears."

Sirius opened a bottle of butterbeer and took a sip.

Harry inhaled and exhaled. "Sirius, do you know anything about the phenomenon known as a Soul-Bond?"

"It's a fairytale, Harry," Sirius chortled, "Older than Beedle's work too."

"I assure you, it isn't," Harry said, "It is real. Ginny and I are bond-mates."

Sirius froze with the bottle at his lips.

"I know I took the vow of honor," Harry said, "But I can still prove it. Bond-mates have many privileges. One of them is to teleport near their mate. Teleport, not Apparate. Because of this, we are able to get past Anti-Apparation wards such those in Hogwarts. I expect this room is charmed for our protection by such outside interference."

Sirius nodded. Harry grinned.

_Ginny? Phase one._

_Coming, my love._

Harry looked toward the empty floor and looked back at Sirius.

"Er… what's going on?" Sirius asked.

"Hi, Sirius," Ginny said.

Sirius jumped and looked toward the floor. In doing so, sloshed part of his drink down his shirt. Ginny snorted and sat down in the chair beside Harry.

"H-how did you -?" Sirius asked.

"I told you," Harry said, "teleportation."

"We need to set up the vow on my end too," Ginny said, taking her wand from her pocket.

"You are too young to have a wand, young lady," Sirius said, "And how did you know Harry and I took a vow."

"All will be explained," Harry said, "after the vow."

Sirius sighed and crossed his wand with Ginny's.

"I, Ginevra Molly – er – hang on –" Ginny said, with a sigh.

_He doesn't know I'm Mrs. Potter, Harry. I have to use that name for my vow._

"Oh," Harry said. "Okay, no vow between you two yet. I have to explain a few more things about the Soul-Bond."

Sirius shrugged and lowered his wand, as did Ginny.

"First I will answer your question," Harry said. "She knew about our vow because the Soul-Bond allows bond-mates to speak through telepathy."

"Tuesday night," Sirius said, in a whisper, "You two were speaking to each other without words."

"Correct," Harry said. "We can also feel the other's emotions and pain. Ginny is also able to see things in her vision that I am currently seeing. This happens at random, and has not yet happened to me. We cannot figure out why."

Sirius nodded and took another drink from his bottle.

"Also," Harry said, "Apparently, Soul-Bonds create a magical, though not official-by-law, marriage between the bond-mates."

Sirius choked on his drink and swallowed it.

"You're doing that on purpose, Harry," Ginny said.

"Maybe," Harry chortled.

"I'll just – err – drink this later," Sirius said, setting the bottle down; he blinked and looked between Harry and Ginny, "Wait a moment… so this Soul-Bond means – it means you're married?"

"More or less," Harry said, "Official law doesn't state so unless our guardians or parents give their consent. We're too young…"

"Technically," Ginny muttered.

"But by some records," Harry said, "Ginny is now known as Ginevra Molly Potter… formerly Weasley."

"Then," Sirius said, "Why is this not public record?"

"Because apparently someone obliterated the information from the records," Harry said, "Remember that Legilimens I told you about?"

Sirius nodded slowly.

"We have reason to believe Albus Dumbledore saw that record," Harry said, "And he obliterated the information, because he didn't want us to know it."

"Harry, that's mental," Sirius said.

Harry then told Sirius of Dumbledore's visit to Ginny and Harry and the contents of their conversations.

"Okay," Sirius said, "Not so mental. Dumbledore, that loon."

"We believe he charmed away the information," Harry said, "because he didn't want me to know about it. If I knew about it, I would know a piece of information he didn't want me to know."

"And what is that?" Sirius asked.

"In essence," Harry said, "The Soul-Bond makes Ginny and I emancipated in the wizarding world."

"Ginny's wand," Sirius said, nodding, "And yours too Harry. Ollivander would have never sold a wand to a wizard below the age of eleven. Wait… so Ollivander knows."

"He is what is known as an aura reader," Harry said.

"He would be able to see your Soul-Bond," Sirius said, nodding.

"Correct," Harry said.

"Wait," Sirius said, chuckling, "Emancipation, you said? Harry, you need no guardian. You're your own guardian due to that alone!"

Harry looked at Ginny, who shook her head.

"No?" Sirius asked.

"What you say would be correct," Harry said, "if we wanted everyone to know about our Soul-Bond."

"Aw, yes, I can see the problem of that little snag," Sirius said.

"Unfortunately," Ginny said, "This guardianship hearing against Lucius Malfoy – if it comes down to it, we may have to bring it up. Lucius can't buy his way out of an emancipation."

"You just said you don't want to reveal your Soul-Bond," Sirius said, "And that would do it."

"We know," Harry said, "That's why I haven't agreed with Ginny about this. It has to be used only if the outcome of the hearing looks grim."

"Well, you don't need to worry about that," Sirius said, grinning.

"Okay," Harry said, "So now you know just about everything we do about our Soul-Bond."

"Hard to believe," Sirius said, "But it couldn't have happened to a better pair, I'll say that."

Harry and Ginny blushed.

"That leaves your other secret," Sirius said.

"Now we will perform my part of the vow," Ginny said, "Because this next part of our secret is going to be even more unbelievable."

Sirius sighed and crossed his wand with Ginny's.

"I, Ginevra Molly Potter," Ginny said, in a clear voice, "do promise by punishment of the removal of my magic that everything I reveal today to Sirius Orion Black is the honest truth."

"I, Sirius Orion Black," Sirius said, "accept this vow and do promise by punishment of removal of my magic not to reveal the words I hear today unless Ginevra Molly… Potter gives me permission to do so."

As they had last time, two golden bands of magic appeared from the wands, and wrapped themselves around Ginny's and Sirius' wrists. Sirius then relaxed in his seat.

"What we're about to tell you, Sirius," Harry said, after inhaling and exhaling, "Nobody else knows. At this moment in time, besides you, we have plans to tell two other individuals."

"Though we might tell more than that if it comes to it," Ginny said.

"Right," Harry said.. "As Ginny said, this is going to be very hard to believe. This is the reason we took the vows."

"Let me have it," Sirius said.

"You need a drink first?" Harry asked, with a smirk.

"Very funny, Harry," Sirius said, rolling his eyes, "I'm not falling for that again."

Ginny snickered and Harry grinned. Then the door opened and Tom walked into the room with two trays floating in behind him.

"Oh, Miss Weasley!" Tom said, smiling, "I didn't see you come in. Good to see you. Are your parents here?"

"No, sir," Ginny said.

"Molly left you alone with this crazy son-of-a-hippogriff?" Tom asked, "I've heard it all now."

"Oh, Tom, come now!" Sirius said, "James wasn't a hippogriff!"

Tom snorted. "Ah well… I know when to keep things secret. Three specials with cherry pie as ordered."

He set the plates on the table and bowed in goodbye then walked out of the room.

"That should be the last of our interruptions," Sirius said, "Let's hear this story."

"Okay," Harry said, "Here goes. On May 1st of this year, Ginny and I were in the year 2001."

Sirius blinked and his eyes darted back and forth between Harry and Ginny.

"Sometime during the late hours of the evening of May 2nd," Harry said, "and the morning of May 3rd, we were transported back in time to this year. Our memories, minds and magical knowledge came back with us, but we appeared in the bodies you see before us now. And as far as we can tell… we have no way to get back."

-  
**Okay… I totally didn't want to do this cliffhanger, but I had no choice. My plans were to make this one chapter, but it didn't go that way! This next conversation is going to be very long, and it would have made this chapter extremely long.**

**Unfortunately I have some even more bad news. The next chapter probably won't be up until this weekend. (May 12th or 13th). At least I hope. **

**Okay… now to other things. The appearance of Hermione. I do not think it is unknown whether her first visit to Diagon Alley was during late July or August before the start of her first year, or shortly after she found out she was a witch, which would have been the previous September, because Muggleborns learn of their magic on their eleventh birthday. So I just assumed she had already been in Diagon Alley once or twice, and came back that day. Her appearance seems so random, because it was. It was just a thought that popped into my head. But I still have big plans for her to meet Harry on the train and I don't want to ruin that.**

**Hope you liked this chapter. Again, I know I ended it at a cruel place. But I hope you liked the conversation so far and more is yet to come. Should be exciting!**


	21. Secrets Revealed, Part 2

**Chapter 21  
Secrets Revealed, Part 2**

****  
_Previously on "Harry Potter and the Bonds Of Time"…_

"_Okay," Harry said, "Here goes. On May 1__st__of this year, Ginny and I were in the year 2001."_

_Sirius blinked and his eyes darted back and forth between Harry and Ginny._

_"Sometime during the late hours of the evening of May 2nd," Harry said, "and the morning of May 3__rd__, we were transported back in time to this year. Our memories, minds and magical knowledge came back with us, but we appeared in the bodies you see before us now. And as far as we can tell… we have no way to get back."_

* * *

"Finish that sentence, Potter," Ginny said, then looked at Sirius. "We also have no wish to go back even if we could."

Harry nodded, knowing what Ginny said was true; The reason why was sitting right in front of him.

"Prove what you say is true," Sirius said, "I know you took your honor vows, but prove it. If you were in the year 2001, I'm going to assume you knew me. Tell me something you know about me that you couldn't have possibly heard unless I told you."

Harry grinned. "In your fifth year at Hogwarts, you, my father and Peter Pettigrew became unregistered Animagi in order to join Remus Lupin in the Shrieking Shack where he would become a werewolf every full moon. Your Animagus is a dog that looks oddly similar to what is known as the Grim. Odd choice, Black. The four of you were known as the Marauders, and you made what is known as the Marauder's Map."

He paused and decided to add one more thing; one thing he couldn't possibly have known yet if he wasn't from the future. "One night – err – your sixth year, if I remember correctly – you pulled a prank on Severus Snape, telling him to visit the Shrieking Shack where he would find proof that Remus was a werewolf. Snape would have been killed if my father had not rescued him."

Sirius' face went palest white. "I was such a foolish bastard back then. I almost lost my friends because of that. James and Remus refused to talk to me for weeks – most of that summer, really. I was lucky to have Great Uncle Alphard's gift of gold by then or I might have been homeless. I still want to apologize to Remus every day because of that."

He inhaled and exhaled, and yet again his eyes darted back and forth between Harry and Ginny many times.

"Okay," he said, "there is no way you would have known all of that unless –"

"Unless we were telling the truth," Ginny said.

Sirius nodded. "How did you come back in time? That isn't possible with time-turners. Not this far in-between, and you certainly wouldn't look like you do."

"We're – err – not sure," Harry said. "In our time, there was an attack by Death Eaters during a celebration at the Ministry. Me and Ginny, Ron - the other timeline's Ron, I should say - and another girl you haven't met ended up on the ninth floor of the Ministry. We tried to lose the Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries and Ginny and I ended up in the Time Chamber. We – we found this pool or bath of some type. Then a couple of Death Eaters came in and battled us, and a Reducto Curse blew apart the floor in front of us. We ended up in the pool, and this golden light appeared with a torrent of some kind, and we got trapped inside it. Then we blacked out. Next thing I knew I woke up on the morning of May 3rd of this year, and I was in the cupboard under the stairs at my relatives' house. And I was ten years old again."

"So that would make you really twenty and twenty one?" Sirius asked.

"Our minds," Ginny said, nodding, "Not our bodies."

"You said you had no way to get back," Sirius said. "Why not try and find this pool?"

"For one, it would probably send us even further back in time," Harry said, "And two, it isn't in the Department of Mysteries at this moment in this timeline."

"How do you know?" Sirius asked.

"Because we were in the same room back in my fifth year ," Harry said, "And it wasn't there."

Sirius sighed and nodded. "So. You have foreknowledge of things that happen between now and then."

Harry looked at Ginny and she shrugged. He turned back to Sirius.

"Sort of," he said, "We've actually changed the timeline already."

"You have?" Sirius asked.

"In the old timeline," Harry said, "I didn't meet Ginny or her family until September 1st of this year. Also, in the old timeline, you escaped Azkaban before my third year and weren't made innocent until – err – right before my sixth year."

"I escaped Azkaban?" Sirius asked, "How?"

"We knew nothing about Scabbers being Pettigrew," Harry said, "until closer to the end of my third year. He was still Ron's rat. Before my third year started, Ginny and her family were featured in an edition of the Daily Prophet. That same newspaper, you stole from Cornelius Fudge – or maybe he handed it to you, I forget the details - when he visited Azkaban for an inspection. Scabbers was sitting on Ron's shoulder in the picture. You saw it, knew who he was immediately, and realized he could kill me if he had the chance. So one night, you became Padfoot, and you were skinny enough to slide through the bars and escaped the prison."

"Wow," Sirius said, "but you said the Ministry still saw me as guilty."

"You had a chance to become freed," Harry said, "at the end of my third year if we took Peter up to Hogwarts. But things happened… you were captured, he escaped. You escaped too with my help or you would have received the Dementor's Kiss. We had no proof."

Sirius visibly shuddered.

"Merlin," Harry said, realizing something, "we could have used the Pensieve back then if I knew what one was at that moment. So many things could have happened differently."

"It is all in the past," Ginny said, then snorted, "Er… sort of."

"Unfortunately, Sirius," Harry said, "We need Peter free by that time in this timeline."

"What?" Sirius asked, "Why?"

"This is going to sound really mental," Harry said, "So don't say anything until I finish."

Sirius made a lips-zipped motion.

"When Peter escaped from Hogwarts that night," Harry said, "He sought out Voldemort."

"Wait," Sirius said, "Sorry… but Harry, Voldemort's gone."

"He isn't, Sirius," Harry said, "We'll explain that shortly. He's alive, but he's not really alive at the moment. He's – well – it's hard to describe. Anyway… in the old timeline, Peter found him sometime during the summer between my third and fourth year. Events led on throughout the year, and near the end of my fourth year, I ended up in a graveyard in Little Hangleton – not by my own free will. Peter and Voldemort were there, and a ritual was performed that brought Voldemort back in a body of his own."

Sirius inhaled and exhaled. "But you know how to stop this from happening. It doesn't have to happen."

Harry and Ginny shook their heads.

"What am I missing?" Sirius asked.

"We want him to come back that night," Harry asked.

Sirius looked at Harry as if he was mental.

"Because that night is when Voldemort will cease to exist from this world in this timeline," Harry said, "If all our plans go right."

"You know how to destroy him," Sirius said. "He was defeated in the last timeline?"

"On May 2nd, 1998, in the old timeline, at least, I defeated Voldemort," Harry said.

Sirius went pale-white again. Harry couldn't blame him. To Sirius, he was this ten-year old kid, and he was talking about how he could defeat Voldemort.

"And I can do it again," he continued, "And I am going to do it a lot earlier this time."

"Why?" Sirius asked, "I mean – I'm happy with that plan, but –"

Harry looked at Ginny and she frowned and nodded.

"Because," Harry said, looking back at Sirius, "We lost many of our friends and some family during those three years between his return and defeat."

Sirius groaned. "Oh, Harry, Ginny, I'm sorry."

"This time we're going to make sure he's gone before that can happen," Harry said.

"How?" Sirius asked.

"Do you know what Horcruxes are?" Harry asked.

"I – yeah – you –" Sirius stammered, "You're not saying Voldemort has a Horcrux?"

"He has seven," Harry said, "Eight if you count himself. Wait – no – seven at the moment including himself. He hasn't created one of them just yet."

"Sweet mother of Merlin!" Sirius groaned, "All this time. All this time we tried to find a way to defeat him and the answer was that he has Horcruxes. That is why he survived that night…"

Harry and Ginny nodded. Sirius looked back at Harry.'

"You know where they are," he said.

"And how to destroy them," Harry said, nodding, "And that is one of the reasons you know this secret. Because without you, we can't get two of them."

"Where are they?" Sirius asked.

"One is currently at Black Manor," Harry said. "It was placed there after you left the house."

"What?" Sirius asked, "How?"

"Sirius," Harry said, "Your brother found out Voldemort had Horcruxes. With help, Regulus stole one of them."

"M-my brother?" Sirius asked.

"Regulus was killed in a cave where the Horcrux was hidden," Harry said. "Voldemort had told Regulus he needed a house-elf. Regulus let him use Kreacher. Voldemort took Kreacher to this cave, where he planted this Horcrux. When Kreacher returned to Regulus, Regulus ordered Kreacher to tell him what he was doing. Kreacher told him, and Regulus ordered him to take him to the cave. The Horcrux was guarded by a potion, the Draught of Living Death. Regulus drank it with Kreacher's help, and was able to get the Horcrux. As soon as Regulus touched the Horcrux, an army of Inferi attacked Regulus and dragged him into the lake in the cave. Before this, Regulus gave the Horcrux to Kreacher and planted a false Horcrux back where the real one had been. He then told Kreacher to hide it or destroy it if he could. He also ordered Kreacher to get out of the cave. Kreacher went back to your house, where he hid the Horcrux. He couldn't destroy it, so he hid it. The Horcrux there is Salazar Slytherin's locket. I know exactly where it is."

During this story, Sirius' expression turned more grave as Harry told it.

"All this time," he croaked, "I hated my brother, and he ended up redeeming himself in the end."

Harry heard Sirius sniffle and clear his throat. Sirius looked at him again.

"And the other Horcrux you need me to get?" he asked.

"It is in the Lestrange Vault," Harry said.

"Bellatrix's vault?" Sirius asked.

Harry nodded. "She doesn't know it is a Horcrux. Voldemort never trusted anyone with his secret."

"And because Bellatrix and the Lestranges are in Azkaban," Sirius said, "Their ownership becomes nullified."

"And it goes over to you as the Head of the Black family," Harry said, "Because Bellatrix is first and foremost a Black."

"Right," Sirius said, "What is this Horcrux?"

"Helga Hufflepuff's goblet," Harry said, "Recognizable because it has the badger symbol on it. It is up on a shelf in the very back of the vault, next to some armor. But you have to be careful. When I broke into Gringotts and stole it, everything in the vault had Flagrante and Geminio Charms on it."

"So if you lost it during your escape," Sirius said, "You wouldn't be able to find it. Wait – you broke into Gringotts?"

"Long story," Harry said, grinning.

"All right," Sirius said, "So should we get that Horcrux today?"

"No," Harry said, "We need a place to hide it when we retrieve it, and at this moment I only trust one place to put it. I won't be able to do so yet. Not without Mrs. Weasley noticing me gone. I can't be here all die."

"Where would you hide it?" Sirius asked.

"Potter Manor," Harry said, "Because of our Soul-Bond, Ginny and I have access into the Potter Family Vault, which has the deed to Potter Manor in it. I can put Charms and Wards on the house because it would recognize me as its owner. Nobody who I do not give permission to would be able to enter the house."

"Why can't you just destroy the Horcrux when you obtain it?" Sirius asked.

"Because I know of only two ways to destroy one," Harry said, "Fiendfyre, and I would dare not try it unless I had to."

"Cursed fire," Sirius groaned, "Aye, I don't blame you. What else?"

"Basilisk venom," Harry said, "That is what we used mostly last time."

Sirius blinked. "Wait… you know how to obtain basilisk venom?"

"You know the legend of the Chamber of Secrets?" Harry asked.

"Aye," Sirius said.

"The Chamber of Secrets is real," Harry said, "I was there in my second year, in the old timeline, and I killed a basilisk with the Sword of Gryffindor. Mostly by luck."

Sirius paled and Ginny shuddered. Sirius raised his eyebrows at her.

"Oh," Ginny blushed, "Another long story. I'm just glad I won't have to go through it this time."

"So," Harry said, "my plan is to get into the Chamber of Secrets, kill the Basilisk with a rooster's crow, and take a few basilisk fangs, and, if I can, stab the corpse with the Sword of Gryffindor. The sword is goblin made."

"Basilisk venom would strengthen the sword, wouldn't it?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah," Harry said.

"Brilliant," Sirius said, "And you say you know where the other Horcruxes are?"

"Yeah," Harry said, nodding, "I can take care of those when the right time comes. I might need your help with one other one – Salazar Slytherin's ring – in order to get the charms away from it. And in no way, shape or form do I want to use fiendfyre on this one. I need that ring. I'll explain my reasons another time."

Sirius nodded.

"Well, I told you everything I wanted to," Harry said, "Do you have any questions?"

"You said friends and family died in those three years between Voldemort's return and defeat," Sirius said. "Family… either Ginny lost family or –"

"I lost one of my brothers – one of the twins - in the battle where Voldemort was defeated," Ginny said, "A year before that, my oldest brother was attacked and scarred in a way that changed him forever. In another skirmish, the other twin brother lost one of his ears forever."

"Oh, Ginny," Sirius said, "I can see why you favor this. I don't blame you. And Harry… well…

He cleared his throat.

"I was one of those you lost," he croaked, "Wasn't I?"

Harry nodded. "At the end of my fifth year, Voldemort lured me into the Department of Mysteries. I thought you were getting tortured in there. He tricked me, and when you tried to rescue me, you were killed by Bellatrix. She was able to kill you when you become arrogant for a moment."

Sirius groaned. "Sounds like me."

"It won't happen again," Harry said, "I won't let it."

Sirius nodded. "There was one other observation I made. Were you two married in the last timeline?"

"We were married on that last Halloween," Harry said, smiling.

"Congratulations," Sirius said, grinning.

"Why?" Ginny asked.

"Wizarding marriages are a magical, binding contract," Sirius said, "Pretty permanent, if you ask me. Earlier, you told me Albus Dumbledore visited you the day you came back in time."

"Yeah," Harry said, "May 3rd."

"The day the record was made," Ginny said, her eyes widening.

Sirius nodded. "If I am right, your Soul-Bond was created to ensure that you kept up with the magical binding contract of your marriage in the other timeline. The Soul-Bond is a sure way to make sure you are still married."

Harry's eyes widened. He looked at Ginny, who looked pale.

"You might be right, Sirius," Ginny said, "We've been looking for the reason for our Soul-Bond, and how it was created. That sounds like a good explanation to me."

"So," Sirius said, as he uncovered his plate of food and began to eat, "These are two pretty big secrets you're keeping."

Harry nodded and he and Ginny started on their meals as well.

"We'll do everything we can to make sure that nobody – nobody we want to anyway," Harry amended, "finds out about our time-travel. The Soul-Bond – well – if it became public, we wouldn't get too many freedoms."

"That's one of the reasons," Ginny said. "My parents would – well – they're the real reason we're afraid to tell them. We'll tell them of course, but - well, you can imagine how they'll react."

"That's not the only reason," Harry said, "Not anymore."

"Why?" Sirius asked.

"There has only been one other successful Soul-Bond ever," Harry said, "Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel are Bond-Mates."

"That's not surprising," Sirius said, laughing, "Even magical binding contracts wouldn't make me stay married for six-hundred years."

Ginny snickered and Harry grinned.

"Well, Nicolas wrote a book about Soul-Bonds," he said. "I have the only copy in the world. Ragnok, the Gringotts Goblin who oversees my vaults, he knows about our Soul-Bond, and he found the book for us. In this book, it talks about the true power of the Soul-Bond. When we become the age of consent – fourteen, thanks to current society laws and a corrupt Wizengamot member some years back – oh and that is fourteen in bodily form, I reckon - our magical power heightens ten-fold."

"Wow," Sirius said, "That's very high."

"Now imagine adding that onto the magical knowledge we brought back with us," Ginny said, "From our twenty and twenty-one year old selves."

Sirius whistled. "You two are going to be extremely powerful."

"We can't let too many people figure that out," Harry said, "Even if they find out about our Soul-Bond."

Sirius nodded. "I see what you mean."

"No Death Eater nor Voldemort," Harry said, "can find that out, nor the secret of our time-travel. It would ruin things."

Sirius nodded again. "Then I guess it is best we figure out how to win this guardianship case without having to bring up your emancipation abilities."

"Which reminds me," Harry said, "Ragnok wants me to meet him soon, and I said I'd meet him today. He said he knows some secrets we can use against that Beauford fellow."

"Excellent," Sirius said, "Bet it is something to do with money. Nothing gets past those Gringotts Goblins when it comes to gold exchange."

The three resumed eating and not many words were exchanged for a while, vocally or telepathically. Then Sirius grinned and laughed.

"What?" Ginny and Harry asked.

"Being from the future," Sirius said, "You would know things."

"I'm not telling you who wins Quidditch games, Sirius," Harry said.

"I'm not talking about that," Sirius said. "Look, Madam Bones and I were talking on Tuesday. We were going to try to break through the corruption in the Ministry and the Wizengamot. Also I was going to try to find the Death Eater scum who are still out there because they lied about the Imperius Curse. Hey… is Lucius Malfoy one of them?"

"Yes, Sirius," Harry said, "But we need him."

"Why?" Sirius asked.

"The reason the Chamber of Secrets was open," Harry said, and he felt Ginny shudder beside him, "was because in my second year, and Ginny's first year in the old timeline, Lucius Malfoy gave Ginny a diary. This diary was once Voldemort's. It possessed Ginny and made her open the Chamber of Secrets. I destroyed it when I destroyed the Basilisk. That diary is another Horcrux. Unfortunately, we don't know where Malfoy has it at the moment. So we need him free to be able to give Ginny the diary. Then you're free to take him down."

"Oh," Sirius said, "Okay. I see what you meant by taking care of Horcruxes when the right time comes."

"Right," Harry said, "And the other Death Eaters – well – we'll think about it. We don't want to alter the timeline too much, you see. I'm already risking too much with Pettigrew in Azkaban under Anti-Animagus Charms. His rat form was my idea to make him escape."

"We'll work on that when the right time comes," Sirius said, "By then I'll be an Auror for a while."

"Brilliant," Harry said, "Well, that is everything we wanted to tell you for now. I am going to meet Ragnok soon and – Ginny?"

"I can spare a bit more time. Besides," Ginny said, with a wink, "we haven't spent very much time alone, out of our heads I mean, in days."

Sirius snorted.

"Hey!" Ginny said, to Sirius, "I'll have you know that before this happened to us, Harry and I were very happily married. I didn't exactly plan to have my Mum, Dad or brothers interfering with my love-life anymore."

Sirius went red and chuckled as he looked at Harry. "I'd keep this one, Harry. Your father would have loved her. It is like I'm seeing another Lily in this fiery red-head."

Harry and Ginny blushed and Sirius snickered.

"All right," Sirius said, "Well, once we get through here, I say we all go down to Gringotts. You two do what you need to do, and I need to figure out how to acquire my dear cousin Bella's vault. While I'm there, I'll take down those charms Bellatrix put up, and put up some of my own to keep thieves from getting that Horcrux, since it seems to easily attainable."

Harry nodded.

"I already had plans to go to Potter Manor anyway before I start my first year at Hogwarts again. So the Horcrux won't need to be there for too long. And you and I can also set up another godfather-and-godson outing soon and we can visit Black Manor and obtain that locket. When we do that, then we can go to Potter Manor. I guess that means I need to get the deed and key to the house today..."

Ginny knocked her shoulder against Harry. He looked at her and then realized what she was wanting him to say.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Harry said, "Sirius, what would you say if I offered you to stay at Potter Manor instead of your house?"

Sirius' eyes widened.

"You mean it?" he asked.

"You know the place as well as I do," Harry said, "Oh, by that I mean that Harry and I lived in that house for quite a while in the old timeline. Anyway, yes, I mean it. Besides… with the Horcruxes there, you'd be an extra part of the protection. Maybe I'd even make you Secret Keeper."

"I won't make the same mistake twice, Harry," Sirius said, "I'll definitely be the Secret Keeper of Potter Manor."

"My father would have forgiven you, you know," Harry said.

Harry saw tears in Sirius' eyes. He was silent for the rest of the meal and Harry knew he was immersed in his thoughts: thoughts about James and thoughts about everything that had been revealed today. Harry didn't need to know Legilimency to know that.

-  
**Chapter finished! Well, that finishes Harry and Ginny's conversation to Sirius. I hope you liked it. I know many of my readers were very much looking forward to these past couple of chapters.**

**Next, Harry and Ginny visit Ragnok and have a bit of a date in Diagon Alley.**


	22. Dates, Defensive Charms and Dragons

**Chapter 22  
Dates, Defensive Charms and Dragons**

Ten minutes later, after Sirius paid for their lunch, he, Harry and Ginny traveled to Gringotts and made their way inside. Harry and Ginny said goodbye to Sirius, in case they didn't see each other again before they left Diagon Alley, and Sirius promised to send him a letter when he decided the time was right for their next godfather-and-godson outing that would bring them to Black Manor and Potter Manor. Harry suspected Sirius had already figured when this would take place, though he didn't ask. Harry and Ginny then walked across the Atrium of Gringotts and found Ragnok at one of the counters.

"Next," Ragnok said.

"Greetings Master Ragnok," Harry said.

"Oh!" Ragnok said, then lowered his voice to a whisper, "Greetings Mr. Potter, I have been expecting you. And Mrs. Potter, a delight. Follow me."

Harry and Ginny nodded and walked around the line of counters. Ragnok led them into the same private room they had been in last time.

"Do you wish to visit your vault?" Ragnok said, "Or are you here for what we discussed in our letter exchanges?"

"Both," Harry said.

"Wonderful," Ragnok said, "Take a seat."

Harry and Ginny sat together on one side of the table. Ragnok sat on the other side and snapped his fingers: a folder of parchment appeared on the table.

"I have been very busy these past few days," he said. "Unfortunately, I have not been able to get a hold of the bookshop keeper yet. The shop has been closed the past few days."

"Closed?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Ragnok said, "Now, don't fret. I don't think anything bad happened to the shopkeeper. I imagine it is his holiday. Probably off in Ireland or France somewhere enjoying the sights and the finer things in life. Which to him is probably finding another rare book to buy and sell for a lot more gold in his own shop. I'm sure he'll turn up soon. Now, I have been busy investigating a certain magical law firm known as Almond, Beauford & Lynch. By an odd coincidence, the Lynch in question – his brother was the Wizengamot member who created the law, to change the age-of-consent, that I spoke of in our last meeting. Other than that, Lynch, the Attorney in the family, that is - he is the most – ah – innocent out of the three."

Ragnok opened the folder and slipped a few pieces of parchment out of it.

"This man, Almond," he said, pointing to a piece of parchment which had many words written on it, "he's had a couple shady dealings here and there. He was known to work with convicted Death Eaters. He represented the Lestranges for a Muggle-baiting case back about a year before they were sent to Azkaban. You might be aware that Bellatrix Lestrange, and Lucius Malfoy's wife, Narcissa, are sisters. So it is all pretty snug and close with these attorneys when they choose who to work with. Almond got the Lestranges off without a punishment then, but mostly because Almond also has a few friends in high places, if you get my meaning. Not the Minister of Magic, like Lucius, no. (Though, of course, it was a different Minister back then – Bagnold.) But some pretty high Wizengamot members. Bartemius Crouch, perhaps, but there is no absolute proof. But it is Beauford that is the – ah, shall we say bad boy of the group."

Harry nodded. He wasn't surprised.

Ragnok thumbed through the parchment and pulled a piece out. "Well, I should use the term 'bad boy' lightly. Let's say that he's easily coerced. A few too many Imperius Curses over the years. Oh, Lucius Malfoy doesn't have to use the Imperius Curse to get Beauford to do his dirty work. I think Beauford will do just about anything for Malfoy these days. Though nothing has been proven, Beauford's been known to deal in bribes, blackmail, and other favors that are a bit too heinous to mention to your young ears."

Harry snorted and Ragnok chuckled. He then sobered up quickly.

"Unfortunately," he said, "None of that can be traced back to Lucius Malfoy. Like I said, Beauford would do anything for Malfoy… just about for free. As for Lucius Malfoy… he hides things well, but you could get him on a few things if you needed to. Bribes with Minister of Magic himself… Cornelius Fudge's vault is filled with more money than his wages as Minister of Magic can give him, and it all came in the past couple of years."

"Since he became Minister of Magic," Harry said, nodding.

"Correct," Ragnok said. "Malfoy has also been seen in Knockturn Alley on many occasions, mostly in Borgin and Burkes. When Malfoy leaves the shop, he has richer pockets, and Borgin has a few more Dark trinkets to add to his collection."

"We know about Lucius Malfoy's treasure trove," Harry said, "We've been doing our own investigations, you could say. But we have reasons not to reveal that bit of information at this moment in time. We need Malfoy for something, and we're going to trap him. But that has to wait."

"So he can't be caught in too many illegal things at the moment," Ragnok said, "Or you would never get your chance to catch him in this."

"Correct," Harry said.

"You are wise beyond your years, Mr. Potter," Ragnok said, "A clever, cunning boy. You'd do well in Slytherin come September."

"I'll pass," Harry snorted.

"Gryffindor, proud and true," Ragnok said, nodding, "Like your parents and bloodline before you."

Harry nodded.

"Well," Ragnok said, "If you are not going to use Malfoy's criminal past in order to convince the Wizengamot he shouldn't be your guardian, you're going to have to think of another way. I already reminded you of the emancipation –"

"It is still only going to be done if everything else looks grim, Master Ragnok," Harry said, "We have other things on our side. Sirius Black is my godfather, which I am sure you know. But he is not fit for his duties at the moment. He is offering to be my guardian later, but for now, he will suggest the Weasleys as my temporary guardians."

"Ah," Ragnok said, nodding, "His suggestion and the Wizengamot's fear of further retaliation from the wizarding world, concerning him, is a clever offense. But if it does not work – if it comes down to it –"

"Then we'll reveal our Soul-Bond," Ginny said, "I won't see Harry as a ward of the Malfoys, Master Ragnok. Count on it. Even if I can't be at that hearing, I'd teleport in if it comes down to it. That would reveal it anyway. I don't care because I won't lose you, Harry."

Harry smiled and clutched Ginny's closest hand under the table.

"A gem, you bond-mates are," Ragnok said, with a smile. "It is an honor to know the two of you. I believe that is all we have to discuss about this. I will, of course, still continue to look for more weapons of offense you can use in the hearing if you wish. I can't say I'll find too much, but -"

"If you can spare time from your other work and your own life," Harry said, "and the investigation into that missing information from Flamel's book, I would appreciate your offer."

"Of course," Ragnok said. "Now, I believe you wish to enter your vault."

Harry nodded. Fifteen minutes later, Harry, Ginny and Ragnok were inside the Potter Family Vault. Harry filled his money bag with a few more Galleons, Sickles and Knuts, and then he walked over to a large leather-bound chest on the left side of the vault. He took his wand from his pocket and tapped the chest three times, once each on three different sections of the lid.

The chest unlocked and opened by itself. Harry smiled when he saw the wooden jewelry box on the very top. He knew this was here, of course. He had found it when he first visited the vault in the old timeline. He opened it up, knowing exactly what he was looking for, and found them: two beautiful golden bands, both encrusted with diamonds on the top. Harry took them out and showed them to Ginny, and he saw tears in her eyes.

"Our wedding bands," she whispered, a smile crossing her lips.

Technically, they were James and Lily's wedding bands. Apparently, when James and Lily learned of the targets on their backs, they had stored many things in the Potter Family Vault, including their jewelry. They did this in case Harry had lived and they had not.

Harry and Ginny placed the rings on their fingers and found that they fit just right. It seemed their magic had charms that would modify the rings so that they would fit their fingers no matter what the size was. Harry and Ginny then each placed Notice-Me-Not Charms on them, so only the two of them would see the rings.

Ginny looked at her ring, then looked back at Harry and kissed him softly. He returned the kiss, and for the first time he didn't feel awkward kissing Ginny's much younger self.

"This makes up for these past few days," Ginny said, smiling.

Harry smiled, then looked back in the jewelry box and found four keys: copies of the keys to the four houses they owned. Harry recognized the Potter Manor key and took it, then closed the jewelry box. He lifted it away momentarily and thumbed through the parchment below the box until he found the Potter Manor deed papers.

"We can sign these later," Harry said.

Ginny nodded. Harry rolled up the parchment, put a series on protection charms on then, so they wouldn't get damaged, and shrunk them so they would be concealed in his robes.

"Anything else you want?" Harry asked.

"I think a few of your mother's old dresses are in here, aren't they?" Ginny asked, in a very low voice, so Ragnok wouldn't hear her, "The formal ones she kept from her Hogwarts days. We saw them one time we were in here."

Harry nodded. "Why?"

"I'll have to remember them for the Yule Ball in a few years," Ginny said.

"You'll look absolutely beautiful in those," Harry said, smiling.

Ginny smiled and kissed him again.

"Let's get out of here," she said, "we can have a long-awaited date and still get that Floo Powder for Mum before we have to get back."

"An hour more at the most, Ginny," Harry said.

"Of course," Ginny said.

* * *

_15 minutes ago… _

Sirius was waiting in the queue at one of the counters at Gringotts. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Harry and Ginny being led across the hall by a goblin, toward the large doors that led into the vaults. He smiled inwardly as he wondered to himself if anyone had seen them and found it odd that two children, not even Hogwarts age, were being led into a vault without so much as a parent or guardian with them, and that one of the children was Harry Potter.

The queue he was in was not very long, but it seemed every witch and wizard in the queue had some problem that took quite a while before it would be taken care of. Sirius sighed to himself. He wondered if he'd be here all day, and this was very upsetting, when he considered that he had been paid a large sum of gold from the Ministry not very long ago, and that day, he was seen right away. It was also a little odd to him, considering that two children were able to see their vault overseer right away.

_Of course, _he mused, _these children weren't your everyday normal children._

He knew that now, thanks to the fact that Harry and Ginny seemed to trust him enough to tell him their biggest secrets. The first was that they were connected by a Soul-Bond that made two _apparent _children married, emancipated from their parents or guardians, if they made that choice, and had the right to own wands and not be looked at funny when requested to buy said wands from the wand-maker. And apparently they could speak telepathically and appear in places where not even house-elves could appear at will.

And on top of that, they were time-travelers, mysteriously sent back ten years in time, but they had their minds, thoughts and magical knowledge of their older selves. Not to mention that, they had the foreknowledge to defeat the greatest evil wizard ever known the moment he returned in a full body… if their plans went well.

And now he, Sirius Black, recently a resident of Cell Block B, Cell #7, Azkaban, North Sea, seemed to be the only wizard they could trust to get at least two of the Dark objects needed to be destroyed before said evil wizard could be destroyed.

It would be understandable if Sirius Black thought he was going mad.

Suddenly, there was a loud cough. Sirius looked down at the goblin teller who was staring up at him expectantly.

"What is your business here today?" the goblin asked.

"I would like to talk to someone who could help me get a vault transferred over to my name,"" Sirius said. "The vault at this moment was once owned by a witch who has been an Azkaban prisoner for quite some time now, and as I am the last male heir of her bloodline and Head of the family, I would like to request a takeover of said vault."

"Your name and the vault's owner's name?" the goblin said.

"Sirius Black," Sirius said, "Bellatrix Lestrange, formerly Black."

The goblin raised his eyebrows. He then looked over his shoulder and bellowed "Hygard!"

A short fat, bandy-legged goblin trotted up to the teller.

"Yes, Master Bogrod?" Hygard said.

"Bring me the Clankers, Hygard," Bogrod stated.

Hygard scurried away. Bogrod snapped a finger, and a folder of parchment appeared at the counter. Bogrod looked up at Sirius.

"Finally," he rasped, "a wand-carrier who has the foreknowledge to seek the goblin who actually oversees the vault in question."

Sirius smiled. Truthfully, he had just walked up to a random queue, but he was not going to tell Bogrod that.

"Clankers, Master Bogrod!" Hygard said, breathlessly, "You are very lucky, Master Bogrod. The other set of Clankers are in use at this very moment."

"Good, now go," Bogrod said, as he took the Clankers; Hygard scurried off again; "The high-security vaults are very popular today it seems."

He took two pieces of parchment from the folder and shoved then front of Sirius.

"Sign here and here," Bogrod tapped the top parchment twice, then pushed it aside to reveal the other, "And tap your wand tip here. No incantation is needed."

Sirius picked up a nearby quill, dipped it in ink and signed his name twice on the parchment. He then took his wand from his pocket, pointed it at the other piece of parchment, and tapped it. The parchment turned a deeper golden color then returned to its normal shade. Before Sirius could see what happened, Bogrod took it away, and put the parchment back in the folder. He snapped his fingers, and the folder disappeared.

"Come, Mr. Black," Bogrod said.

Sirius shrugged and, as Bogrod headed behind the counters toward the large doors, Sirius headed toward them as well from his side. Fifteen minutes later, he and Bogrod were shaking the Clankers back and forth as the Ukrainian Ironbelly growled and shuddered, skulking backward away from the sound.

"Do you have a copy of the vault key?" Bogrod asked, as they approached the vault.

"Er – sorry – no," Sirius said.

"No matter," Bogrod grunted, "I did not expect so. Vault transfers usually go this way. I will open the vault without a key, and a new key will be made very soon."

"I will need to return to this vault in a week," Sirius said, "Can it be made before then, Master Bogrod?"

"It will be done," Bogrod said.

The goblin placed a bony hand on the vault, and the clicks and clanks were heard as the metal locks started to turn. The door opened and Sirius walked into the vault, followed by Bogrod.

"It is probably best if you know," Bogrod said, "that a series of Anti-intruder charms were set on the valuables inside this vault by Mrs. Lestrange long ago."

"I have been forewarned of said charms," Sirius said, "And I will be lifting them and placing my own."

Bogrod grunted. "Your vault."

Sirius smiled and waved his wand in the air. The removal of charms was a little difficult; Bellatrix knew what she was doing. However, it was done in a good five minutes, and Sirius began adding his own, which was a lot quicker. He was more favored in the wards and charms usually set around places like Quidditch stadiums and buildings like Hogwarts, except where those warded off Muggles, these warded off unwelcome wizards and witches.

When Sirius was done, he took a sweeping look around the vault, searching for one particular object. After a minute, in the corner of the vault, he found his prize. The large silver goblet was sitting on a shelf next to a piece of armor, like Harry had said it would be. From here, Sirius could just make out Hufflepuff's badger on it. He felt bile raise in his throat. So… here was proof. One of Voldemort's Horcruxes was feet in front of him.

And here it would stay for one more week.

"I am done, Bogrod," Sirius said, "I take nothing today. I will be back in a week."

Bogrod nodded and Sirius returned to the door. When he left the vault, the only sounds he heard were a moaning dragon, and a cart as it traveled back up the track in the distance. Sirius had a feeling he knew who was in this cart.

* * *

Fifteen minutes after they left the Potter Family Vault, Harry and Ginny were back in Diagon Alley.

They traveled to Florean Fortescue's parlor, where they bought a large ice-cream cone each, and sat talking about random things as they ate happily, and watched passing witches and wizards walking by and tried to see if they recognized anyone. After that, they stopped off at the Apothecary, where the Floo Powder was sold, and Harry bought a couple of bags.

Remembering something he wanted and could not get the previous visit, Harry explained his intentions to Ginny and they went to Mr. Ollivander's.

"Mr. Potter," Mr. Ollivander said, "And your young mate, a pleasure. What can I do for you today?"

"I would like to buy a couple of wand-holsters," Harry said.

"Of course," Mr. Ollivander said, "I have a good bargain on some left-over from a batch I had made for the Auror cadets. Modified to fit any arm or leg-length. Conceals and protects your wand from Disarming Spells, and if your wand-holster is placed on your arm, a simple swish of your hand and your wand will easily be reachable in a blink of an eye, if needed for quick dueling. It is color-changing as well, so you can change it to suit your fancy. Seven Galleons a piece."

Harry looked at Ginny and she smiled and nodded.

"We'll take them," Harry said, looking back at Mr. Ollivander.

Mr. Ollivander smiled and he soon disappeared into an aisle. He returned to the front and revealed the two wand-holsters. The current color was black and the wand-holsters were made of dragon leather.

"Perfect," Harry said.

"Test them before you buy them," Mr. Ollivander said, "I would not want to sell you something you do not approve of."

He gave one of the wand-holsters to Ginny, and she rolled back the sleeve of one of her arms, and put the wand-holster around her arm. It changed in size and fit snugly against her arm. She then put her wand inside, closed the latch over it and dropped her sleeve. Harry couldn't tell she was hiding her wand there. With a twist of her wrist, Ginny's wand slid into her hand and she pointed it toward Harry.

Harry smiled as he watched this play out, and his Auror mind set to work. The motion was three times as quick as when Ginny's wand would be placed in her pocket, and would outmatch most duelists. This would almost always give her the first spell cast. Always a good thing in a duel.

"Brilliant," Ginny said.

Harry did the same with his wand-holster and when it was tucked into his sleeve, he looked at Ginny.

"Attempt to disarm me," he said.

She nodded and cleared her throat, pointing her wand at him. "Expelliarmus!"

Harry grinned when nothing happened. "My wand didn't even move. It worked. Thank you, Mr. Ollivander."

"My pleasure, boy," he said, as Harry handed him the fourteen Galleons.

Harry bowed slightly in farewell and he and Ginny left the shop. As they did, they accidentally collided into somebody.

"Watch it, ginger!" a voice snarled.

Harry recognized that voice, and sure enough, he saw Draco Malfoy standing there. Draco brushed himself off and looked at Ginny, then his eyes traveled to Harry.

"You're Harry Potter, aren't you?" Draco asked.

"Yes," Harry said.

"I'm Malfoy," Draco said, "Draco Malfoy. I'm sure you heard that my Father's very interested in you. If you want my advice, I'd listen to Father. You could go far with us."

Harry rolled his eyes. So to Lucius Malfoy, he was an object at any old shop was he? A version of Horace Slughorn, eager to have Harry for his collection, though for Lucius it was far, far worse.

Draco's eyes traveled back to Ginny, and scoffed. He then looked back at Harry.

"I realize you're not accustomed to our ways yet, Potter," Draco said. "Maybe with my father, you'll learn that it is better to avoid some people."

"Oh yeah," Harry asked, "Like who?"

"Like Weasley here," Draco said, "Not all purebloods are respectable, Potter. Some are the lowest form of the word."

Harry narrowed his eyes, his anger swelling due to the insult Draco had given Ginny. Suddenly, Draco seemed to trip over his feet and tumbled backwards onto the pavement. He cried out in pain as his backside hit the cobblestone rather hard. Harry suspected Draco would have a bruise by the following morning.

"Draco!" a cold, high female voice said, "What are you doing?"

Harry looked over his shoulder to see Narcissa Malfoy walking over toward them.

"Nothing, Mother," Draco said, as he pushed himself off the ground, "I guess I tripped."

"Watch where you're going next time," she said.

"Yes, Mother," she said.

Narcissa's eyes traveled to Harry and Ginny.

"Harry Potter, I assume," Narcissa said, "May I have the honor of welcoming you back to the wizarding world? I hear you met my dear cousin and niece recently. I have not seen them in a while, I admit. I hope they're well."

Harry noticed she couldn't seem to help but sound indifferent. But Harry still remembered how there was some good in Narcissa, and how, in the old timeline she had helped him during the Battle of Hogwarts in a moment where she could have harmed him.

"Very well indeed," Harry said.

"Mmhmm," Narcissa said, "If everything goes the way it should, we may be seeing a lot more of each other. Until then, I bid you good day. Come, Draco. I need to stop by the Apothecary."

"Yes, Mother," Draco said.

Draco looked at Harry and Ginny and narrowed his eyes, though Harry noticed Draco seemed a bit… frightened, perhaps? Draco hurried after his mother.

_What happened to him? _Ginny asked, _That was no accident when he tripped._

_I'm not sure, but I think I may have somehow caused him to fall. I felt angry when he insulted you, and that was when he tripped._

_Perhaps our Soul-Bond reacts against even verbal attacks like that._

_We're going to have to be careful with that in the future._

_Oh, I don't know, Harry. That was rather fun._

Harry grinned. _True enough. I was hoping to change him, though. Maybe after we win against his dear Daddy, we can make him see his father his father is not exactly the type he should follow in their footsteps._

Ginny scoffed. _Good luck with that._

_Come on. We need to get back._

Ginny nodded and the two of them headed back toward the Leaky Cauldron.

_One moment, Mr. Potter, _Ginny said, once they reached the vacant back space between Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron.

Ginny took Harry's hand and lightly pushed him against a wall. She kissed him softly and he chuckled and kissed her back, deepening the kiss. Ginny pulled away and smiled.

_That was for defending me back there against Draco._

_My pleasure, Mrs. Potter,_

Harry said, _Come on. We need to go._

They walked into the Leaky Cauldron. Ginny looked at him and squeezed his hand.

_I'll nip into the restroom, _she said, _and teleport back to the orchard. Then I'll head back into the house. Thank you for the date._

Harry smiled and walked over to fireplace. When he saw Ginny disappear inside the witches' restroom, he took a handful of Floo Powder from one of the bags, and walked into the green fire of the fireplace and used the Burrow's call-sign.

Soon, he was back in the Burrow. He heard Mr. and Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen, and, after setting the bags of Floo powder on the mantle, walked over to them.

"Harry!" Mrs. Weasley said, smiling, when she noticed him, "You're back. Did you have a nice lunch with your godfather?"

"Yeah," Harry said, "He said we might have another outing between the two of us sometime soon."

"Well, good," Mrs. Weasley said.

"I hope you weren't worried about me," Harry said, "I'm afraid lunch was quite long. Oh, and then I stopped by the apothecary to get a couple bags of Floo Powder."

"How very thoughtful of you," Mr. Weasley said.

"Well, if you're looking for the children," Mrs. Weasley said, "I expect Ron's still swimming in the lake, and I think Ginny might still be resting in the orchard. She loves that place, Ginny does. She's been there for – well – since a few minutes after you left, I believe. Packed a light lunch."

"I'm back, Mum!" Ginny said, as she walked into the kitchen; she yawned. "Sorry. I guess I dozed off up there."

"No worries, Ginny, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, "Harry's back."

"Have fun?" Ginny asked, looking at him.

"Loads," Harry said.

"Good," Ginny said.

"Well, it is a pretty warm day out there," Mrs. Weasley said, "I'm not surprised Ron chose to go swimming. If you want to join him –"

"Sounds good," Harry said, and Ginny nodded.

He and Ginny hurried off out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

_This is why I love the freedom of our Soul-Bond, _Ginny said, _We would never get away with something like this if they knew about it. _

_I know. Which is why I'm so adamant about the hearing next month. I don't want to reveal it if we don't have to, Ginny._

_I know. Maybe I'm just a bit overwhelmed with keeping two big secrets like this. Telling Sirius was a big weight off my shoulders. _

_Yeah. Mine too. Come on… we deserve a good relaxing swim._

Ginny smiled, kissed Harry's cheek and disappeared into her bedroom. Harry chuckled to himself and walked off up the stairs toward his bedroom. He had to agree with Ginny. These little dates and private time alone with her was something he was missing very much since they had arrived in this timeline. If he had his way, he'd make sure he could spend as much time as he could with her. He knew that after the end of the summer, they'd be away from each other for a few months. That was a depressing thought in itself.

* * *

**Okay, so this one was almost like a filler or a transition chapter between two chapters. It could have almost been a deleted scene or one-shot additional scene instead of in this story, but it had some important scenes like the confrontation with Draco. Draco has a fairly good role to play in this story, and that new Soul-Bond power shown will also show up again… probably quite a bit.**

**This chapter was about a quarter shorter until I decided to add Sirius' PoV into this chapter. I really like it. Glad I thought about it. Nice transition between the two Harry/Ginny scenes. Also I almost forgot about Bogrod and had two new goblins instead of one, then I remembered Bogrod was probably overseer of Bellatrix's Vault.**

**Next chapter is Harry and Sirius' next godfather-and-godson outing at the two Manors, and then the following chapter is the hearing! Hopefully after that, we can get closer to Harry's first year at Hogwarts!**

**Note: As you can probably guess, Sirius' cell location in Azkaban was just guess work by me. Quite random. However, it is canon that Azkaban is located in the North Sea.**

**Hope you liked this chapter!**


	23. A Tale Of Two Manors

**Chapter 23  
A Tale Of Two Manors**

**Author's Note: Another title explanation! Even though the title says so, there is no real "tale" told of any kind. The title is a play on the book title "A Tale Of Two Cities."  
**  
Harry's guess about Sirius' desired day for their next "outing" turned out to be correct. The day after Harry and Ginny visited Sirius at the Leaky Cauldron, Sirius sent a letter to him informing him that their next outing would be the following Saturday. Sirius explained that he would visit his newly acquired high-security vault, previously known as the Lestrange Vault (Harry was happy to hear how easy it was for the vault to be transferred over), and grab the Hufflepuff cup before he would Apparate over to the Burrow. Harry replied that this would be fine, and he also warned Sirius to be very careful when he took the Horcrux in case it did something funny. Harry still had a clear memory about how the locket had affected him almost as soon as he touched it.

The thought that he would soon have two Horcruxes in his possession excited Harry greatly. But it also caused him worry. He was sure they would be perfectly well-protected at Potter Manor; in fact Harry spent many hours that following week going over an assortment of protections he could place in the house and around the Horcruxes to protect them until he was able to destroy them. Also at one point, in the middle of the week, as he lay in bed one evening, Harry had even debated with himself about whether or not just to use Fiendfyre on the two Horcruxes and be done with them.

But that night he had two nightmares that put him off that decision. The first one was almost as if he was looking into a Pensieve: he was dreaming about the Room of Requirement the day the diadem had been destroyed in the old timeline and Vincent Crabbe had been killed. Except this time, Ginny had also been there.

In the other nightmare, Harry had decided to use Fiendfyre on the cup and locket Horcruxes. When he did use it, the Fiendfyre went out of control, and while it destroyed the two Horcruxes, it also set an unstoppable fire to Potter Manor. But the most horrifying part was when Harry woke up and heard Ginny screaming in his head; it turned out Ginny was having the nightmare too, and she had been in Potter Manor when the fire burned the place down. They had stayed up for a good half-hour after that, Harry comforting her through mind-speak, until she was able to go back to sleep.

Fiendfyre, Harry decided right then and there, was no longer an option as an offense to destroy the Horcruxes.

In the middle of the week, Harry realized that he was focusing so much of his time on Ginny, and thinking about the events of that following weekend, that he had not spent too much time with Ron. Therefore, he was not surprised when, on Thursday, Ron had joined him and Ginny on their morning jog around the Weasley plot (Ginny had started this routine a couple days before). After this, they had breakfast and headed toward the small Pitch by the barn.

The three played a "Chaser versus Keeper & Beater" match, in which they would take turns playing each position and the Chaser would have to score as many goals as they could in a twenty minute time-limit. Whoever scored the most in their time limit won. The Bludger was pretty old, and whenever it hit them, it would feel more like being hit by a rolled-up sock with a tennis ball inside it. Still hurt, but didn't bruise. Ginny, who was a brilliant Chaser and a pretty good Beater, though had lousy Keeper skills, won the match with some smart Quaffle throwing that even Ron, who was considered the best Keeper of all the Weasley children, had trouble catching.

Harry and Ron were tied for second and decided to face-off in a sudden-death Chaser vs. Chaser match, which was a pretty violent game where the Chasers would have to try to steal the ball from the other before they were able to score, then they'd have to score themselves. In the end, Harry, who had some help from Ginny telepathically (since Ron didn't know about it, they didn't consider this cheating), was too much for Ron. Ten minutes into the match, Ron had tried to rush Harry, as the latter made a beeline for the "ring" (the barn's open window) and missed him. The result was him flying through the window and Harry's Quaffle soon joined him for the win.

Harry and Ginny laughed loudly as they landed on the ground and told Ron that he was supposed to throw the Quaffle in the barn, not himself.

"Ha-ha," Ron said, sarcastically, as he walked out of the barn, pulling pieces of hay out of his hair. "Very funny."

Ron sighed and joined them as they sat on the ground.

"I'm exhausted," he said, "You'd think I'd be in better health from doing all this flying."

"It is probably all of Mum's cooking you eat," Ginny said.

"Funny," Ron said.

"Well, maybe you should join us more on our jogs," Harry said. "And perhaps we could continue jogging and stuff at Hogwarts. Early morning exercise before breakfast and class."

"I don't know, Harry," Ron said, frowning, "Fred, George and Percy always say they're up pretty late in the night doing schoolwork. We wouldn't have a good night's rest if we wake up that early."

"I agree with Harry, Ron," Ginny said, "You're going to want to be on the Quidditch team sometime, right?"

Ron nodded.

"If this exhausts you," Ginny said, "What is Quidditch practice going to do?"

"Yeah, but first years aren't allowed on the team," Ron said, "Fred and George said they were having no luck at all convincing Dumbledore. They told me to consider it hopeless. So… you know… Harry's exercise idea could wait."

"Well, what if our exercises are for other things too?" Harry asked, "There's bound to be one or two people trying to be bullies in our year. If we built up a bit, they wouldn't bother us."

"Nobody's going to bother us," Ron said, "You're Harry Potter, for Merlin's sake! And I'd hang around you."

"Not true, Ron," Ginny said, "Lucius Malfoy's brat tried to bully Harry on Saturday. Er… Harry told me that, right, Harry?"

Harry nodded.

"Well," Ron said, thoughtfully, as he played with a strand of grass, "Okay. But we can't exercise every day."

"Deal," Harry said, "And who knows? If we get some more friends at Hogwarts, they might join us."

_Hermione and Neville? _Ginny asked.

_Yeah, but it will be hard to convince them. Hermione will want to focus more on her studies, and Neville… well… you know._

_Yeah… good luck with that._

"Sounds good," Ron said, "Another match, Harry? I'm going to make sure you end up in the barn this time!"

"Yeah, sure," Harry said, "Hey, mate, is that hay I see in your hair?"

"Where?" Ron asked, brushing his hands through his hair, "There? I can't - hey! I'll get you for that, Potter!"

Harry laughed. He had used this distraction to get up and get back into the air before Ron even could stand up.

* * *

On Saturday, Harry was up so early that even Mrs. Weasley had not come downstairs yet. So he decided to start on preparing breakfast (ham and cheese omelets) for everyone by hand. He had already made three by the time Mrs. Weasley had arrived.

"I thought I smelled something good," Mrs. Weasley said, smiling, "Guess I should be used to this."

Harry smiled and nodded. In the, now, two weeks he had been staying there, this was the fifth time he had made breakfast for everyone. After Mrs. Weasley had caught him the third time, she decided to let him cook sometimes mostly because he was so good at it (Mrs. Weasley was still puzzled by this).

"Did Sirius tell you when we should expect him over here today?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she started to brew a pot of tea.

"No," Harry said, "Could be anytime, but I think he has to stop by Diagon Alley first."

"I think it is very nice you're able to write and spend a lot of time with him," Mrs. Weasley said, "I can't imagine what it must be like for you. I've known good family all my life. I've never known anyone like those relatives –"

She stopped and frowned. Harry knew she didn't like to say too many negative things too often, and she usually stopped before she started. Harry flipped over the omelet he was cooking and hugged Mrs. Weasley. She was shocked at first (this was the first time he had really hugged her in this timeline); but she chuckled and accepted it.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," he said, as he backed up and returned to the stove, "for everything."

"Oh, it's nothing, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said, "Any good person would take you in, even – even as a guest."

"I'm not worried about the hearing next month," Harry said, "I know it will go right. I'll do anything I can to make sure of it."

"Oh, of course you shouldn't worry, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said, "I'm not worried – no, not really."

Harry could tell this wasn't exactly true, but he smiled anyway and returned to fixing the omelets.

It turned out that Harry only had to wait a couple more hours for Sirius. By this time, Mr. Weasley, Ron and Ginny were all up and everyone had eaten the omelets Harry had made, enjoying them thoroughly. At nine-o-clock exactly, while Harry, Ginny and Ron were in the living room, a resounding pop told everyone that Sirius had apparated to the Burrow this time. Harry, Ginny and Ron hopped up and walked outside with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to meet him. Harry checked his robes to make sure his wand, with holster and the key and Deed to Potter Manor were all there.

_I have no wish to go to Black Manor, Harry, _Ginny said, _But I miss Potter Manor terribly. So tell me when you're headed there, and I'll give the orchard excuse to Mum and teleport to you._

_All right._

_Good luck with the locket Horcrux. Remember the defenses around it by the way. The music box -_

_The clock with the bolts, the snuffbox..._

_The Horcrux itself._

_I know, love. Believe me._

_I'm just worried. You know how I am. It is like you heading out for the Horcrux hunt, or an Auror mission all over again._

_Don't be worried. I'll see you soon. I love you._

_I love you too._

By this time, Sirius had made his way down to end of the driveway. He was carrying a duffel bag with him.

"Arthur, Molly, kids," he said, nodding to each in greeting.

"How are you, Sirius?" Mr. Weasley asked, shaking Sirius' hand.

"Improving as every day passes," Sirius said. "And I have good news. By Monday, you and your friends at the Ministry can search for dark objects in Black Manor to your heart's content. I'll be there to control that blasted house-elf, of course. But tell them to be careful."

"They'll be delighted to hear about it," Mr. Weasley said, "Some of the boys in the Ministry are in need of a nice raid."

"This is a very nice one, I expect," Sirius said. "Just send me an owl when you are ready to go over there."

"Won't you stay for a few minutes, Sirius?" Mrs. Weasley asked, "I am making biscuits."

"Save me and Harry some when we get back," Sirius said, "I am eager to take Harry around some of mine and his father's old haunts."

Harry grinned. It was probably the best way to be truthful about what they were doing without giving anything away.

"Oh, all right," Mrs. Weasley said, "I shouldn't keep you from the fun. Harry, be careful. Sirius, make sure you're careful with Side-Along Apparation. He's never used it before."

"I'll make sure he won't vomit," Sirius said, with a wink.

Mrs. Weasley sighed. She narrowed her eyes at her husband and kids when they chuckled, but ended up with a small chuckle anyway.

"All right," she said again, "We'll see you soon, Harry."

Harry nodded and waved goodbye. He looked at Ginny who smiled and quickly motioned her eyes toward the orchard. Harry smiled in return and started up the driveway with Sirius.

"I have Hufflepuff's cup," Sirius said, in a low voice, motioning to his duffel bag. "I didn't dare touch it. I used a Hovering Charm and dropped it in this bag. I placed the charms beforehand. Nobody but you, me and your wee lass are getting in this bag, and that's a promise."

"It'll be in Potter Manor soon anyway," Harry said.

"Will your missus be coming?" Sirius said.

Harry tried his best not to roll his eyes; Sirius seemed to be having fun using a word-play for Ginny being Harry's wife.

"She doesn't like Black Manor," he explained. "But she'll teleport to Potter Manor when we're there."

Sirius nodded. When they reached the top of the driveway, Sirius extended his hand and Harry took it. Sirius counted down from three and Harry felt his breath leave him as his lungs collapsed and he temporarily saw blackness. When he could see again, they were standing in an alleyway. Sirius led him through the alley, and soon Harry was looking at Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

"No Secret Keeper Charm?" Harry asked.

"No," Sirius said, shaking his head, "But I came here last week. I haven't gone inside, but I cast a few spells on the house, and nobody except that house-elf has been in there for years. Not since my not-so-dearly departed Mother. That's not a good thing, though. We're going to probably face more things than just Kreacher when we get in there, so you have to be careful."

"I can deal with beasts, Sirius," Harry said, "And my share of protective curses."

"I'll see that when I believe it," Sirius said.

Harry snorted. Sirius chuckled and they walked off across the road; both of them looking around warily with the skill of a (former) Auror. They reached the top steps and Sirius took his wand from his pocket and waved it across the door. Clicks and scrapes of metal moving were heard as the locks were unlocked.

"Okay, Harry," Sirius said, "Wand at the – oh, well – very good."

Harry grinned when Sirius eyed his wand. It had already been in his hand since he reached the top stair; the motion stealthy and quick thanks to his holster. Harry heard Sirius inhale a deep breath as he turned the doorknob and opened the door. Sirius took a slow step inside, then another. He nodded quietly to Harry, who walked inside. He walked ahead of Sirius and pointed his wand toward the other end of the long hallway. Sirius closed the door… which shut rather loudly. Harry cursed silently, knowing what was probably coming next.

He was right.

"WHO DARES DISTURB THE NOBLE AND MOST ANCIENT HOUSE OF BLACK!"a voice shrieked loudly down the hallway.

"Shit," Harry cursed, "I forgot about her. Come on!"

"Harry, wait!" Sirius said, as Harry hurried forward toward the stairs, "That sounds like – it can't be – it sounds like… Mum."

For Sirius had seen what Harry was now looking at too. Walburga Black's portrait was curtain-less at the moment, and she was standing up in her portrait, her bloodshot eyes wide.

"YOOOU!" Mrs. Black shrieked when she saw Sirius, "YOU FILTHY BLOOD-TRAITOR! ABOMINATION OF MY WOMB! YOU DARE RETURN TO THE NOBLE HOUSE OF BLACK!"

"Hullo, Mum," Sirius said, "You look well… for a dead person."

Harry sighed and waved his wand toward the portrait. A brass rod appeared at the top of the portrait, and thick black curtains hung on each side. Harry slammed them shut and Mrs. Black went silent.

"Oops," Harry said, "I forgot about her."

"I should have known she would have placed a portrait in here," Sirius said, with a sigh, "I bet it is placed with a Permanent Sticking Charm, isn't –?"

"Why were you screaming, my Mistress?" a gravelly, deep voice croaked from down the hall, "Was it those damned doxies again? I'm sorry, Mistress, they are pests."

"Speaking of pest," Sirius muttered, stepping down into the hallway.

Harry looked down the hallway as the ancient house-elf Kreacher stared back, his droopy, blood-shot eyes wide as they looked at Sirius.

"Hello, Kreacher," Sirius said, "Long time, no see."

"Master Sirius has returned to the Noble and Ancient House of Black," Kreacher muttered, "The blood-traitor has returned. Oh, my poor Mistress, Kreacher knows now why she screamed. Master Sirius is not alone. Is this the one they call Harry Potter? Yes, Kreacher sees the scar. Kreacher wonders how he got it."

"Kreacher," Sirius said, "It seems you have been putting off your duties your Masters and Mistresses have set upon you. This house is filthy."

"Mistress ordered Kreacher to keep it so," Kreacher said. "Ordered Kreacher to keep it so in case the blood-traitor brats of the Black Family ever wished to return. Mistress ordered Kreacher to keep the doxies and boggarts and quintapeds at bay but alive –"

"My dear mother set me up a homecoming present!" Sirius laughed, then shook his head, "This could be a problem. All right, Harry, where is this – err –"

He looked at Kreacher; apparently Sirius didn't want to speak of the locket with Kreacher nearby.

"Where is this object we are looking for?" he asked.

"Sitting room," Harry said, "This level."

"Kreacher wonders what this object Master speaks of," Kreacher grunted, "Mistress would not like the blood-traitor brat stealing her valuables. No, she would not like that at all –"

"They are now my valuables, Kreacher," Sirius said, "I am the Head of the Blacks now, and the owner of this wasteland. Do you know what that means? I order you to go back to your hole – is it still the one behind the water heater? – and stay there for a couple of hours. Now!"

"Yes, Master. Kreacher serves Master Black," Kreacher said, as he turned around and headed for the kitchen, "Filthy blood-traitor thief that he is. Oh, my poor Mistress."

"He hasn't changed," Sirius said, with a deep sigh, "Not at all."

"Sirius," Harry said, "He changed when I became nicer to him. His cooking improved and he looked proper. Everything around here looked clean and nice again. In fact, he became my house-elf at Potter Manor. And he was very nice to me and Ginny."

"Harry," Sirius said, "Kreacher and I have an old history. He won't change with me. I – err –"

He looked longingly at the stairs and muttered something.

"Come again?" Harry asked.

"As a lad," Sirius said, slowly, "I might have – err – kicked him down those stairs once or twice – or five times. On purpose."

"Sirius!" Harry said, and he realized he sounded a lot like Mrs. Weasley when she scolded her kids.

"He tried to take my posters of Muggle girls!" Sirius exclaimed, "What would he want with posters of scantily-clad Muggle girls!"

Harry sighed and shook his head as Mrs. Black screamed again. Harry pointed his wand at her portrait and she shut up again.

"Let's just go get this damn thing," he said.

Wand pointed in front of him, he started off toward the sitting room. When they arrived, Harry peered into the room and pointed his wand around the sitting room.

"Okay," Harry whispered, "It is in that large cupboard with the glass door, near the grandfather clock. The clock shoots bolts at you, and the objects inside the cupboard put up a fight. Oh, and I'm not too trusting about those curtains over –"

Sirius sent a stunning spell at the window, and a Reduction spell at the grandfather clock. The clock collapsed and turned into splinters and a pile of melted metal. Over at the window, four Stunned doxies fell from the curtains and dropped onto the floor.

"I was going to say we could have put a Finite Charm on that clock," Harry said, staring at the debris that was once the clock, "But your way is good too… I guess."

"My mother loved that clock," Sirius said, with a grin, "I wanted to do that since I was seven. But my accidental magic would never come when I was in here."

Harry shook his head and walked over to the cupboard. He could see the locket through the glass of the door.

"Hello, my old foe," Harry muttered.

"Come again?" Sirius asked.

"Me and this locket have quite a few interesting stories to tell," Harry said.

"I'll set up a camp-fire!" Sirius said, grinning, "On second thought, make it Fiendfyre…"

"No, Sirius," Harry said.

"Are you sure you're not related to Remus Lupin?" Sirius asked.

Harry groaned and pointed his wand at the cupboard.

"I'll open the door," he said, "You cast a few Finalizing Charms on the curses."

Sirius nodded and Harry used his wand to open the cupboard doors. At once, the music box opened and music started to come out. Harry started to become sleepy. A moment later, the music stopped. Harry shook his head, and even Sirius looked like he was trying to clear water out of his ears.

"Blasted house-elf set up this defense, didn't he?" Sirius asked, yawning. "Hold me back, Harry, or he's going up on a wall right this moment."

"Don't make me hex you," Harry said, grinning, "Bag?"

Sirius took the bag from his shoulder and opened it. Harry tried to use a Hover Charm on the locket, but it didn't work.

"Damn it," Harry said, "Okay, if anything funny happens to me, stun me."

"Harry," Sirius said, "Are you sure?"

"This thing made me angry for hours," Harry said, staring at the locket, "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."

Sirius snorted. "How were you with puberty?"

Harry ignored Sirius. He inhaled and exhaled and reached for the locket. He grabbed it and quickly tossed it into the duffel bag. Sirius closed the bag quickly and looked at Harry.

"Do I need to set phasers to stun?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ha-ha," Harry said, sarcastically, "I'm fine. Let's get out of here. I need to see Ginny."

Sirius made a gagging sound. Harry rolled his eyes and didn't even look at him until they were back in the alley across the road from Grimmauld Place.

"Next stop," Sirius said, taking Harry's hand, "Potter Manor."

Harry, once again, felt the breath leave his lungs and everything went dark for a moment. When he could see, he was standing behind a tall, black wrought-iron gate that attached to a fence which wrapped around the large plot. He grinned when he saw his home, the large, majestic white house known as Potter Manor.

"My old friend, we meet again," Sirius muttered happily.

_Ginny? _Harry asked through his mind-link. _We're at Potter Manor._

_Finally! I'll be there in just a moment._

Harry concentrated on a patch of sidewalk near him. A moment later, Ginny appeared. She chuckled happily and ran over to Harry and hugged him.

"We're home," she said softly, as she backed up and looked at the house.

"Yes, we are," Harry said, "Sirius, I think we should perform the Secret Keeper Charm now."

"Right," Sirius said, "Wands out."

Harry and Sirius held out their hands and crossed them. With their free hands, they took hold of each other's wrist. Harry looked at Sirius.

"Do you, Sirius Orion Black," he said, "swear to keep the location of Potter Manor, located at 317 Sunset Avenue in Northampton, England, a secret from those who are not worthy of the knowledge, no matter whether curse, hex, or spell is placed upon you?"

"I, Sirius Orion Black," Sirius said, "solemnly swear."

"As the owner of Potter Manor," Harry said, "I, Harry James Potter, entrust Sirius Orion Black as the Secret Keeper of this estate."

"Fidelio Protego Maximus," Harry and Sirius chanted three times, as reddish-gold chains, like fire, whipped around their wrists and hands, and sank into their skin. Their hands and wrists glowed reddish-pink for a moment and then their skin returned to normal.

Harry looked toward the direction of Potter Manor, and found it had disappeared. The charm had worked.

"Harry and Ginny Potter," Sirius said, "The Potter Manor is located at 317 Sunset Avenue in Northampton, England."

The wrought-iron gate, fence and majestic manor once again appeared in front of Harry as if out of thin air. Harry opened the gate and he and Ginny walked up toward the front door, Sirius following closely behind them with the duffel bag.

"Do we need to worry about charms or anything?" Ginny asked. "Magical creatures?"

"The Manor's charms will still recognize you, Harry," Sirius said, "And I would take a wild guess, and say you too Ginny since you are his Bond-mate. And I see it still recognizes me."

"Is this just guesswork?" Harry asked.

"No," Sirius said, as he examined his arms for some reason, "Because my skin is not breaking out in really gross boils and sunburns."

"Wow, Harry," Ginny said, "Your parents and my parents put up the same type of wards. The curse he described happens when someone unwelcome tries to get through my wards."

"We'll put up some more wards soon," Harry said, "Especially with two Horcruxes being hidden here and possibly more later."

Harry took the key from his robes and placed it in the lock on the front door. He turned it and the door opened. Harry walked slowly into the house looking around carefully. Ginny and Sirius followed him in.

"Wow," Ginny said, "This place looks really clean. No dust."

"Yeah," Harry said, "You'd expect dust and –"

Suddenly, they heard a _pop _and a small creature Harry recognized as a house-elf appeared. Harry could tell it was a female. She looked rather young, and very healthy. She wore a rather nice pink dress and her blue eyes sparkled as they looked up at Harry.

"Master Harry?" the house-elf squeaked, "Is it really you?"

"Er… yes," Harry said, "Who are you?"

"Millie?" Sirius asked, "Is that you?"

"Millie was my mother, sir," the house-elf said, "I am Melina. And you… you is surely Sirius Black!"

"Yeah," Sirius said, "Where is Millie?"

Melina's ears drooped. "Oh, sir. Millie is in the great meadow we all must go to in the end. Four years now, sir. Melina has been here by her lonesome looking after Master's manor."

"Er… Sirius," Harry said, "Explain?"

"I never met Melina before," Sirius said, "Were you just a baby when Harry was, Melina?"

"Yes, sir!" Melina said, "I was very little. Only here enough to know Master Harry for a few days before he and Master James and Lady Lily went away. Master and Lady asked me and mother to stay here and watch over Master's home when they went away and –" Melina's ears drooped – "When Master and Lady passed into the human's great meadow, Melina and mother remained behind waiting for this day when Master Harry would return. And he returned!"

"That explains it," Sirius said, nodding.

"Master Harry," Melina said, "May you introduce Melina to your lady?"

"This is Ginny," Harry said, "She's my – err – mate. You'll be seeing her more. She'll be your new Lady."

"Very nice to meet you, Lady Ginny," Melina said, with a curtsy, "Would Master and Lady and Sir like to eat? Melina knows how to cook."

"We won't be here very long today, Melina," Harry said, "But we'll be back sometime. You did well to watch over this house. You may go back to doing what you were doing before we arrived."

"Yes, Master!" Melina said, "Melina is very happy to see you again, Master. Good day."

Melina disappeared a moment later.

"Wow," Ginny said, "We own a house-elf. A nice one."

"You didn't know Melina in the other timeline?" Sirius asked.

"No," Harry said, shaking his head, "She – she must have passed on before we arrived."

"Oh, Melina," Ginny said, sadly, "She's wonderful. She –"

"Maybe since we're around, she'll be okay," Harry said.

Ginny nodded, though she looked doubtful.

"Okay," Harry said, "I think we should put the Horcruxes in the basement. There is a safe down there and we can protect them easier."

"Good idea," Sirius said.

They walked toward the back of the house, where the entrance into the basement was, and made their way downstairs. The basement was exactly how Harry had remembered it, though he and Ginny had turned it into a potions lab when they moved in in the previous timeline. The cool air and little light were perfect condition for potion-making, especially when the potion they were making became sweltering hot.

They made their way across the basement and when they arrived at a large brick wall, Harry took his wand out of its holster. He tapped the wall in the shape of the letter P and six large bricks seemed to melt inside into their neighbors, revealing a large black, steel safe. Unlike most safes though, this had no code-wheel.

"Know how to open it?" Sirius asked.

Harry nodded. He hummed a tune and Ginny joined him. A few moments later, the heavy door opened. The safe was currently empty.

"Oh, Prongs, you old joker," Sirius said, laughing, "Hoggy Warty Hogwarts?"

"It wasn't Dad," Harry said, smiling, "This was Granddad's safe. Apparently he set the passcode."

"Stumped us for a week until we found instructions in a letter in the Potter Family Vault," Ginny said.

Harry motioned to Sirius for the duffel bag. Sirius opened it, and Harry gingerly reached inside. He grabbed the Horcruxes, one hand on each and stuffed them into the vault before quickly backing away.

"Note to self," Harry muttered, as he slammed the safe shut, "Open the Chamber of Secrets soon."

"Protective Charms?" Ginny asked.

"I have a few fun ones for the basement," Sirius said, "Imagine the floor turning into quick-sand – err – cement in this case. They'll get trapped almost up to their neck, so we can find them and interrogate them. Perhaps some Devil's Snare buried in the walls, immune to sunlight and fire, if they decide to cross this place in the air."

"And that's if they get past you, ol' Secret Keeper," Harry said.

"No chance," Sirius said, "We are now in a house that is more protected than Gringotts and Hogwarts."

"Even so," Harry said.

He pointed his wand at the safe and added a few of his own charms, hexes and jinxes on it. When he finished, he closed the bricks.

"There," he said, "They even sing one key of Hoggy Warty Hogwarts and one of us is not the singer, they'll be stunned, bound and apparated where ever I am at that moment. I'd send them to Azkaban instead, but I want to be the first to interrogate them."

"Is that safe?" Ginny asked.

"Perfectly," Harry said, "It is how I caught an escaped Death Eater not long after I started my Auror career. Besides… as Sirius said, this place is perfectly well-protected."

"Right," Ginny said, "Sorry… I'm just –"

"Just being you, Ginny," Harry said, "I know."

Ginny smiled and nodded.

"Come on," Harry said, "Since we're here, we should make the most of it. Sirius? We'll let you do your dirty work."

Sirius grinned and gripped his wand in anticipation. Harry and Ginny walked back across the room and headed back upstairs. They started to explore the house to see if everything looked as if it had in the old time-line. Harry and Ginny split off into different rooms, and when Harry found Ginny again, she was in the Master bedroom, and she was sitting on the bed. It was the exact same bed they had in the old timeline. She was looking longingly at the room and when she saw Harry, she smiled at him. Harry thought he saw tears in her eyes.

"Three weeks ago," Ginny said, "less than three weeks ago – we were sleeping in this bed in our older bodies."

Harry nodded and sat down next to Ginny and put his arm around her.

"It hadn't really, truthfully hit me," Ginny said, "until I entered this room again. I thought it had, you know, and I guess I was wrong. And… I miss it – I miss everything. I thought I was… happy being in this timeline. Being able to see Fred's writing, and, you know, the thought that I'll see him soon. I'm happy about that. And seeing Sirius and Remus and Tonks again. Moody and Dumbledore too."

She nodded and smiled. Then, a moment later, she shook her head and sniffled. Harry saw more tears in her eyes.

"Three years, Harry," she said, softly, "Four more years at most. I was going to play Quidditch for that long. Remember how we discussed that not two months ago? How that seemed like a good time to think about children, and we agreed we'd be old enough for that then? Earlier I passed the room that was your first nursery, and where I was thinking we'd put our first child in and –"

She sniffled and laid her head on Harry's shoulder.

"And now we're children again, Harry," she said, then chuckled wryly, "Well, body-wise. And – I can't honestly say I'm still perfectly, one-hundred percent okay with this – predicament - we're in."

Harry nodded and kissed Ginny's hair.

"We'll get there again, Ginny," he said, "And this time… this time we'll have everyone there with us. I promise."

Ginny buried her head in Harry's shoulder and he heard her softly crying as tears soaked his robes. He heard footsteps and Sirius appeared at the doorway.

"She okay?" he asked, nodding to Ginny.

"She will be," Harry said. "This whole – thing – that happened to us. It finally hit her head-on."

Sirius frowned and nodded. "I'll go – you know – check on the rest of the plot."

Before Harry could nod, Sirius ducked back around the doorway. Harry knew that Sirius thought it best to leave them alone for a few minutes. Harry saw the large vanity mirror near the door and for a few minutes, as Ginny's tears gradually reduced to soft sniffles against his shoulder, he sat there staring at his own reflection, deep in thought about what he and Ginny had really gotten themselves into.

* * *

**Wow, this chapter was a lot longer than I expected it would be. I loved all of it. Especially Sirius and Harry's banter in Grimmauld Place, and the discussion between Harry and Ginny at the end. The end discussion (or shall we call it Ginny's confession?) only came to my head as I was writing it. Had no plans for it. And I am happy I thought of it. **

**So next chapter will be the first of two consecutive time-skips. This one will be about three weeks, so I can get to the guardianship hearing. And then the next will be about five weeks or so. I really want to get to Hogwarts!**

**Hope you liked this chapter as much as I did. I had fun writing the protection charm ideas. Potter Manor's address was random, as was the Secret Keeper ceremony. My mind went blank on the Secret Keeper ceremony. I hope you like it anyway!**


	24. The Guardianship Hearing

**Chapter 24  
The Guardianship Hearing**

**Author's Note: As I stated in the previous Author's Note, there is a three-week time-skip in this chapter.**

**Also, on my FFN profile, I have started to list additional trivia and information for certain chapters of my story that you may be interested in learning. So far I have some for Chapters 22 and 23. I might add more soon, and I will try to add trivia for each new chapter I post. Also includes layout details for my version of Potter Manor.**

With two Horcruxes tucked safely into the highly-protected safe in Potter Manor, Harry was able to focus on other things over the next three weeks that split his visit to Black and Potter Manors, and the guardianship hearing itself.

His main focus was the guardianship hearing. However, as much as he wanted some more information from Sirius and Ragnok, they seemed to be either coming up fairly empty in their plans and strategies, or they were not telling Harry too much. At one point, Sirius mentioned something about the search for possible character witnesses, but he had not elaborated on this too much. Harry spent days after this trying to figure out who could be used as possible character witnesses, and while he came up with quite a few names, he wasn't sure how they could give convincing statements toward the Weasleys. Harry had wondered if Sirius was taking an offensive against Lucius, trying to make his name mud, and while this seemed like something he would do, Harry had explicitly said they needed Lucius out of Azkaban for the time-being (as much as it hurt Harry to continually admit this).

Another interesting development was that Sirius and Mr. Weasley seemed to be hanging out together more often these days. At first, Harry thought it was just because of the large raid into Black Manor they were planning together. But after Mr. Weasley had come home one night, a week-and-a-half after the raids began, announcing a fairly large paycheck from the Ministry after a "highly successful end to a dangerous but interesting raid" on Black Manor, Harry could no longer see this as a reason for their continued meetings. When Harry questioned Sirius shortly after this had happened, all he stated was one successful battle had been won, and another battle still going on. Harry realized that the "battle won" was the battle against Black Manor. The other was probably the guardianship hearing.

Even though Sirius was Secret Keeper for Potter Manor, he had not given Harry any additional thoughts on moving into the large house just yet. Harry understood why… Sirius' friendship with Remus was beginning to get back to how it was in the good ol' days, to the point where, when Harry joined Sirius and Remus for lunch two weeks after the visit to Black and Potter Manors, they seemed to be joking like they were teenagers again. Telling Remus about any plans to move, especially when Remus wasn't to know about the access into Potter Manor just yet (since Remus didn't know about Harry's emancipation, and that Harry wasn't supposed to gain access to the Potter Family Vault until he turned seventeen), was a bit of a problem for Sirius.

Sirius had apparently been a little too vocal to Remus when he explained he didn't have to live at Black Manor, and Remus had asked him if he had bought a flat. As he had told Harry, Sirius had hastily changed the subject to the mention of his cousin Tonks, who had a run-in with Remus the day before in Diagon Alley.

"Smart as a room of Ravenclaws, Remus is," Sirius had commented to Harry not long after this, "But mention girls who Remus may or may not have a bit of a fancy for – no matter how young or old – and he ignores you for hours. It has always been that way."

Of course… Harry and Ginny had not opted to tell Sirius just yet about Remus and Tonks' relationship in the previous timeline, so this was a bit of a welcomed coincidence to them that possible feelings were blossoming much earlier, even if things didn't progress for a while.

Harry's mind also traveled to the other important things.

The other two available Horcruxes he could acquire at the moment was one of those. One was very easy to obtain: Ravenclaw's diadem in the Room of Requirement. Harry knew he would be able to grab this one when he went to Hogwarts in September. His current plans were to leave it in the Room of Requirement until he would be able to get away from Hogwarts for Christmas Break. He knew that if the timeline had stayed true, that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would visit Charlie in Romania, but if Sirius was in Potter Manor at that time, Harry figured he could convince Sirius to hold Christmas there, and he could stay there for Christmas. Of course, he wanted Ginny to join him there too for a day or two then, but that might be a bit difficult. He would have to think about that later. As for the diadem, he could put it in the safe at that time.

The other available Horcrux, Slytherin's ring, was a whole different story. He had no idea what kind of protections were around the Gaunt house, nor where the ring was currently at inside the house. He knew he'd have to do some research on commonly used Dark wards, curses and jinxes, and that information could probably be found in the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts library. Though… if the timeline followed the previous one, Harry wouldn't acquire his Invisibility Cloak from Dumbledore until Christmas. And he couldn't just walk up to a Professor and ask for permission to get the requested books – only Professor Lockhart had been thick enough to write a – to use a Muggle term – "blank check", and, timeline differences allowing, he wouldn't be at Hogwarts, thankfully in Harry's opinion, until the following year.

Besides the hearing and Horcruxes, there was also the missing information from the Flamel book. Just like he had been silent about his investigations toward the guardianship hearing, Ragnok had also been almost silent about the investigation into this information as well. There was only one spot of news about this… a week before the guardianship hearing, Ragnok had written to Harry and said he had contacted the bookshop keeper who had answered back this time. It turned out he had gone away on holiday for his health – apparently he was very old and needed time off occasionally. The shop keeper said that he would look into the "regrettable incident" and get back to Ragnok when he could. Ragnok didn't give any hints as to when this would be.

With all these thoughts in his head, Harry had tried to find ways to distract himself at times as well. He and Ginny would spend some time in the orchard, where they could freely chat without their mind-speak and not worry about someone overhearing.

Harry, Ginny and Ron's jogging routines had gone very well, and in the week before the hearing, the routine had also evolved into other strength exercises – sit ups, push-ups, swimming laps in the lake, speed-climbing up and down the ladder in the barn, and tricky maneuvers with broomsticks, where they would dive toward the ground, land, jump off, get back on and get back in the air, trying to do so as quickly as they could. When Ron had questioned Harry about the latter practice, and how this was good against bullies, Harry had explained that you never knew when you'd be in the air, and have to land and run and hide when being chased in the air. Ron, who seemed to think Harry was mental, only looked at him oddly for a mere few seconds, before shrugging and starting the routine again.

Luna, who had visited a handful of times over those three weeks, had also joined them with their routine, after asking first if they were running to practice escaping in case they were confronted by the herd of Snorcacks apparently spotted by Quibbler readers in the area recently.

-  
_June 11__th__, 1991_

The morning of the guardianship hearing was a rather hectic one in the Burrow. Although, the hearing wouldn't start until noon, Harry, Mr. Weasley and Sirius had planned to arrive at the Ministry no later than eleven. Mr. Weasley was given the day off from his job in order to appear at the hearing. Owls had been coming in and out of the Burrow for a good hour or so after Harry had woken up.

A few of the owls had delivered letters wishing the best of luck to Harry and the Weasleys. These had come from Ragnok (privately to Harry's bedroom), Fred, George and Percy (all eager to be able to meet Harry when they would return home near the end of June), Bill and Charlie, Remus (a letter hand-delivered from Sirius), Albus Dumbledore (who would be part of the Wizengamot that day), Amelia Bones, Tonks and, oddly enough, Mrs. Figg, Stan Shunpike, and Tom the Leaky Cauldron barman (the latter had also given the Weasleys a couple of apple pies in case of, as he said, a "post-hearing celebration" – Harry had hoped this wasn't a jinx – metaphorically speaking, of course). Apparently this guardianship had gone far and wide in the gossip mill around London and its surrounding areas.

That morning, Harry and Ginny had gone jogging before Ron woke up, and discussed the possibilities of the revelation of their Soul-Bond to the Wizengamot the following day. Ginny didn't even bother planning a visit to the orchard. If she had to teleport to prove her and Harry's Soul-Bond status, Mr. Weasley would find out about it anyway, because, like he had done so with Sirius, Harry would have to explain the Soul-Bond before Ginny teleported. If this happened, Mrs. Weasley would soon find out as well, so there was no real reason to have to prepare for it elsewhere. However, both Harry and Ginny were adamantly agreeing that they were worrying for nothing. The phrase "no negative thoughts" was used quite a bit during the conversation.

They had also decided that their mind-link would be entirely turned off during the hearing, given that Dumbledore would be there, and any use of telepathy would probably be easily identified by him.

When Sirius arrived, he and Harry also discussed the possibility of the Soul-Bond revelation in private, and Sirius had promised that he was going to do everything in his power to make sure there was no chance the emancipation option would have to come into play.

When eleven-o-clock approached, Sirius used the Floo Network first to get to the Ministry's atrium. Then after a hug from Mrs. Weasley and Ginny, and a pat on the back from Ron, Harry traveled the Floo Network and soon was in the Atrium of the Ministry. When he arrived, he was surprised to find that not only Sirius was there, but also Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"Apparently Mad-Eye's a bit extra paranoid today," Sirius said, when he caught Harry looking at the tall Auror, "We've been assigned an escort to Courtroom Five."

"He thinks Lucius is going to try to stop me from showing up?" Harry asked.

"Er – no," Sirius said, "Moody believes Lucius will try to stop _me_ from showing up. That's actually good news, Harry."

"Really?" Harry grunted.

"It means he's scared, kid," Sirius said, with a wink, "of what type of power I can have in this hearing."

Harry nodded and was saved a response when a whoosh behind him announced Mr. Weasley's arrival.

"Everyone make it okay?" Mr. Weasley asked, "Ah, excellent. Oh, hello, Kingsley. Mad-Eye choose to be a bit paranoid today, did he?"

Harry, Sirius and Kingsley only nodded silently. Mr. Weasley only chuckled heartily.

"Bloke needs to retire, if you ask me," he said, "But you didn't hear that from me."

The good thing about being escorted by an Auror is that the standard check-in with Eric the security wizard was able to be bypassed, which meant that Harry and Sirius, who were sure to get the usual eyeful from a curious Ministry worker or visitor, was able to quickly walk into the queue of wizards and find a lift. Kingsley's broad size made finding a lift easier, and most people avoided Aurors when they were "in the zone", so the four of them were alone in a lift as it made its way down through the floors.

"Is it just the three of you then?" Kingsley asked, over the rumblings of the lift, "No attorney on their way?"

"No need for one," Sirius said, "Can't trust them anyway. I imagine half or more of them are under Malfoy's wing. Besides, thanks to Madam Bones, I was able to become the representative to Arthur. Samuel Beaumont's offer to find an attorney for Arthur was a heinous effort to keep me away from such a role. Fortunately, I grew up in the world of the shady dealings Beaumont and Malfoy are used to."

"It is an optimistic attitude like that, Black," Kingsley said, "that makes me wish Amelia wasn't such a health-nut toward you when it comes to reinstating you in the Auror Department. We need someone like you around there now."

"Trouble?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Remember that backlash after Pettigrew's trial that was because of you, Black?" Kingsley asked, and Sirius nodded, "Bartemius Crouch's secretary apparently opened a hexed letter meant for Crouch himself. First it was reported she had just become ill and taken a few sick-days off. Then we find out she was checked into St. Mungo's where the Healers realized a letter-hex had been put on her."

"Didn't see anything in the Daily Prophet about that," Sirius said.

"It is because it is being hushed-up," Kingsley said, "Food illness turned ugly is the general story. Though I expect Rita Skeeter's quill been shaking for a story about the truth. Usually this kind of case is for another Department – too trivial for the big guys. But the Aurors are being placed on it. No leads, though a few Aurors in the department think it is just someone who has a bad history with Crouch and trying to make him resign from the Ministry for good."

The cool voice announced the arrival to the ninth floor, and Harry followed Mr. Weasley out of the lift. Sirius was next followed by Kingsley. Courtroom Five was near the other end of the level, and yet the corridor was completely empty. There was still a little while before the hearing, but Harry thought there might be Wizengamot officials waiting or perhaps a couple lucky reporters, but there was nobody. Harry even looked for a sign of a buzzing beetle, but found none.

"Eerie," Sirius commented, probably of the same mind-set Harry was in, "Not another soul in sight. A little over forty minutes to go, but you'd still think –"

Then Harry heard voices coming from Courtroom 5. Sirius muttered something under his breath.

"Kingsley," he said, "Is there another hearing or anything scheduled in five today?"

"Not that I know of," Kingsley said.

"Oh, damn them!" Sirius growled, "I should have expected this… come on. I have a feeling –"

Harry had no clue what Sirius was thinking, then he suddenly felt a bit of deja-vu. He remembered how his hearing before his fifth year in the other timeline had started early.

Sirius walked over to the Courtroom and opened up the door. He scowled silently and Harry followed him in.

Courtroom 5 was occupied.

Two rows of Wizengamot members were seated, including Albus Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge. Over on the left side of the room, Lucius Malfoy was sitting at a table, next to a man with short, greying-brown hair and a rather stocky figure. Both had business-style robes on.

"Finally," Harry heard Cornelius Fudge mutter.

"Pardon, Minister?" Sirius asked.

"I believe it was clearly stated that this guardianship hearing would take place at eleven-o-clock today," Fudge said.

"Excuse me," Sirius said, "But you are mistaken. We were informed the hearing was set for twelve-o-clock today."

"I don't know where you received your information, Mr. Black," Fudge said, "But you were sadly misinformed. That is not our mistake. It was clearly stated in the records."

Sirius' look was murderous as he glared in the direction of Malfoy and Beaumont. Harry noticed that Beaumont had a smile on his face.

"Round one goes to Malfoy," Sirius muttered.

He and Mr. Weasley both took seats at the other table. Harry went to sit behind him, but Fudge loudly cleared his throat. Harry looked up at him.

"Mr. Potter," he said, "An assigned seat has been given to you in a neutral area."

Harry looked around for said seat. He could not find it. Fudge pointed his wand at the floor and a chair materialized in a spot directly in between the two tables. As he sat down, he heard Sirius mutter words of disbelief.

"You may leave, Auror Shacklebolt," Fudge said, "Your presence is not needed."

Harry heard heavy footfalls, and the doors to the courtroom closed.

"Now that all parties are present – finally – we can begin," Fudge said.

Harry felt his throat tighten. Deja-Vu was playing a key role today, it seemed. Harry half expected Dumbledore to make a late appearance, but of course he was already there, sitting a couple seats away from Fudge with the Wizengamot.

"We now begin the guardianship hearing of Harry James Potter," Fudge said, "currently a ward of the Ministry of Magic. On May 8th of this year, Mr. Potter's former guardians, Vernon and Petunia Dursley, both Muggles, living in Little Whinging, Surrey, gave up their long-withstanding roles of guardians to their ward. Since then, Mr. Potter has been a guest of Arthur Weasley's in Ottery St. Catchpole. Two days after guardianship was lifted, Arthur and Molly Weasley put in their names for the possible roles. Later, Lucius Malfoy also put his name in for the possible role."

Fudge's eyes traveled to Malfoy.

"Lucius Malfoy is being represented by Wizarding attorney-at-law, Samuel Beaumont," Fudge said, "while the Weasleys are being represented by – hmm –"

"Your honor," Beaumont said, "It was thought by myself that the Weasleys might have had trouble locating a proper attorney. Therefore, out of goodness and fair play, I wrote to Wizarding attorney-at-law Greyson Uley to come and assist them today."

A scrape of wood was heard and Harry looked over his shoulder. It was immediately clear why he had not seen this individual when he arrived. The wizard was no taller than Filius Fitwick, and he had been sitting in one of the back rows of the room. Harry could almost see words like "farce" and "circus" imprint in his mind at the sight of Greyson Uley. Samuel Beaumont and Lucius Malfoy were clearly playing some kind of twisted game.

"We have no need for Uley's assistance," Sirius said, standing up.

"No?" Fudge asked, "Why not? This should be considered a gift to Mr. Weasley, I would wonder?"

"Well, isn't it clear, your Honor?" Sirius asked, as he pulled out a folder from his robes, "By permission from Wizengamot member Madam Amelia Bones, I, Sirius Orion Black, have been assigned to represent Arthur Weasley in this hearing."

"Minister!" Beaumont said, scandalized, "Obviously Mr. Black is playing some kind of game here. It is well-known that he and Madam Bones have had a personal, romantic history in the past. And it is also known that Sirius Black was appointed Harry Potter's godfather at birth –"

"And as such would be Mr. Potter's legal guardian already," Albus Dumbledore interrupted, "was it not for a clear mistake of the law years ago, and the fact that his personal feelings that, as a recent innocent victim of Azkaban Prison's dark effects, he is not ready to take the role of Mr. Potter's guardian at the present time. If events were different, this hearing today would not be taking place."

"Preposterous," Beaumont growled.

"I beg your pardon?" Dumbledore asked.

Beaumont waved a hand dismissively.

"Madam Bones is a respected member of this Wizengamot," Dumbledore stated, "and has every right to assign Mr. Black as representative today. Clearly Mr. Weasley has no need for representation by Mr. Uley. Have a good day, Mr. Uley. You may leave."

"I believe I still require payment, Mr. Beaumont," Uley piped up.

"Mr. Dumbledore asked you to leave, Greyson," Beaumont's mutter was clearly heard.

Uley harrumphed and walked out of the courtroom.

"Very well," Fudge said, "The Weasley Family is being represented by Sirius Black. We will begin this hearing with the reasons given from each possible guardian as to why they wish to have this role. This will, in effect, give the Wizengamot present today the emotional reasons for their vote. Mr. Malfoy, as the challenger, you will go first."

Lucius Malfoy stood up and cleared his throat.

"Minister, Wizengamot members present," he began, "Harry Potter was born into a respectable bloodline on his patriarch's side of the family with a history of fine upstanding gentleman in our society. His grandfather, Harold Potter, was an Auror and could have been the Head of his department, had it not been for his poor health later in life. James Potter was a popular young man in Hogwarts, and had an assortment of –"

Lucius glanced at Sirius before returning his glance forward.

" – friends who were also proper in society in their own way had it not been for an unlucky fate given to them," he continued. "He was a smart student, Head Boy, and might have had a wonderful career like his father had, was it not for the terrible event that happened on Halloween of 1981. Had James Potter lived, his son might have been raised properly in the line and too would have a wonderful future in our society. As guardian, I would seek to give Mr. Potter what he has sorely missed from the loss of his father – a right to a glorious and successful future in our society, where he may very well change things in his life, and end up right there where you are in the Wizengamot. All with my leadings and teachings, of course. It is known he was poorly raised among Muggles, away from his true home. This is a clear injustice and without help, could have almost irreparable damage to the future of the once-great line of Potters, to which Mr. Potter is now the last of his father's bloodline, and now Head of, when he reaches the rightful age."

Malfoy sat back down and Beaumont whispered something into his ear. Harry noticed the attorney looked rather pleased.

"Mr. Weasley," Fudge said, "The floor is yours."

Mr. Weasley stood up and bowed slightly in respect to the Wizengamot.

"Minister Fudge," he said, "Respected Wizengamot members… Mr. Malfoy gives a very good argument to his side, however he leaves out key points to what Mr. Potter truly needs in his life. The most important he left out can be described in one simple word: family. Or to define it better, the love of a family. Those who know the Weasleys often comment that we are the fine definition of family. I am a father to seven children, and cousin, and uncle – you name it - to a great deal of other witches and wizards in our world. While we may not be given what many would call the 'finer things in life', we have one of the finest, and arguably the greatest magical gifts known to wizardkind: the gift of love."

He looked at Malfoy and bowed in respect. "Now, I will not say Mr. Malfoy does not love his family, but it cannot be argued he and his wife are powerful people in our society. Very busy in their own way, which must often leave the attention of their only son to their house-elves. The Weasleys have no house-elf, and there is always someone at our home to be there for our children. That is what family is all about. In my mind, that is how a child in the world – wizard, witch or Muggle – should be raised."

He then looked back at Harry, then looked at the Wizengamot. "For most of his life, Harry Potter was not raised with this belief. Lucius Malfoy talks about what could have been. I talk about what really happened. He was not brought up by parents or guardians who loved him. In fact, those who brought him up despised what he really was… a wizard to his own right, and a very smart young man. When Harry discovered what he truly was, he was sent packing from those who should have comforted him and helped him through this big change in his life. Children in our world are raised to grow up knowing they are gifted with magic. Harry was raised to believe that everything we live for does not exist."

Mr. Weasley sighed and cleared his throat. "Mr. Malfoy offered his own beliefs of how young Mr. Potter should be brought up. His ways were not surprising. He would have been brought up this way on his own and not known another way. I was brought up to love family and that is what I believe. And who can really argue that there is no magic greater in this world than love?"

Mr. Weasley sat back down. A few of the Wizengamot members began talking to each other, and this caused Fudge to clear his throat.

"Very well," he said, loudly, "the two possible guardians have given their reasons. Now we will ask a range of questions that will prove where Mr. Potter will benefit the greatest. It is no secret that to raise a child, money is a key factor. Please answer in your honest opinion if you will be able to completely support Mr. Potter through this factor. Mr. Malfoy?"

"I will, your honor," Lucius said, "No doubts."

"Mr. Weasley?" Fudge asked.

Harry looked at Mr. Weasley and then Sirius stood up.

"Mr. Potter has already stated that, while the Weasleys do not accept charity," he said, "due to his inheritance, he could survive on his own fortune until he turns seventeen and the bigger fortune he has a right to then becomes his own."

Harry smiled. This was a perfect trap for Sirius to use. If Samuel Beaumont had any proof that Harry already had obtained access to his bigger vault, it would raise the question of emancipation. Beaumont could not afford to play that out.

"Mr. Potter's fortune," Fudge said, "cannot be given to his guardians –"

"And therefore," Sirius argued, "his fortune is his own by right and he could use it however he sees fit."

Fudge glared at Sirius. "Very well," he said, with a sigh, "Question of wealth is on equal footing. It can be argued that this would play out well for either possible guardian. Next – question of health if it comes into play? Mr. Weasley, you first?"

"Scrapes and bruises are an everyday thing with active children like we have," Mr. Weasley said, with a smile, "My wife is well-experienced in medical knowledge and potions knowledge to deal with this. If the need arises, St. Mungo's is easily accessible."

"Mr. Malfoy?" Fudge asked.

"Easy access to St. Mungo's," Lucius said.

"No knowledge of treatment for minor injuries available?" Dumbledore asked.

"Our house-elves have some knowledge," Lucius said.

The Wizengamot members once again talked eagerly amongst each other. Fudge cleared his throat again.

"Related question to health," he said, "Sports play a key role in the active lifestyle of a child. What can you offer with this option? Mr. Malfoy?"

"My son has been eagerly practicing broom flying for his future role as a possible member of his house's Quidditch team at Hogwarts," Lucius said, "It is widely known broom flying is a common way of travel, and Quidditch is the popular wizarding sport. Both will be beneficial to Mr. Potter's future. Also, I teach my son the – regrettably Muggle – sport of fencing. It has been thought by wand-dueling experts that fencing gives a duelist an extra skill in their wand duels. This could be very beneficial to Harry in the future especially if he follows his grandfather's career as an Auror."

"Mr. Weasley," Fudge said.

"Broom-flying," Mr. Weasley said, "Six of my children all practice Quidditch and we hold family matches during events. Mr. Potter, and my two youngest children have also taken up jogging, swimming and other strength exercises including sit-ups and push-ups."

"Very well," Fudge said, "And finally…"

Fudge looked down at his piece of parchment and looked rather annoyed.

"…domestic life is also a key factor in raising a child," he continued, "How will such a life suit young Mr. Potter? Mr. Weasley?"

Harry looked at Sirius, who looked as if he had won a weekly draw of galleons.

"During his stay at our residence," Mr. Weasley said, "Harry has been very close to our two youngest children. The friendship between the three is a sight to watch. Next month, three of our other children come home from school, and I imagine my two twin boys will be eager to play Quidditch with Harry if he is there. We sit down as a family at all meals, and a few times, Harry has even offered to cook breakfast for us -"

"He cooks for you?" Fudge interrupted, raising his eyebrows.

"Completely voluntary, Minister," Mr. Weasley said, "whereas with his relatives, he had to cook breakfast almost every day for them. One good thing that comes from this is, I suppose, he has excellent cooking skills, especially for a young boy."

"Mr. Malfoy?" Fudge asked.

"Dinnertime is usually a family event," Lucius said, "And we often have society parties where my son is always asked to join."

"Anything else?" Fudge asked.

Harry did his best not to grin. He could just picture Draco being almost ignored by his parents most of the time.

"Draco is a very independent boy," Lucius said.

Harry almost snorted loudly. This seemed like a last-ditch effort. Fudge was clearly expecting more, and it seemed Lucius knew this.

"He is not expected to join in too many things with myself and my wife," Malfoy said, "As such, he is an only child, and it is unknown if there will be positive or negative effects if Mr. Potter is there."

Fudge nodded and Sirius stood up.

"Minister, if I may say something about Mr. Malfoy's last statement?" he asked.

"If you must," Fudge said, obviously harassed.

"Three weeks ago," Sirius said, "I was witness, from afar, to a confrontation in Diagon Alley. Harry was there shopping when he was confronted by Mr. Malfoy's son. I do not know what was said during the confrontation, but Harry did not look too pleased with whatever Draco was saying to him."

"Do you care to comment on this, Mr. Malfoy?" Dumbledore asked.

"I was not in Diagon Alley on that day," Lucius said. "My wife was with my son. She said she had seen Mr. Potter, and my son was nearby."

"So a negative confrontation was possible?" Dumbledore asked.

Lucius looked at Beaumont who shrugged. He looked back up at Dumbledore.

"I cannot say exactly," he said.

"It can be argued that the intensity of this hearing in question," Fudge said, "was a mood-setter between the two boys."

"It could," Dumbledore said. "Perhaps we could ask Harry what the topic of discussion was about?"

"No need!" Fudge said, sighing impatiently, "The evidence corroborates that the conversation was in the negative side. The confrontation will be taken in account for the question of domestic life. I can see this hearing is coming to a close. Final statements from the representatives then we will take a vote. Mr. Beaumont?"

"Minister," Beaumont said, "All of my client's testimonies and answers have pointed out to one major factor. How he can play a role in Harry Potter's upbringing when it comes to our society. Social parties, where he can make friends his age and older who could have an influence on his future career and private life. A possible future role in the sport of Quidditch, as his father had played in the school-level. A possible start into what could be a highly successful road for Mr. Potter to follow in his bloodline's footsteps into the Auror Department, if he so wishes, or a way to be able to defend himself in the future. It is no secret the target this boy may have on his back because of who he is. All of this points out to a clearly successful future, and a promise for a positive role and impact in the wizarding world as we know it."

"Mr. Black?" Fudge asked.

"The decision you make today all comes down to your freedom of choice," Sirius said, "Do you choose to vote in a way to make an impact on our wizarding world, or do you choose to make an impact on a young man's life? Everything Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Beaumont have suggested, Mr. Potter can have later on in his life. But what you have to understand is that this is a boy who, in less than a month and a half, will be eleven years of age, and in a little less than two months will be starting his life as a student in Hogwarts. We were all children here. What did we want at that age? Our family and friends and a way to entertain ourselves, correct? Everything Arthur Weasley has stated today points to exactly one thing: what Mr. Potter deserves most in his life is the freedom of a family, friends and a future that before now has been sorely ripped apart from him due to a past he had no control over whatsoever. I will also remind you, that as Harry Potter's godfather, this guardianship is only temporary, and by all rights as his godfather, I am his legal guardian, and when it is granted I can take the role again. I, too, can give Mr. Potter everything both these men have stated, but the question is… exactly what does he need right now? I leave it to you to decide that."

"Thank you gentleman," Fudge said, "Witches and wizards of the Wizengamot, now it is our turn. Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Weasley and their representatives have made their statements. Now it is time we make ours. I will give you a moment's thought to decide your vote."

Harry looked at Sirius, who looked back at him and winked. He crossed two fingers, but Harry knew this was not the universal sign of luck… but that he was mentioning the Soul-Bond. Harry remembered Sirius' words from earlier that morning:

"If at the end of the hearing," he had said, "when it is all said and done, and that corrupt Wizengamot gives favor to Lucius Malfoy, that is when you reveal your emancipation. But only if the favor goes the wrong way."

He remembered Ginny's statement to Ragnok a little less than a month before, when she had said "Harry will not be a ward of Mr. Malfoy's!" in response to using the emancipation defense.

This was the way it would have to go if the Wizengamot voted that way. Lucius wouldn't win, no. But neither would Harry when he wanted to keep his Soul-Bond with Ginny a secret.

He looked up at the Wizengamot members who were gradually looking as if they had made their decision. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled toward Harry when he looked at him. Fudge was looking at the parchment in front of him. And… was it Harry's imagination, or were most of the others looking at which person they were voting for? Before he could decide, Fudge had raised his finger.

"We will make the decision now," he said, "In the decision of Lucius Malfoy as Harry Potter's guardian, who votes in his favor?"

Hands started to raise, including Fudge's. Harry counted seven, but before he could count how many Wizengamot members there were present, Fudge lowered his hand.

"And in the decision of the Weasley family?" he asked.

Dumbledore raised his hand… and Harry counted those who raised theirs as well. Though he didn't need to… Sirius' emotions seemed to tell the results.

"By a count of eight to seven," Fudge stated, "the Wizengamot, and the Ministry of Magic, give the role of guardianship to Harry James Potter… to Arthur and Molly Weasley. Mr. Weasley, an owl will find you at your home with forms to sign. As Mr. Black stated earlier, this is temporary until he is deemed fit to take over his role as Harry's legal guardian."

Harry grinned and Sirius stood up and clapped his hands once in celebration. Mr. Weasley chuckled and shook Sirius' hand. At the other table, Lucius just stared forward and Beaumont looked at the table in disbelief. Harry couldn't help but grin. He briefly wondered how Draco Malfoy would react toward him come September, before he walked over to Mr. Weasley and gave him a one-armed hug, before hugging Sirius. He looked up at Dumbledore who bowed his head slightly, a twinkle sparkling in his eyes.

"Let's go give the good news to Molly," Mr. Weasley said, "It is time to break open those pies Tom has given us."

"I thought the Weasleys didn't accept charity," Sirius said, grinning.

"Today," Mr. Weasley said, "I think we can ignore that rule."

Sirius laughed and nodded. Harry followed Mr. Weasley out of the courtroom, and Sirius walked behind him. When they left, they found Kingsley waiting there expectantly.

"We won," Sirius said, grinning.

"Excellent!" Kingsley said, "All right, I'm sorry I cannot express deeper comments, but Moody has requested the use of a Portkey for the three of you."

Kingsley pointed to a rolled-up Daily Prophet newspaper.

"Moody gave us that?" Sirius asked, "Is he expecting retaliation?"

"No," Kingsley said, as the lifts opened and witches and wizards started to pour out, "He was expecting them. Reporters. I'll cut them off. Congratulations. See you later. It leaves when the three of you touch it all at the same time."

Kingsley hurried toward the reporters, and Harry, Sirius and Mr. Weasley walked over to the Portkey.

"Don't be frightened, Harry," Mr. Weasley said, "It is rather fun. Ready? One… two…"

The three of them touched the newspaper at once, and Harry felt a tug behind his navel, as he started to spin around. After nearly half-a-minute of nausea and whirling that reminded him of the torrent in the time pool, he landed forcefully on a patch of grass. When he stood up, Sirius and Mr. Weasley were still standing, but looked thoroughly windswept. Before he could say anything to them, he heard a very familiar, very welcoming voice behind him.

"Harry?" Ginny's voice said, "Harry! Mum, Ron! They're back! Harry's here!"

Harry turned around and saw Ginny running across the plot toward them. They were about halfway up the plot between the Burrow and the top of the driveway. Harry chuckled when Ginny reached him and hugged him, almost making him fall back to the ground.

_Merlin! _Ginny said, _I'm so relieved! I'd kiss you, but it would cause for some funny reactions._

_Later, love._

Ginny chuckled and backed away.

"Oh, Harry!" Mrs. Weasley's tearful voice said, as she and Ron reached them; she gave him a very motherly hug, "Good news, I see?"

"It was an extremely close decision, Molly," Mr. Weasley said, "Eight to seven in favor of us."

"Blimey," Ron breathed.

"That close?" Ginny gasped, looking at Harry more than the others.

"We were lucky," Sirius said, "In the end, it really wasn't who had the better argument. It wasn't really our words at all. In the end it was who was on the Wizengamot. I could easily tell. Dumbledore and Fudge were at odds – in the most non-confrontational way possible. Fudge would say things, and Dumbledore would say things. In the end, I expect, both of them had each chosen a number of Wizengamot members for the hearing. Lucius probably helped Fudge. But Fudge and Lucius must have made one bad choice… one of their choices probably did not support Fudge or Lucius or both at all. That gave us the additional vote we needed."

Mrs. Weasley raised her eyebrows in shock and looked at her husband.

"It certainly looked that way, Molly," he said.

"Well," Mrs. Weasley said, "I think I owe a big letter to Albus in thanks. Perhaps a few meat pies as well."

"We'll write it together," Mr. Weasley said, "You could tell he was on our side."

"Sounds good," Sirius said, "But first… how about some of that apple pie Tom made for this occasion?"

"Hear, hear!" Ron said.

Harry and Ginny looked at each other and snickered. Harry's smile didn't leave his face until long after his two helpings of apple pie were finished.

He knew that before too long, he and Sirius would end up living together, likely in Potter Manor, but for now, he was able to be close, physically, and not just through his bond, to Ginny every day, and he had no objections to that.

-  
**So when I started writing this chapter, I was a bit afraid (sounds mental, I know) of it, because I thought it was going to be extremely difficult to figure out. But I loved how it turned out. I really liked how I wrote both sides of the arguments: society and the future of the wizarding world vs. family and love. Hadn't really thought about those two sides clashing until I wrote Malfoy's opening statement. Then I just went from there.**

**So what did you think about the hearing? Was the end result too obvious? Were there some predictable things during the trial? Was there anything you didn't expect and surprised you?**

**Either way, I hope you liked it! Next, there is an even larger time-skip, and then we get to Harry's birthday, which is basically the opening that will take us into Harry's first year. Whew… a long way to go! Thanks for being here for the ride! And look for additional trivia for this chapter on my FFN profile!**


	25. Harry's Birthday, Part 1

**Chapter 25  
Harry's Birthday, Part 1  
(Fred and George? Meet The Marauders)**

**Author's Note: This chapter will have about a five-week time skip. When the main part of the chapter begins, we're now into the timeline of the Philosopher's Stone/Sorcerer's Stone book, but of course it is uncanon to fit my story. However, soon, there will be excerpts from the book to fit the canon part of the timeline.**

Unlike the three weeks that led up to the guardianship hearing, which had passed like molasses, to Harry, the rest of June and most of July seemed to pass by rather quickly. Harry and Sirius continued their ongoing tradition of godfather-and-godson outings each Saturday.

During one memorable Saturday, Sirius had taken Harry to Hogsmeade Village, where Harry was entertained in stories from Madam Rosmerta about the Marauders' antics when they were in school, and Rosmerta was just a lowly apprentice waiter, a few years out of school. He heard stories he hadn't heard in the previous timeline. Sirius' freedom in this timeline had opened a lot of doors for memories and stories like these from people like Rosmerta. One particular story, Harry really enjoyed: there were a few weeks during the Marauders' sixth year when James was not pining after Lily, and Sirius hadn't gotten around to asking Amelia Bones out, and they were both trying to win the heart of Rosmerta. Rosmerta said that she had known all along James and Sirius were only trying to get her to serve them firewhiskey even though they were underage.

In late June, two weeks before the end of the month, Hogwarts term ended and Fred, George and Percy returned home. Throughout the ride up to King's Cross, Harry could feel Ginny's emotions through their link, and he tried to comfort her. She was somewhere between emotional and excited and had been since the night before. She was anxiously rocking back and forth on her heels, as they waited for the Hogwarts Express to come into Platform 9 ¾ and when it finally did, and Fred, George and Percy got out, Ginny took no time at all to run over to Fred and hug him. She had tears in her eyes, and luckily Fred had just taken this as her being excited to see him. Those next few days following their return from Hogwarts, Harry had respectfully kept his distance from Ginny most of the time so she could spend some time with her brothers, especially Fred. Each night, however, they would have telepathic discussions before bed, and Harry would listen to Ginny go on about Fred.

Harry was also fairly emotional about seeing Fred, but he was able to keep his inside, because he didn't want it to be too awkward. Fred, George and Percy were all excited to meet Harry, of course, though Percy's reaction was more of a respectful sense, and his excitement was deeper down. Fred and George were interested in seeing Harry's Quidditch skills, but he never showed them his true potential. This was inspired by an idea Ginny had in order to really shock the twins when he would go up against them in a true two-on-two match.

Of course, this meant that Ron and Ginny had to compete against each other to see who would join Harry on their team for the challenge. Harry was eager to play with Ginny against the twins because their telepathic communications could really help them. But when it was two-on-two, they usually played Chaser and Keeper on each side. Ron, of course, was the better Keeper. In the end, Ron won out, but Ginny wasn't as disappointed as Harry thought she might be. She could still play on Harry's team with their telepathy, helping him against the twins.

As for when the actual match would be… Harry had decided the showdown would be on his birthday, so that there could be an audience with most of the family to watch them. Fred, George and Ron all eagerly agreed, because this gave them a good few weeks to prepare.

* * *

_July 31__st__, 1991_

Midnight.

July 31st, Harry's eleventh birthday in the new timeline. He had stayed up to this moment for two reasons. One, because in the old timeline, it was at this exact moment when Rubeus Hagrid had come in to the Hut-on-the-Rock and Harry had learned that he was a wizard. He wanted to be up for that moment to reflect on when his life had really, truly begun. And two, because a few days ago, Ginny had asked him a question that still had him trying to guess the answer to. Ginny's question? On his birthday, would he feel like he was twenty-two in an eleven-year old's body? Or would he feel twenty-one until the day he really turned twenty-two in this timeline? Unfortunately his mind didn't feel any different yet. No answer had come to him.

_Harry? _Ginny called out through their mind-link, _Still up?_

_Yeah. I'm up._

_I thought you might be._

Harry smiled. He waited to see what Ginny wanted before asking, and as he did, he felt the weight shift on the end of his bed. Harry hoisted himself up on his elbows and his eyes widened as he felt a finger touch his lips before he could open them.

_Hush. Yes, I am really in here. Wait one moment._

Harry waited. Two lights appeared, giving the room a soft yellowish glow, and Harry realized that the two candles that were sitting on one of the desks were now lit.

"Okay," Ginny said, "I put a Muffliato Charm up."

"What are you doing in here?" Harry asked.

"This is probably my only chance to be alone with you all day today," Ginny said., "Mum won't hear me. I set up a sort of intruder charm, undetectable, on the step outside Mum and Dad's room. If Mum steps on it, my wand will light up, and I can teleport back to my room and be in bed before she opens my door."

"Still risky," Harry said.

"I'll only be in here a few minutes then," Ginny said, "It wasn't as if I was planning on sleeping in here or anything." She frowned. "Unfortunately."

Harry smiled. He knew she was still having a little bit of trouble adapting to everything. Ever since her confession to him at Potter Manor in May, he had seen her in a whole different light when it came to their predicament. For instance, he could tell she was having a hard time, because at this time in their life, in the old timeline, they were supposed to still be in the honeymoon phase in their marriage. Harry knew they would be able to experience that again, but he knew he couldn't be too surprised that Ginny would want moments like this.

Ginny scooted up to Harry's pillow and propped herself up on one elbow.

"This is our first real – well, big day, I guess - to celebrate since we arrived back here," Ginny said. "If we were still in our own timeline, you know I'd make this day special for you."

Harry raised an eyebrow. Ginny rolled her eyes and slapped his shoulder.

"You better have not just thought what I think you did," she said.

Harry shrugged. He hadn't really, but he thought teasing her might cheer her up a bit. It seemed to work because she grinned and kissed him softly.

"At least I can give you that," she said.

"Mm, I really missed that," Harry said.

"I know," Ginny said, frowning, "Private lunches and cuddles at our spot in the orchard don't exactly work when this place is a mad-house, even with privacy charms. Sooner or later, someone's going to wonder where we are."**  
**  
Harry nodded. Ginny sniffled suddenly and laid her head on his shoulder.

"What's wrong?" he asked; he didn't want to add 'this time' to the end.

"We have a month before you go to Hogwarts," Ginny said, "And I'll probably end up going with Mum and Dad to Romania in December for Christmas, so I won't be able to see you, even if you do go through with your plan to have a Christmas get-together at Potter Manor."

"I'm having my doubts about that," Harry said. "I might not get a chance before then to go into the Chamber of Secrets, and destroy the Basilisk. So the Horcruxes will still be in the house. Even if I do trust everyone, any guest we bring will all have to be told the Secret by Sirius. That's a big risk, really. I may just slip out one evening, with the diadem, put it in the Manor and go back to Hogwarts. I mean… I want to destroy the Horcruxes, sure… but things could go wrong when I try to go down into the Chamber. Someone's going to wonder where I am."

Ginny nodded. "It is complicated."

Harry brushed his hand across Ginny's hair. She smiled and looked at him.

"This next month is going to be nerve-wracking," she said, "Spending time together only to be split up so soon. Sure, our telepathy will be far better than letters when you're off at Hogwarts,"

Harry chuckled and nodded.

"You'll still have to write the occasional letter so Mum doesn't think you've forgotten me," Ginny said.

"Have to be careful," Harry said, "she might start planning our wedding sooner than last time. When was that?" He grinned and pouted his lips, feigning deep thought, "When you were thirteen, fourteen?"

Ginny chuckled, then frowned. "I wonder if our Soul-Bond will start reacting funny with us so far apart."

"I've been reading up on that in the Flamel book," Harry said, "Apparently we don't have to really worry about that until that whole 'age of consent' thing. Then we might have some issues if we're apart from each other too long. Though I still haven't found out what that missing information is. Ragnok's had no luck at all."

Harry had received a letter the day before from Ragnok wishing him an early happy birthday, and updating him on the fact that he and the shopkeeper were still searching. Harry knew there was something he wasn't thinking of that could help him find the answer, but it wouldn't come to him.

Ginny nodded. "Okay. As much as I don't want to, I better go back to bed. Can't let you stay up too long or you'll sleep through your birthday."

She kissed him again, and this time it was a lingering kiss.

"I love you," she whispered, backing away.

"I love you," Harry said.

"Happy birthday," Ginny said.

She pecked him on the lips again and moved off of the bed. She then walked over to the desk across the room, looked at Harry and smiled, then blew out the candles, engulfing the room in darkness. Harry listened for any movement, but heard nothing.

_I'm back in my room, _Ginny said, _Night, Harry. Pleasant dreams._

_You too, love._

Harry felt the link close and he relaxed back on his pillow. He could still feel Ginny's warmth next to him and it made him smile longingly. He thought of how Ginny said she would have made this day special if none of this had happened. Yes, Harry knew, he would definitely have pleasant dreams.

* * *

When Harry woke up that morning, and figured from the position of the sun in the sky that it was somewhere between eight and nine, he traveled downstairs to the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley, Ginny and Percy were all up already. Ginny and Percy were eating French toast, which Mrs. Weasley was currently making, along with an assortment of other things.

"Morning, Harry!" Mrs. Weasley said, cheerfully, "Happy birthday. We're just having something small for breakfast, because I'm cooking a big meal for lunch for the party."

Harry saw Ginny smiling at him from the table. She knew that he didn't like big parties, of course, but he hadn't gotten around to telling Mrs. Weasley that just yet. Mrs. Weasley had been looking forward to planning this first birthday party for him, and he didn't want to upset her with something like that.

"Sounds good, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said.

Harry thought he saw a hint of a frown in Mrs. Weasley's lips, and he understood why. Ever since their victory at the guardianship hearing, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had wanted Harry to call them Arthur and Molly, but he felt that was really too formal at the moment. He knew Mrs. Weasley still had trouble accepting it, and he knew why: to call her that would still make him seem like a house-guest to her.

"Arthur said he wishes you a happy birthday, and to tell you he'll be here around noon for the party," Mrs. Weasley said, as Harry sat down at the table and she gave him a plate of toast, "Speaking of, I've had a couple of calls-by-Floo already today. Ol' Xeno says Luna's coming to the party, and then Sirius is bringing a couple of guests too. I asked if he was bringing Madam Bones, because I can tell those two are trying to rekindle their relationship, though I expect it will take a while – but he said no. He's bringing Andie's daughter, and a friend."

"Remus?" Harry asked.

"Called him Moony," Mrs. Weasley said, with a shrug, "I know they all had nicknames when they were younger, but I still get them messed up."

"Yeah, that's Remus," Harry said.

"Grown gentleman still referring to each other by nicknames," Percy said, with an air of disapproval.

"Who says their grown up?" Ginny asked, giggling.

Percy frowned and decided to drink a sip of tea instead of answer.

"Mother, have our Hogwarts letters come yet?" he asked.

"No, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, "Always sometime in August, remember? I wish they'd come sooner. One year, when Bill was the only one in school, I remember they didn't come until the very last week. Diagon Alley was mental!"

"Oh," Percy said, "I guess I forgot. I'm just a bit nervous these days, is all. Professor McGonagall told me I have a good chance at becoming prefect, but I'm still not convinced. I'm sure dealing with Fred and George the past couple of years may have put me down a notch, and I can't afford a notch like that."

"Did we hear our names?" Fred asked, as he and George walked into the kitchen.

"I think we did, brother," George said.

"Percy must be worrying about his prefect badge again," Fred said.

"Yes," George agreed, "Perce, we told you. We promise not to modify it if you get it."

Percy scowled. "I have a feeling you won't have to worry about that."

"Oh, Percy," Mrs. Weasley said, "I am sure you have nothing to worry about."

"Yeah," Ginny said, "I have faith in you."

"At least some people in this family do," Percy said.

Ginny looked at Harry and rolled her eyes. He took a bite of toast to keep from giggling.

* * *

At a quarter to noon, two picnic tables were set up in the field near the Burrow. Harry and Ginny had volunteered to welcome the guests as they arrived at the top of the driveway. They only had to wait a couple of minutes before Sirius, Remus and Tonks appeared.

"Wotcher, Harry!" Tonks said, brightly, "Birthday boy, eh? What are you, twenty?"

Harry raised his eyebrows and looked at Sirius, who shrugged.

"Eleven," he said.

"Oh, right," Tonks said, "Drats, still too young. Ah well, maybe next year."

She winked and Harry grinned.

"Happy birthday, Harry," Remus said, "And many happy returns."

Tonks and Remus walked toward the Burrow.

"I believe your cousin was flirting with Harry," Ginny said, laughing.

"Thanks, love," Harry muttered.

"Actually, I think it is a ploy," Sirius said. "Tonks is trying to make Remus jealous or something. At least that is my theory. Why do two people who are perfect for each other still don't see it themselves?"

"I've dealt with that at least once," Harry said, "Thankfully they ended up together – err – in the old timeline."

"And hopefully in this timeline," Ginny said.

"Fingers crossed," Harry said.

"Expecting anyone else?" Sirius asked.

"Luna Lovegood," Harry said.

"Isn't she the wee lass who knows about your Soul-Bond?" Sirius asked, "I've been wanting to meet this one."

"You'll get along splendidly," Ginny said, with a smirk.

Harry chuckled. Sirius raised his eyebrows as he looked from Ginny to Harry. He shrugged and walked off toward the Burrow.

"He doesn't know what he's in for," Harry said.

"Nope," Ginny said.

Just then, two consecutive pops were heard, and Luna appeared with her father. She was wearing the same yellow sundress Harry had seen many times over the past couple of months. The only thing different about her appearance this time was that her butterbeer bottle-cap necklace seemed to have improved with a few more additions, and she was wearing the radish now as an earring. Her other ear had nothing attached to it.

"Mr. Potter," Xenophilius said, "Happy birthday to you, my dear lad. I do wish I could stay for your wonderful celebration, but it seems a Wrackspurt infestation invaded Little Whinging in Surrey last night, and I must try to take pictures of the damage."

"Little Whinging, you say?" Ginny asked, "Maybe they got your relatives, Harry."

"Would be hard to tell, I expect," Harry said, shrugging.

"Well, give me your relatives' address and I will investigate it myself!" Xenophilius said.

Harry pictured a scene where Vernon Dursley met Xenophilius in his head, and he laughed and did as was asked.

"Very good," Xenophilius said, then took a magazine from his robes, "And in return, the newest edition of the Quibbler. It seems I have been most irresponsible when I promised a free subscription for you. This is the first of many magazines coming to you, I do promise."

"Er… well… thanks!" Harry said, taking the magazine.

"Most welcome," Xenophilius said, "Luna, I do hope you enjoy your time. Be good for everyone."

"Yes, Father," Luna said; she had gotten over her phase of first-name usage weeks ago, "Happy investigating. Bring home a sample of Wrackspurt victim's urine if you can."

Harry heard Ginny snicker very quietly.

"Two pints if I can do it!" Xenophilius said, "See you later."

Xenophilius kissed Luna's forehead, backed up and vanished into thin air.

"The urine of a Wrackspurt victim is most useful for growing gurdyroots," Luna said to Harry and Ginny, as they walked with her down to the Burrow, "Helps them grow two… three times in size of their normal rate."

"Always a good thing," Harry said.

"Most definitely," Luna said, "Oh, you have a dog! No wait… I'm mistaken… just another human."

"Are you talking about Sirius?" Harry asked, "He's an Animagus, you know. A dog."

"Really?" Luna said, "I guess I am seeing his Animagus form through him. Another gift of Wrackspurt Sight, I suppose."

Sirius, who was talking to Mr. Weasley, who must have arrived by Floo when Harry and Ginny were at the top of the driveway, caught sight of the three of them and walked over to them.

"This must be Miss Lovegood," Sirius said, looking at Luna, "A pleasure to meet you. I'm Sirius. Harry's godfather."

"Hello," Luna said, "Are you related to a member of the Hobgoblins? You look like one of them."

"Er – perhaps," Sirius said, "I have a lot of relatives."

Harry lowered his voice. "Sirius is another one who knows about our Soul-Bond."

"Oh," Luna said, in a whisper, "Were you at their wedding?"

Sirius chuckled. "No… I must have missed it."

"We have something in common then," Luna said, "I'm sure they'll do a formal wedding for the public in a few years Perhaps he can get the Hobgoblins to play, Harry."

"Oh, good!" Mrs. Weasley's voice rang out, "Everyone's here. Food is on the table. We can all sit down and eat, eh?"

Harry sat down at one of the tables with Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Fred and George. Ron seemed most disheartened to have to sit between Luna and Ginny at the other table, but dare didn't comment about it with his mother at the table.

"I really should come over here more," Remus commented, as everyone started dishing out the food on their plates. "Haven't had a good meal like this for years. Reminds of dinners at Prongs' house."

"Pass the potatoes, Fred," Harry said,

"Uh-huh," Fred said; he passed Harry the bowl of corn.

"Something wrong?" Harry asked, who realized Fred and George were looking at Remus.

"Yes?" Remus asked the twins.

"You – you know Prongs?" Fred asked, "Did he say that, George?"

"He did," George confirmed, "The Prongs?"

"Er – yeah, I knew him," Remus asked, looking highly amused.

"The Marauder?" Fred asked, "You knew a Marauder?"

"Very personally, in fact," Remus said.

Harry and Sirius snickered. Fred and George looked at them.

"We're missing something, Fred," George said.

"Or we're being pranked," George said, then looked back at Remus, "You knew the Marauders?"

"Why is that a surprise?" Sirius asked, "You know two – wait – no three. Er… knew the third. Unfortunately."

"Unfortunately?" George asked in disbelief, "That's it. We're being pranked."

"We just better give up, Padfoot," Remus said.

"Yeah, they're never going to believe us, Moony," Sirius said, grinning.

Harry laughed. He noticed Tonks looked rather amused as well.

"Moony? Padfoot?" George asked, "No…"

"No?" Sirius asked.

"You are the famous Moony and Padfoot?" Fred asked, "Two of the greatest pranksters to ever walk the halls of Hogwarts?"

"I'm not so sure about that," Sirius said, "Moony, here – he usually tried to stop us from doing the pranks. That doesn't count as a great prankster."

"I never stopped you," Remus said.

"Only because you couldn't," Sirius said.

"True," Remus allowed.

"How – where – who are the other two?" Fred asked, "You're supposed to be inseparable!"

Remus frowned and Sirius brushed his fork through his potatoes.

"We've hit a nerve, brother," George said.

"A touchy subject, definitely," Fred agreed.

"We told you that you knew the third one," Sirius said, "Sort of."

"Yeah, you said 'unfortunately'," Fred said, "Why did you say that?"

"I believe you knew the third Marauder as Scabbers," Sirius said.

Fred and George's jaws dropped simultaneously.

"Wait – no – that's – no," Fred said.

"That's not possible," George said.

"I'm afraid so," Remus said, "Peter Pettigrew was Wormtail."

"But Marauders were like peas in a pod!" Fred said, "And Peter Pettigrew –"

"This is depressing," George said, "I need some good news. Who is Prongs?"

"'Was'," Sirius corrected sadly, "I'll give you a hint. He has a son. His son's birthday just so happens to be today."

Fred and George's eyes simultaneously looked over toward Harry. Harry grinned and looked at his hamburger.

"Harry!" Fred said, "Your Dad – your father – he was the leader of the Marauders!"

Harry nodded.

"You knew?" George asked.

Harry nodded again.

"George, we've been pranked by the Marauders, and the son of a Marauder," Fred said.

"There's only one thing to do," George said, nodding.

"Realize we're not worthy and pass on the torch to someone who deserves it," Fred said, nodding.

"The torch?" Remus asked.

"Fred and I have your map," George said.

"You found the Marauder's Map?" Sirius asked.

"Not so much as found," Fred said.

"As rescued," George said, "We nicked it from Filch's office, first year."

"It is up in my trunk as we speak," Fred said, "And now… George?"

"Yeah, Fred, I agree," George said, "We must pass it onto Harry."

"Later," Fred said, "After lunch."

"Turns out we do have a birthday present to give you," George said, to Harry.

"Well… thanks," Harry said.

"Son of Prongs," Fred said.

"Prongslet," George suggested.

"Prongslet," Fred agreed, then looked at Sirius and Remus, "Moony, Padfoot… this is the greatest day –"

"Of our lives," George said, "We're not worthy."

"Please don't do that," Remus said.

"We're not worthy," Fred agreed with his twin.

"I hate you, Sirius," Remus muttered.

"We're not worthy!" Fred and George both said, bowing their heads and raising their hands up and down toward Remus and Sirius.

"I am suddenly wishing I could go back in time and not be a Marauder," Remus said, with a sigh, "Perhaps not even meet you, Sirius. Or I could be a Ravenclaw… Professor Flitwick always told me I would have been a good Ravenclaw… so did the hat… but the hat knew I could use friends. I could go back in time and tell the hat to stuff it."

Harry looked at Sirius, whose mouth was twitching. Harry sighed and shook his head. Sirius laughed out loud, which caused almost everyone to look at him.

* * *

**So, Harry's birthday is being split into two chapters. I was having too much fun with this first part. Fred and George meeting the Marauders was way too much fun to write.**

**Next chapter, the party continues, and Harry gets not one but three gifts earlier than he received them in the previous timeline!**

**Look for some additional trivia from this chapter on my FFN profile!**


	26. Harry's Birthday, Part 2

**Chapter 26  
Harry's Birthday, Part 2  
**

**Author's Note: Made a mistake in the previous chapter. At the start of my story, he was twenty going on twenty one and not twenty-two in the old timeline. Instead he would be twenty-one. As of this update, this story now has over 50,000 hits, is on 170+ Favorite Lists, 250+ Story Alerts, and 14 C2 Communities. Thank you everyone! Q&A Time!**

**Q:** **Is this story****done and all you are doing is typing it up?**

**A: Definitely not. I am writing it as you are reading it. Sometimes I don't always have internet access available to me (just moved in new house, no home internet access, usually go to library), but I am able to write chapters at home, where I am able to get 2, 3, maybe 5 chapters done between internet availability. Every new chapter you see I wrote very recently to the upload time. For example, I wrote this and the following chapter the day before I posted it.**

**Edit: Had to re-upload. FFN mistake.**

After Fred and George's revelation, they started whispering to each other, and Harry had a funny feeling they were trying to figure out a way to prank Sirius and Remus. Of course, this wasn't exactly the best idea, because they were whispering at the table, right in front of the Marauders. Sirius looked rather amused.

"I think it is best they do pass the torch onto you," Sirius whispered to Harry, "If they're trying to plan pranks when their would-be victims are in the vicinity, they're losing their touch already."

Harry grinned. "Perhaps they just need a leader."

Sirius' eyes twinkled. "You are definitely your father's son."

"I'm glad you finally caught on," Harry said, "I was beginning to get sick of you thinking I was Remus' son."

Remus heard this and looked at Harry and Sirius with raised eyebrows.

"Inside joke," Harry said to him.

"And we're outside, so you can't hear it," Sirius added.

Remus shook his head and looked at the pink-haired witch next to him.

"Have a time-turner available, Dora?" he asked.

"Fresh out," Tonks said, grinning; then she raised her eyebrows curiously, "And since when did you start calling me Dora?"

Remus' cheeks went rather red. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Tonks said, shrugging her shoulders, "Better than the whole name, I suppose."

Remus nodded and returned his gaze to his plate of food. Harry looked at Sirius, who grinned.

_So the twins finally realize they know two Marauders? _Ginny asked.

_Mmhmm. And it looks like I'm getting the Marauder's Map early._

_Oh good. That'll be useful._

_Exactly what I was thinking._

Lunch proceeded to a round of "Happy Birthday" sung to Harry, while Mrs. Weasley brought out dessert, a large Quaffle-shaped cake with eleven candles and "Happy Birthday, Harry!" written in icing, and homemade treacle ice cream.

Harry stared at the Quaffle-shaped cake, and was reminded of another party at the Burrow in the other timeline, where he had a Snitch-shaped cake. In that timeline, it was Remus, Tonks and Fred's last time to celebrate his birthday; though Remus and Tonks had to leave because of Rufus Scrimgeour's arrival. George was never the same again thanks the permanent loss of one ear, and Sirius was a memory, still in the hearts of everyone who had attended. He and Ginny were trying to get over a recent break-up neither wanted, though they had kissed earlier that day… and nobody expected what would come in the next several months. That was his seventeenth birthday, four years ago to him and Ginny.

With this in his mind, Harry blew out the candles, and wished that everyone there today would be there the day he would turn twenty-one in this timeline.

_You okay, love? _Ginny asked, as she sat back down at the other table with her plate of cake, _You were gazing at that cake for a good half-a-minute before you blew out the candles._

_Just hoping everyone here is still here this time around eight years from now._

_They will be, Harry. We'll make sure of that._

Ginny looked over her shoulder toward him and he smiled. After the cake and ice cream were gone, Mrs. Weasley and Sirius walked back inside to get the presents.

"We'll give you your present later," Fred whispered.

"Best not to let Mum know about it," George whispered.

Harry nodded. The twins backed away as Mrs. Weasley and Sirius returned and placed the presents in front of Harry.

"My present to you is kind of big," Sirius said. "It is still inside and will come last."

Harry nodded and began opening the presents. Ginny and Mrs. Weasley had both cooked some candies and goodies for Harry and had placed them in a large basket.

_The apples in the tarts I made are from our tree in the orchard, _Ginny said, _Thought you would like that._

_I do. Thanks, love._

Ron and Mr. Arthur chipped in on a used chess set for Harry, but Ron said it was much newer than the one he received from his Uncle Billius. Ron had also given him a stack of his extra copies of Chocolate Frog Cards he could spare.

"This is from all of us Weasleys," Mrs. Weasley said, holding a very thin, narrow package, "But Arthur made it."

Harry unwrapped it, and found a small, long box. He opened it and felt tears in his eyes. It was a clock-hand with his name and face on it for the Weasley clock.

_Now I'll have to teach you the freezing charm I use for my clock-hand, _Ginny mused.

"Thanks everyone," Harry said to the Weasleys.

Remus gave Harry a wolf-tooth chain, and a book on Animagi ("Sirius and I thought you might like this, but only if you promise you won't learn on your own. And not for a few years.") Tonks gave Harry a book on the Auror Training Corp ("From me, Mad-Eye and Kingsley… we see a future Auror in you, kid").

Sirius took his wand out and summoned his gift. Harry grinned when he saw the long package float across the sky and into Sirius' hands. Sirius gave the long box to Harry and he unwrapped it, thinking he knew what this was. He was correct: inside the box was a new Nimbus 2000.

"Blimey!" Ron breathed, looking on; Fred and George looked envious.

"Pity you can't bring that to Hogwarts this year," Fred said.

"No, Fred," George said, "What is a pity, is he can use that against us in our challenge match coming up."

Fred looked horrified.

"There is another package, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said, "Came to us earlier today by owl post. Feels like fabric."

Mrs. Weasley pointed to the package in the middle of the table, and Harry looked at it. It was bumpy and wrapped in gold packaging. Harry took it and looked at the small slip of parchment on the top. What he read made him grin.

_Harry,_

_Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you._

_Use it well._

No signature, but Harry knew who it was from. Harry slowly unwrapped the package, and revealed the familiar fabric of one of his most prized posessions.

"Holy Merlin," Tonks breathed, "is that what I think it is? Has to be. Moody owns two."

"I haven't seen that in years," Sirius said.

"What is it?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"James Potter's old invisibility cloak," Remus said.

"Who sent it?" Ron asked.

Even though he knew perfectly well, Harry shrugged.

"No name," he said, "Just says 'use it well'."

"It is from Dumbledore," Sirius said, "James wrote to me in a letter one night a few months before he died and said Dumbledore had needed it."

"Why would he have needed it?" Percy asked, "Professor Dumbledore knows powerful Disillusionment Charms."

Harry felt Ginny's gaze on him. Both of them knew exactly why Dumbledore had used it: to confirm it was one of the three legendary Deathly Hallows.

"A lovely heirloom, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said, "Make sure you protect it."

Harry nodded.

"Well," Sirius said, "Harry, I want to see you on this new broom. I didn't buy it for you to sweep things, you know!"

Ron, Fred and George nodded in agreement. After quickly taking his presents upstairs, and carefully putting his Invisibility Cloak in his trunk, he hurried back downstairs. Everyone made their way to the Pitch, and Ron, Fred and George took their brooms from the shed, as well as a Quaffle.

Even though Harry was the last to get on his broom, he was the first ready in the air. The broom was exactly like he had remembered it, and although he had loved the Firebolt better (the broom had been destroyed in the Sky Battle over Surrey a few days before his seventeenth birthday in the old timeline), he still appreciated this broom for what it was, and vowed that it wouldn't end up getting destroyed by the Whomping Willow. If he did get his Firebolt in a couple of years, he figured he could give this broom to Ginny.

Team Chaser versus Keeper was highly competitive, and a bit different than Harry, Ron and Ginny had played since May. This time, there were two rings, one on each side: the barn window and a Muggle hula-hoop Mr. Weasley had found and made much larger. The Hula-hoop was now floating in the air, on the opposite side of the Pitch from the barn. The spectators were sitting in conjured chairs, and Remus had borrowed a broom from the barn to be the referee. Luna had requested to be the commentator, saying she had a desire to do so at Hogwarts if she ever had the chance. At this request, Harry and Ginny looked at each other in amusement. Mr. Weasley used a charm to make Luna's voice magically raised. Harry and Fred were the Chasers and Ron and George, the Keepers. Ron was guarding the hula-hoop, and George the barn window.

Just as Remus was ready to go into the air, Sirius went over to him and whispered something to him. He shrugged and nodded. Remus looked at Ginny and said something to her, who nodded eagerly. Then Sirius flipped a Galleon, and Ginny grinned and clapped. Sirius pointed his wand at the barn, and two more brooms appeared.

Harry and Fred looked at each other and raised their eyebrows, neither had any idea what was going on. Remus flew up into the air between the two.

"We have a game-time request, boys," Remus said, "Ginny and Sirius want to join in the game, so there can be two Chasers per team. A coin-flip was decided, and Ginny is on Ron and Harry's team, and Sirius on Fred and George's. Do you agree to this stipulation?"

"Birthday boy?" Fred asked.

Harry grinned. "Sure."

"You sure you want my sister on your team?" Fred asked.

"I think you're going to regret that question," Harry said, as Ginny and Sirius flew to the air, "But yes."

"Okay then," Fred shrugged, "I have no complaints. Marauder on our team!"

_They have no idea what they're getting themselves into, _Ginny said, as Harry felt her presence a few yards behind him.

_I like it that way._

Sirius hovered in the air directly between Fred and George.

"Usually I would allow for a bit of rough-housing, boys," Remus said, as he held the Chaser a few feet below Harry and Fred, "But I'm sure Molly doesn't want any injuries. However, one Bludger will still be in play. Winner is first to score fifteen rings, that is one hundred and fifty points. Don't be too hard on each other with attempting to grab the Quaffle, that means no knocking each other off their brooms. No flying above the tree-line; got to keep out of sight of Muggles. And finally, try to keep the action away from our dear spectators. Agreed?"

Harry, Ginny, Sirius and Fred nodded.

"Shake hands, Captains!" Remus said.

Harry and Fred did so.

"Harry and Fred shake hands!" Luna announced, "And the referee throws the Quaffle in the air, and the match begins!"

Harry watched the Quaffle raise into the air and lower. This was just like a large Snitch, and he knew what to do. Just as Fred raised his hands, Harry sped forward, took the Quaffle and raised up in the air away from Fred.

_Sirius is coming up behind you on the right. Pass to your left, I'll get it._

Harry passed wildly to his left and flew off toward the barn.

"A wild throw pays off!" Luna said, "And Ginny has the Quaffle! Will she surprise her brothers?"

Harry flew overhead as he watched Ginny maneuver past Fred. Sirius tried to come in toward Ginny, but the single Bludger came barreling toward him, and he had to back away. Fred tried to come up again, and Harry knew it. Using the speed of his new broom, he flew in between Ginny and Fred, causing Fred to dive toward the ground and off course.

_Just you and George, love, _he said.

Ginny sped off toward the barn and George looked ready.

"Ginny is at the barn!" Luna said, "And she aims – no – she fakes that, and her brother took the fake. Ginny aims again… and she scores! Ten points to Team Harry!"

"Nice job, Ginny!" Harry heard Mrs. Weasley say from the ground.

Harry flew off toward Ron's ring so he was in a good spot.

_Nice shot, love, _he said.

_Thanks. Looks like Sirius is getting the Quaffle first._

She was right. George had passed the Quaffle to Sirius, who was flying in their direction. But then Harry realized what he was doing. Fred was coming up to Sirius' side and Sirius passed the Quaffle to him.

_They're going to be doing a pass play, I think. _Harry said._Back and forth._

_Great minds think alike, _Ginny said, as she hurried off toward Sirius and Fred, _Typical Chaser play when they are behind in score. Thing is… easy to intercept if you know about it. I'll go for it. You keep an eye on that Bludger._

Harry stayed in his position near Ron's ring and watched the action.

"Looks like Harry is staying near his rings and not going after the Quaffle!" Luna said, "Is this strategy or is he already tired?"

"Luna's right, mate!" Ron said, "Get in there."

"Ginny's the best Chaser out of all of us," Harry said, "She knows what she's doing."  
"I hope you are sure about that," Ron said.

Harry grinned as he watched Fred head toward him. Sirius was right behind Fred and coming up. Then Harry saw Ginny come in below them. Harry then realized Fred needed a push to throw the Quaffle so Ginny could get it. Harry zoomed forward and headed for Fred, acting as if he was going for the Quaffle. Fred took the bait, and tossed the Quaffle towards Sirius. But Ginny flew up in between them and intercepted the Quaffle. Just as she did, she stopped in mid-air, sending Fred and Sirius far away from her.

"Nice interception by Ginny!" Luna said, "It was like she saw that coming!"

Harry grinned and flew past Sirius and Fred, who were still trying to turn around. He and Ginny flew toward the barn, and this time it was them who were passing the Quaffle back and forth. Harry had the Quaffle now as he approached the barn.

_Bludger coming toward you! _Ginny said,_Drop the Quaffle, I'll get it!_

Harry heard Ginny dive through the air below him, and he dropped the Quaffle and raised into the air, to get away from the Bludger.

"Was that an accident or a pass?" Luna asked, "Whatever it was, Ginny grabbed the Quaffle just as Harry dropped it!"

Harry evaded the Bludger, then saw Sirius and Fred coming his way. He flew down toward them, and sped through the middle of them, so they would go off-course.

"Once again, Ginny's close to the barn!" Luna said, "Is she going to fake again? No! She aims it, and George thought it was a fake and misses the Quaffle! Ginny scores! 20-0 Team Harry!"

The match lasted a good hour-and-a-half.

Ginny and Harry continued to work together through their mind-link. This was not always a good thing, though. At one point, nearly an hour into the game, as Harry headed toward barn, attempting to bring the score to 100-50, Ginny seemed to lose control of her broom. Harry felt this, and threw the Quaffle too early, which Sirius intercepted. He looked back at Ginny, who was able to save herself just in time, skidding off the ground and racing back into the air. After Sirius scored against Ron to make the score 100-60, Remus, thinking something was wrong with Ginny's broom, called time to check it. During the pause, Ginny explained telepathically to Harry that she had got caught in the mind-sight situation again, and was seeing through Harry's eyes. This made her lose control of her broom.

The match then continued without any problems, and ended a half an hour later, when Harry, Ginny and Ron decided to go all out in the end and played a three Chaser scenario. Ron and Ginny passed back and forth, while Harry did his best to distract Sirius and Fred. In the end, Ginny scored after a double-fake. Team Harry won 150-90.

_Knew I shouldn't underestimate that mind-sight, _Ginny said to Harry, as they followed everyone back toward the Burrow after the match, _That was scary. If we both end up playing Quidditch together at school, we have to work on that._

_I agree. I thought you were going to crash._

_I'm too good to crash, love… though I almost did._

"Fred, we've been duped," George said, as he and Fred caught up to Harry and Ginny, "Our sister knows how to play."

"She does," Fred said, nodding. "Too bad first years aren't allowed to play. She could give Angelina, Alicia and Katie a run for their money in a couple years."

"There is always the reserve team," George said.

"Oliver's usually against reserves," Fred said, "Doesn't seem to believe in injuries."

"That's mental," Ginny said, "What if the Seeker gets injured? You have to rely on Chasers!"

_Not funny, love, _Harry groaned.

"Oliver's a bit mental like that, yeah," Fred said.

"A bit?" George asked, "When we lost the cup against Slytherin, Katie said she found him crying into his jockstrap."

Harry snickered. He could imagine Oliver doing that.

"Anyway, Harry," Fred said, as they made their way inside and into the sitting room, "Come with us. It is time we pass on the torch."

"Ooh, can I come?" Ginny asked.

"This is a trade secret, sister!" George said.

"I know about the map, idiots," Ginny said with a snort.

"She has a point, George," Fred said.

"She does," George said, "But she doesn't know the passcode."

"Harry might tell her," Fred said

"Awful close he is with our sister," George said.

"I've noticed that too," Fred said, nodding.

"Hero-worship, brother," George said.

"Shut it," Ginny said, blushing.

"Well, that's us told," Fred said.

"Fine, come with us," George said.

"But if you tell Mum about it," Fred said.

He and George traced their fingers against their necks.

"We can do an Unbreakable Vow, you know," George said.

"Didn't you get caught when you tried that on Ron?" Ginny asked.

"She's right, brother," Fred said.

"My seat was not the same for a month," George said, with a sad sigh.

"Pain on the broomstick, it was," Fred agreed.

The conversation had lasted the whole journey up the stairs and the four of them went into Fred and George's room.

"Welcome to our humble abode," George said.

"Speak of nothing you see in here," Fred said, "to anyone."

"Mum especially," George said.

Harry wondered if Fred and George were already trying to make their earliest Weasley Wizarding Wheezes products, but he didn't see any carpet burns or dark splotches on walls. Nothing seemed to be stuffed under the bed and the closet was left open – nothing that would hint products being made or hidden.

Fred walked over to his trunk and opened it, then rummaged through it. He then stood up and walked back over to his twin, and Harry and Ginny.

"Son of Prongs," Fred said.

"Prongslet," George amended.

"Either one," Fred said, "One heirloom from your father has been given to you today. Now, we pass on another."

Fred offered the large blank roll of parchment to Harry and he took it.

"To the untrained eye," Fred said, "Usually Filch, Snape or McGonagall…"

"Oh, the glory days," George said.

"That was two months ago," Fred said.

"Ah yes," George said, "And all at once."

"Anyway?" Ginny asked.

"Impatient little sister," George said.

"This, Harry," Fred said, "was once our prized possession. It is now yours. The Marauder's Map. In order to use it, you say…"

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," Harry said and the map revealed itself.

Harry looked up at Fred and George who looked stunned. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Sirius says it all the time," Harry said, "A motto."

"A good motto," Fred said.

"It is," George agreed, "Now, the map is not too active at the moment. Usually during school term, you can see hundreds of students. But now, you'd just see a few professors, I expect. And possibly Filch and Mrs. Norris skulking about. The map shows animals. Not ghosts though."

"It does show poltergeists," Fred said.

"Definitely a good thing," George said, nodding.

Harry looked at the map and found Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore was in there… and so was Professors McGonagall, Flitwick and Sprout and Snape. Probably a staff meeting, Harry thought.

"Oh, and to close it," Fred said, "you say 'mischief managed'."

"Important to remember," George said, as the map cleared. "Otherwise anyone can read it."  
_  
_"Brilliant," Harry said, "Thanks guys."

"It belongs to you," Fred said, "Son of one of Hogwarts greatest pranksters. Remember us when you use it."

"Just don't call me Prongslet," Harry said, "Or I might make it taboo."

Fred and George raised their eyebrows. Harry looked at Ginny and nodded toward the door. She smiled and they walked off out of the room.

"He's kidding, brother," he heard Fred say, "Right?

"Never know," George said.

"He is the son of a Marauder," Fred said.

"He's not kidding," George said.

"I think you're right," Fred said.

Harry snorted and he and Ginny went into his bedroom. Ginny moved her wrist, and her wand slid to her hand. She pointed it at the closed door and used Muffliato.

"Harry," Ginny said, "Do you realize what you were given today?"

Harry raised his eyebrows.

"Marauder's Map, Invisibility Cloak," Ginny said, "And your broomstick."

Harry felt his throat tighten and heart race. "The three objects I really needed to get into the Chamber of Secrets without anyone finding me."

"Of course, you can't bring your broomstick with you when you go," Ginny said.

"Guess I'll have to just make the team my first year again," Harry said.

Ginny nodded. "Good birthday?"

Harry smiled and Ginny took ahold of his hands and kissed him softly.

"Great birthday," he said.

"Here's to many more," Ginny said.

And she kissed him again, a lingering one this time.

* * *

**Next chapter will probably have a visit to Diagon Alley and maybe a mention of Ginny's birthday (at least her gift from Harry), and then the following chapter is King's Cross and Hogwarts Express, and that officially starts Harry's first year. I'm excited!**

**Hope no one is offended by Harry and Ginny's kisses from time to time when they are (their bodies, at least) 11 and almost 10. If so, I'll try to keep it to a minimum for a while.**

**Hope you liked this one!**


	27. Badges and Old Flames

**Chapter 27  
Badges and Old Flames  
**

After Harry's birthday, and August arrived, he was focused on two things: Ginny's birthday, which just meant getting her a good present, and his upcoming first year at Hogwarts. Fortunately, the two things seemed to coincide in a way, exactly one week after Harry's birthday.

But to understand that, we have to go back two days before...

* * *

Other than Harry, who had received his letter in May, the nerves of the Hogwarts students currently residing in the house were rather high. Every morning, they had been waiting eagerly in the kitchen, only paying half-attention to their breakfast, occasionally looking up at the window for any sign of an owl bringing their Hogwarts letters. Ron and Percy were the most eager, it turned out. Ron, who had received his Hogwarts letter on his eleventh birthday, but hadn't received a booklist yet. And Percy, who was usually heard pacing in his room at times, talking to himself about whether or not he would be made a prefect.

Today was no different, except this time, Percy was only staring at the cup of tea in front of him. He had shooed away even a simple piece of toast when his mother had offered it to him.

And then… after everyone was waiting for about half-an-hour, and beginning to lose hope, they heard an owl hoot. Ron, who was eating a piece of toast, dropped it and looked up eagerly. Percy had stood up so quickly, he sloshed tea down his front. The owl flew through the open window and dropped four large envelopes onto the counter, then flew back out the window. Harry grinned when Mrs. Weasley passed the envelopes to her sons.

Fred and George, neither of whom were expecting a badge, or their very first booklist., opened their envelopes first, very casually.

"I think they got my name wrong," Fred said, "They called me George. Whoever that is. Oh, is it you, brother?"

Ginny and Harry giggled as Fred and George exchanged their envelopes.

Ron was next, hastily ripping open his envelope and dumping out the parchment. He picked it up and looked at it, as if it was a piece of treasure. His mouth was moving soundlessly as he read through it.

Percy, however, was only staring at his.

"Oh, come on, Perce," Ginny said, "Open it."

Percy shook his head.

"I don't see a badge," Fred said.

Percy frowned.

"Perhaps it is hidden in the parchment," George said, "so it is a surprise."

"Very possible, Fred," George said.

"You won't know unless you open it, Percy," Mrs. Weasley said.

Percy sighed and gingerly picked up the envelope. He then delicately opened the envelope and turned it over.

_He's definitely going mental over this, _Ginny said, _he usually just pulls out the contents._

The contents dumped out onto the table… and everyone looked toward them. There had been a very identifiable clang on the table.

"Sounds promising," Fred said.

"I don't know, Fred," George said, "Could be a letter hex."

Percy glared at the twins and picked up the parchment. A small, round piece of metal slipped out onto the table. Percy looked at it and picked it up slowly.

"Prefect," he said, "I made prefect!"

"Oh, congratulations, dear!" Mrs. Weasley said, walking over to Percy and hugging him around the shoulders.

"Do I sense a speech coming?" Fred asked.

Percy shook his head and stared at the badge.

"Speechless," George said.

"Prefect Percy," Fred said.

"Perfectly plausible," George said.

"Don't forget predictable," Fred said.

"Aye," George said, "Or practical."

"Oh, shut it, you two," Percy said, annoyed, as he pinned the badge on his pyjamas, "Mum, can I have some toast?"

"Of course, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, "Well, I guess we can't put it off now. We'll go to Diagon Alley on Saturday."

* * *

Mr. Weasley had an unforeseen Floo call early Saturday morning, asking him to come to London to help with a raid, so Mrs. Weasley had Floo-called Sirius, inviting him to come along with them to Diagon Alley. Sirius accepted and said he'd meet them in the Leaky Cauldron.

At ten-o-clock, everyone used the Floo Network to get to the Leaky Cauldron, where they found Sirius waiting at the bar.

"Molly," Sirius said, "Since Harry and Ginny don't have to shop for anything for Hogwarts, how about you go with the boys to get their things, and I'll do some stuff with these two?"

Mrs. Weasley looked as if she was thinking about this for a moment.

"Well, I do need to get a birthday present for Ginny's birthday next week," she said, "And I can't do that with her there. Very well, Sirius. We can meet back in – say – three hours?"

"Great," Sirius said, "And I'll buy everyone lunch, how is that? My treat."

"All right," Mrs. Weasley said, "Be good Ginny, Harry. Come on, boys."

Mrs. Weasley and the four red-headed boys walked out toward Diagon Alley.

"I thought the two of you might like a date of sorts," Sirius said, "Something to do for Ginny's birthday. I'll have to tag along of course, but, other than that –"

"Thanks, Sirius," Harry said.

"No problem, kid," Sirius said, as they headed out toward Diagon Alley. "Anything you want to do first?"

Harry thought about his answer as Sirius tapped his wand on the barrier between Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley. When he entered the marketplace with them, he realized what he wanted to do.

"I have to get my robes," Harry said, "that is the only thing I didn't buy in May. I guess we should do that first. Then I want to get a couple of presents."

"Two?" Ginny asked, "I can do with one."

"One isn't for you," Harry said, "It is for a – future – friend. Her birthday's next month."

"Oh," Ginny said, looking as if she realized whom Harry was speaking about.

"I want to buy her a book on Occlumency," Harry said.

"Good idea," Ginny said, "Though she might find it odd getting her a present so early into your friendship."

"I'll work around that," Harry said.

Harry noticed Sirius was looking at them rather oddly.

"In order to allow the other people we've thought about to know our secrets," Harry whispered, "We need to teach them Occlumency. Fortunately, one of those people is a bookworm."

"A book on Occlumency would be ideal," Sirius said, nodding, "I see."

Diagon Alley was filled with eager students and their parents scurrying in and out of stores, and down the cobbled pavement. As he walked toward Madam Malkin's, Harry looked around at passing shoppers to see if he recognized anyone. A few young children he didn't recognize were looking enviously at the Nimbus 2000 on display in the window.

And then, through the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies, Harry recognized Oliver Wood and Katie Bell looking at something in an aisle. He was almost sure they were holding hands. He grinned when he remembered a story he had heard from once in the old timeline… seemed like so many years ago. If he recalled, Oliver and Katie had dated for a while, and it seemed like they were dating now in this timeline.

When they arrived at Madam Malkin's, Harry heard a rather familiar voice.

"Gran," the boy said, "Are you sure I should wear these? They're rather loose on me."

"You're a growing boy, Neville," a strict voice said, "You'll thank me by Christmas."

"Your Gran's right, dear," a voice Harry recognized as Madam Malkin said, "Be with you three in a minute," she added to Harry, Ginny and Sirius.

Harry smiled when he saw Neville Longbottom and his grandmother. Neville was standing on a platform with his arms straight out at his sides.

"Augusta Longbottom," Sirius said, smiling.

Augusta turned and smiled when she saw Sirius.

"Hello, Sirius," she said, "I've been meaning to talk to you since your release. Just wanted to congratulate you."

"Of course," Sirius said, "Thank you."

"You may remember my grandson, Neville?" Augusta said, "Neville, say hi to Mr. Black."

"Hello," Neville said, nervously.

"Hello, Neville," Sirius said, "I only met you once… the day after my godson was born when you were both in the maternity ward at St. Mungo's. Couldn't get the smile off your parents' faces that day. Ah, Frank and Alice..."

Sirius shook his head, smiling softly as he remembered his old friends.

"Haven't gone to see them yet," he said, "I should, I suppose."

Neville nodded timidly and stared at the floating measuring tape. Augusta's eyes traveled to Harry.

"Harry Potter," she said, "Yes, I saw you at the trial. You look just like your father, boy."

Harry nodded.

"Good man, he was," she said, "Don't let anyone tell you different."

"Yes, ma'am," Harry said.

"And Arthur and Molly's little girl?" Augusta asked, looking at Ginny, "Nice to meet you."

"You too, Mrs. Longbottom," Ginny said.

"I think we've figured out your robe size, Mr. Longbottom," Madam Malkin said to Neville, "Look at the robes in aisle two and take a few to try on in the fitting rooms."

Neville nodded and stepped off the platform. He looked at Harry for a moment, before hurrying off toward the aisles with his grandmother.

"Your turn, Mr. Potter," Madam Malkin said.

Twenty minutes later, Harry followed Ginny and Sirius out of the store with his purchases.

"Never expected the son of Frank Longbottom to look so timid like that," Sirius said, softly, "Frank was a brave young lad at Neville's age. My year, you know, in Hogwarts. Shared the dorm with us."

"I don't think being raised by his Grandmother helped him too much," Harry said, "It wasn't until our fifth year in the last timeline that he broke out of his shell. I might try to help him more this time."

"Did his parents ever improve?" Sirius asked.

"No," Ginny said, "They were still patients at St. Mungo's when we were sent back here."

"My damn cousin," Sirius growled. "Actually bragged about what she did to his parents for those first few days in her cell. She knew I was nearby, and that I was friends with Alice and Frank."

Next, they went to Flourish and Blott's, where Harry and Ginny went in without Sirius. A few minutes later, as he was looking along a row in the "Mind and Thought Magic" section, Harry sensed that Ginny felt rather annoyed.

_Something wrong, love? _Harry asked.

_No. Not really. Don't mind me._

_Ginny, what -?_

Harry looked over his shoulder and saw Ginny walking toward him. She looked rather harassed.

_Can we go? _she asked.

_I need to find this book. What's wrong?_

_Nothing. Forget I ever said – damn it._

Ginny was looking over Harry's shoulder, so he turned around. Cho Chang was there, searching through a few books.

_Oh, Ginny. _Harry said, trying his best not to roll his eyes; he returned to his search through the books,_You're being ridiculous._

_You fancied her at one point!_

_Yeah, and look how that turned out. If she ends up with Cedric, this time things are going to be different. I won't let Cedric be in that graveyard this time. Remember how Cho hadn't really had a successful relationship since Cedric died? They're meant to be together._

_Yeah, yeah._

_Stop being jealous. I love you. She was a – a phase. Besides her, you were the only girl I dated, and I didn't really date Cho, did I?_

_No… not really._

_So what does that tell you. And by the way… you do realize I have to spend a good part of the next seven years in a dorm with Dean Thomas?_

Ginny frowned and looked at her shoes.

_Harry…_

_That… that feeling you're having right now. Exactly how I feel. You know how difficult it is going to be to keep from picturing your fifteen your old self kissing his sixteen year old self when I see him?_

_You're right. It is stupid of me. Sorry, Harry. I love you too… and Cho's looking at you…_

Harry looked down the aisle and saw that Cho was indeed looking at him.

"Sorry," she said, "You looked like you were having trouble finding what you wanted."

"I'm fine," Harry said, trying his best to be polite.

Cho looked from Harry to Ginny, then back to Harry. She nodded and blushed, then turned around and headed back down the aisle.

_Yeah, you go that way, Chang. He's mine._

_Ginny!_

_Sorry…_

Harry sighed and shook his head. He found the book he was looking for: _The Art of Occlumency. _Harry grabbed it and headed off back toward the front of the store.

_Harry? _Ginny asked, as she followed him, _Are you mad at me?_

_No. Why would you say that?_

_I'm sorry for being so stupid back there. I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe it was the Soul-Bond or something._

_You're blaming that?_

_Fine, don't believe me. Then when you see someone like Dean Thomas or – or Michael Corner next year -_

_You went to the Yule Ball with Neville, and I wasn't acting jealous when I saw him in Madam Malkin's._

_That wasn't exactly a relationship, Harry. I went with him, because you were pining over Cho and not asking me. I don't think it counts. Think about it, Harry. Have we had any bad arguments like this since we became Bonded?_

Harry thought about it for a moment. He shook his head. No, there were no serious disagreements, really.

_Exactly. And today, I see someone who I think is a threat to our relationship – fine, I assume is, with good reason… and I react._

_And you think the Soul-Bond was making you react?_

_Harry, have you forgotten what happened when Malfoy insulted me? Anything that becomes a threat to our Bond – even as dumb as petty insults – I think that has an impact. It is our Bond protecting – well – us. And by that I mean in the sense of you and me together._

_Yeah, I suppose…_

_I'm sorry, Harry. I know you love me. I love you too. Please remember that before you want to punch Dean at school._

Harry did his best not to chuckle out loud in a crowded store for no apparent reason.

_Fine. I forgive you. I need to buy this book. Sirius is waiting for us._

_What about my present?_

_You think I would get you a book?_

_Perhaps a diary?_

_That is next year's present._

_Funny, Harry…_

_Sirius is picking up your present from me._

_Oh, you sneaky little – that is why he didn't follow us in here!_

_I told him what I wanted to give you in Madam Malkin's. I purposely asked him to get a different set of robes just to tell him._

_And I was purposely distracting myself so I wouldn't see or hear you through our link while you were in the fitting room! Ugh… you win this round, Potter._

Harry chuckled and went to one of the cashiers. He purchased the book and walked out of the store with Ginny. Sirius was up the road sitting at a table at Florean Fortescue's parlor.

"I ordered three sundaes. Your favorites, I hope," Sirius said, as they sat down with him; then he leaned toward Harry. "I also got the – err – thing you wanted."

"You mean my present?" Ginny asked, with a grin.

Sirius looked at Harry and raised his eyebrows.

"What can I say?" Harry asked.

Sirius muttered something that sounded like "ruddy Soul-Bond."

"She doesn't know what it is," Harry said.

"She was supposed to think you forgot her present!" Sirius said, "James would be ashamed of you. He got Lily to fall for it! Birthday and anniversary! She didn't talk to him for a week!"

"And he considered it a good thing?" Ginny asked.

Sirius ignored Ginny and handed the small bag to Harry. Harry placed it in his robes.

"Just don't think about what you got her," Sirius muttered, "Women are very crafty, and she has additional tools of craftiness now."

"Men," Ginny said, annoyed.

Harry sighed. He turned his wrist under the table, and caught his wand. He cast a Muffliato Charm.

"Please don't ruin my date, Sirius," Harry said, "We already ran into an ex-girlfriend of mine."

"Ex?" Sirius asked.

"Other timeline," Harry said.

"Oh, so you did consider her a girlfriend?" Ginny asked.

Harry gave Ginny a pleading look. She rolled her eyes.

"You've been keeping stuff like that from me, kid," Sirius said, "I know your game now. Exactly how long were you with this girl? Here I am, trying to get my best friend and cousin together, and now I find my own godson was oblivious about his – well - perfect mate as my best friend is!"

"Hey!" Harry said, "She had two boyfriends before we got together."

Sirius looked at Ginny, who shrugged.

"Like you said," she said, "he was oblivious and I was trying to make him jealous."

"Women," Sirius said.

Ginny glared at Sirius.

"I wouldn't ask this if it wasn't for the fact I know you're – err – true age," Sirius said, "But were you both each other's first – you know?"

Harry and Ginny nodded, both red in the face.

"Well, then I have no reason to complain," Sirius said, "You're much better than I am, kid."

"You still haven't found the right woman, Sirius," Harry said.

"Of course I have!" Sirius said, "We had a healthy relationship before things went south. She's just – err – playing hard to get."

"Weren't you single for a while before you went to Azkaban?" Ginny asked.

"It was complicated," Sirius said, "But I'm working on it."

"I always took you for a lifelong bachelor," Ginny said.

"Of course," Harry said, "in the old timeline, he was a fugitive and almost every woman was terrified of him. No good dating opportunities."

"Exactly," Sirius said, "I'm an innocent man now, among the common people. I can have those privileges."

"Girlfriend, I can see," Ginny said, "But – wife? Mother of your child?"

Sirius' face turned a pale-white. Florean walked over to them with three hot fudge sundaes. Sirius paid for them and Florean returned to his shop.

"Well?" Ginny asked.

"Let me work on the girlfriend part first," Sirius muttered.

"Oh, Sirius," Harry said, "You'd be a great father."

"Your father was a great father, Harry," Sirius said, "And your Dad is too, Ginny. My father was – let's just say he was the perfect fit for my mother. I didn't know a good man like that until I met your grandfather. And me – well – like I said, let me work on the girlfriend part first. You have it easy, Harry. Maybe not in the last timeline, but this one? You two already have each other."

"Now we just have to wait three or four years to let everyone else know that," Ginny said.

"That's what you have me for," Sirius said, "With my help, these little dates of yours look like typical outings."

"You don't know my Mum when it comes to me, Sirius," Ginny said. "There is a good reason we have not told her about the Soul-Bond yet."

"It will take her some time to understand when she finds out," Sirius said, nodding. "I understand that. But… Ginny, she loves Harry already. Believe me… to know you have somebody she already adores. That is far easier than bringing somebody home from school for a holiday to meet your family."

"That is why I never invited Michael or Dean over," Ginny said, chuckling.

"Is it?" Sirius asked, "Honestly?"

"Okay," Ginny said, in a resigned voice, "It was always Harry for me. I didn't want my family to see me with one of those two – besides, Ron was already a pain in my backside with them – and like them."

"That is why you two have nothing to worry about," Sirius said, "James didn't bring girlfriends over to your grandparents' house – until he started dating your mother. Of course, James never was too serious with anyone else – there was only your mother to him. Anyway, they fell in love with Lily. If James and Lily were here now, they'd love you Ginny. They wouldn't be able to help it. Especially since – well – you two would probably remind them of _them. _ Even if they met you at ten years old – they would have found a way to convince Harry that you're the one."

Ginny smiled. Harry reached for her hand under the table and squeezed it tightly.

"Guess I feel better," Ginny said, "Still doesn't make me want to go find Mum and tell her about our Bond."

Harry chuckled nervously and nodded in agreement. After they finished their ice-cream, Harry and Ginny strolled around Diagon Alley, and for them, it was like a date and Sirius was the so-called chaperone nearby, knowing when keep watch, but cool enough to allow them privacy. They cherished this day, knowing soon they'd be apart for quite a while.

-  
**Or will they? We'll see…**

**So this was another transition chapter between Harry's birthday and the start of Harry's first year. I didn't want August to seem like nothing really happened. It sometimes seems that way in the books.**

**Next chapter there will be another short time-skip, and you'll find out what Harry bought for Ginny for her birthday. I actually don't quite know what it is just yet… because I have a couple of ideas. But I think I have the right one. Then Platform 9 ¾ and Hogwarts Express happen and it will be quite a bit different than last time. Been looking forward to the next few chapters for quite a while!**

**Hope you liked this chapter!**

**Note: Unfortunately there is no trivia for this chapter as of the time of this update. Maybe some at a later point. Don't quote me on that.**


	28. With Friends Like These

**Chapter 28  
With Friends Like These**

**Author's Note: Starting from this chapter, parts of the story will have sentences or excerpts from the books, though other certain parts of the same scene will be modified to fit my story. I will do a disclaimer each time. Because I am American, there may be some differences between editions, so I won't put page numbers on the disclaimer, only chapters.**

**Q&A time, pointing out a bit of a mistake I caught on too late:**

Q: **At this point Oliver Wood is 14 and Katie Bell is only 12. She's not as young as Ginny, but you're gonna have to be careful about matching up couples this early in the timeline. Cho is 12, and she's checking out Harry; I guess girls think about those things earlier than boys.**

**A: Yeah, I thought about Katie being a bit young after I had posted the previous chapter. Same mistake with Fred and George talking about Katie on the Quidditch team. Didn't think about either of these until later. Ah well. I'll be more careful with this, I promise. However, Cho's part is arguable. She recognizes Harry for who he is... and wants to talk to him. Only Ginny saw Cho as flirting with him.**

**Disclaimer: Recognizable sections of this chapter come directly from Chapter 6 of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling. I do not take claim for these, only my own additions.**

* * *

The rest of August seemed to fly by, much to Harry and Ginny's disappointment. Though the two did find ways to spend time together, even if they were doing so with others around. Whenever they had the chance to do so, they would spend time in their spot at the orchard, or swim in the lake, or walk around the plot. There was a couple of times when they caught Ron or Mrs. Weasley looking at the two of them curiously, and they decided to do things apart from each other for a couple of days to remedy this. Harry was also studying through his textbooks, having put them off for the first three months he had them. Although he knew everything in them, he wanted to brush up on the knowledge so it would be fresh for the two terms.

Harry wasn't sure how well a reaction his birthday gift to Ginny would get. But when he gave the hand-held mirror to Ginny, amidst a box of other goodies he had bought at Diagon Alley, no one besides Ginny seemed to react to it strangely. When Harry and Ginny were in their own beds on the night of Ginny's birthday, the true purpose of the mirror was explained. He had told Ginny to keep it close to her that night, and she was surprised to find out why. The mirror had a twin, and he had put the same charms on both mirrors that Sirius and his father had put on their own to speak with each other when they were in Hogwarts. Even though he knew they could speak with each other through their telepathy, this would mean that they could see each other's faces too. Ginny thought this was the best gift she had received that day.

On September 1st, Mr. Weasley wasn't able to see everyone off, so Mrs. Weasley had to take everyone to London in a couple of cabs. The previous evening, Sirius had written a note to Mrs. Weasley and said he would want to see Sirius off at Platform 9 ¾ so nobody was surprised when they found him waiting outside King's Cross with a couple of luggage carts.

"Molly," Sirius said to Mrs. Weasley, as Harry put his trunk and Hedwig's cage on one of the carts, "How about I take Harry in. I can take a couple more of your youngsters too, so Muggles don't find anything too suspicious about all us going with all this stuff on two carts? Ron and Ginny, perhaps? I promise you they'll be fine, and we'll meet you when we get onto the platform.

Mrs. Weasley looked hesitantly at Ginny and Ron, then nodded.

"You're probably right, Sirius," she finally said. "Thank you, you've been a dear to us these past few months."

"No big deal, Molly," Sirius said.

"Come on, Percy, Fred, George," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Mum, I can't find my badge," Percy said, with a sigh, "I need it before I head to the prefect and Head meeting."

"I think you dropped it in the cab, Perce," Fred said, "I found it."

"Oh, thank you, Fred," Percy said, in relief.

As Fred handed the badge to Percy, George leaned toward Harry, Ginny and Ron.

"Fred and I modified it to say 'pompous' instead of 'Prefect'," he said, "We each placed a bet seeing how long before he notices it. Any takers?"

"George!" Mrs. Weasley said, "Come on! We have less than half-an-hour!"

"Coming, Mum!" George said.

He winked and hurried after his twin.

"Come on, you lot," Sirius said, when Mrs. Weasley, Percy and the twins went inside.

When Sirius had written the previous night about his request see off him and everyone, Harry wondered if he was doing this for himself and Ginny so they would get some last few minutes of alone time. But Sirius had also requested Ron come with them, and he knew Harry and Ginny hadn't planned to tell Ron their secrets just yet, so of course he would think it odd if they did this. Then… Harry got his answer.

"Ron, come on up here beside me," Sirius said, "I have something to show you."

Ron seemed surprised. "'Kay," he said, with a shrug.

He walked forward to Sirius, who was whispering a few words to him Harry nor Ginny could hear.

_I really hope he isn't telling my brother about us yet, _Ginny said.

_He knows better than that. Perhaps he's just giving us some alone time and using this as the best way to distract Ron?_

_Must be a hell of a distraction._

Harry noticed that Sirius was pointing toward something at the cart he was pushing.

_Harry, thanks for the mirror for my birthday. I know our telepathy is best to use, but I'd still miss seeing you._

_That's why I gave it to you, love. _

Ginny smiled, then frowned. _I wish I could come this year instead._

_You know if I could do something to remedy that, I would._

_I know. I could teleport into Hogwarts, but there would be a lot of questions. Plus I doubt that would work anyway._

Harry chuckled quietly. _Probably not._

"Harry! Ginny!" Ron said, excitedly, going back to walk beside them, "Sirius gave me my own owl!"

"Really?" Ginny asked.

Ron nodded, "You know a few months ago how he said he was going to get me a surprise? He said he felt responsible for me having no pet anymore… so he bought me an owl. Look!"

"A mother at Eeylop's had a few hatchlings a couple months back," Sirius said, "And the owner just started selling these a couple weeks ago. Just strong enough to start carrying post. Though he said this one was very hyper…"

Ron was motioning to a very small Scops owl in a cage, and Harry almost grinned. Even though the owl was much smaller than he was used to, Harry recognized it.

_Harry, it's Pigwidgeon! _Ginny exclaimed, _As a baby!_

_Great… an even smaller speeding bullet._

Ginny snickered.

"Hey!" Ron said, evidently thinking Ginny was laughing at the owl, "Don't laugh at him. What shall we call him?"

"Pigwidgeon?" Ginny suggested.

"Pigwidgeon?" Ron snorted, "Why?"

Pig was hooting wildly in his cage. Obviously he thought he had just been named.

"Aw, darn it," Ron said, with a great sigh, "Guess that is his name."

"Good name," Harry said, "You can call him Pig for short."

_I hate you, Harry. _Ginny said, frowning,_Pigwidgeon is a proper name. Pig is… mental._

_You got that right. Pig is a mental owl._

Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Pig," Ron said, nodding, "Excellent. Anyway, Sirius wants me to hide him from Mum for now until I can ease her into me owning an owl."

"He's small enough to hide," Harry said.

"Definitely!" Ron said, "Thanks, Sirius."

"No problem, mate," Sirius said, "Ah! There's the platform ahead. Excellent."

"I'll go first," Ron walked over to the wall, and looked around, before slipping through the wall with ease.

"Cart and myself next," Sirius said, and looked at Harry and Ginny with a wink.

Sirius looked around and ran through the wall cart-first.

"Guess he was giving us alone time," Harry said.

Ginny grinned, and took Harry's hand, and they walked over to the wall. They motioned to lean up against it, and Ginny kissed him on the cheek, and pushed him through with her.

_You sneaky little girl, _Harry said when they reached the other side.

_I have my moments._

Harry smiled when he saw the scarlet steam engine as it waited next to the platform packed with people. The familiar sign overhead said _Hogwarts' Express, eleven o'clock_. Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words _Platform Nine and Three-Quarters _on it.

Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks.

The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats.

"Come you, you two!" Sirius said; Ron stood near him with a grin on his face.

Harry and Ginny followed Sirius and Ron across the Platform. They passed Neville, who looked rather disgruntled.

"Gran, I lost my toad _again_," he said.

"Oh, Neville," Augusta said.

Harry passed by a few students he recognized, his fellow years, and a few older as well. He recognized the tell-tale bushy hair of Hermione standing with her Muggle dentist parents, Richard and Helen Granger. She looked a bit nervous, but excited all the same. From where Harry stood, he could tell Helen looked rather teary-eyed.

Harry wanted to introduce himself, and perhaps Ron, to her, but that could wait just a little while longer. If things went the same way, he could make two new good friends in one setting.

"There they are!" Ron said, pointing up ahead.

Harry turned and saw Mrs. Weasley a few yards away talking to Percy. When he looked around for Fred and George, he saw them off to the side, talking to a boy in dreadlocks that Harry recognized as Lee Jordan. They were gathered around a large box.

"There you are!" Mrs. Weasley said, to Harry and the others as they arrived, "Thank you, Sirius. You were right, of course. Packed with Muggles, today!"

"Think nothing of it, Molly," Sirius said, "I'll just load this stuff on the train, while you say your farewells. Harry, I'll be right back to see you off."

Harry nodded. Mrs. Weasley walked over to Harry and Ron and hugged them both.

"I have some homemade sandwiches for your trip," she said. "The Opening Feast always has loads of food, so I don't want you to ruin your appetite with that stuff the witches on the Express usually come around with. And don't you fret about the Sorting Ceremony, dears. I know Fred and George both told you stories, and I'm sure Sirius has been feeding your heads with all kinds of crazy ideas."

"Oh, Molly, you wound me!" Sirius said, as he walked back over to them, "I might have said something to them, but nothing too wild. Something about a troll."

Ron gave a very audible gulp.

"Ron, this is coming from a Marauder," Harry said, "He's not serious about that – no, Sirius, no name-puns!"

"You're not fun, Harry," Sirius said, "I should take your heirlooms away from you. Anyway, I've put away your things in a carriage just inside so you don't have to go searching. I tried to put them in the Marauder's old carriage, but I think it is occupied. Pity. Maybe next year…"

"I wish I could go," Ginny said, with a sigh.

"Next year, little sister," Fred said.

"But we promise to send you a Hogwarts toilet seat!" George said.

"Oh, George!" Mrs. Weasley said, with a sigh, as Ginny giggled.

"I'll make sure these two behave, Mum," Percy said, "They'll have to listen to me since I am a Prefect. Great Scot! That reminds me! I got to get to the Prefect carriage! Bye Mum!"

"Don't you mean the Pompous cabins?" Fred said.

Percy glared at Fred, and kissed his mother's cheek and hurried off into the train.

"He found out about his badge modifications two minutes before you arrived," George muttered to Harry, Ron and Ginny with a wink.  
_  
_"You better get going, boys," Sirius said, "Train's leaving soon. Need to get comfortable. A very long ride, it is."

Mrs. Weasley once again, hugged Harry, Ron and the twins. Ginny hugged Ron and the twins, then taking this as an excuse, hugged Harry as well.

_Keep the mirror out tonight when you go to bed, Ginny, _Harry said, as he hugged her, _I'll talk to you then._

_Okay._

Ginny smiled as she backed up. Harry looked at Sirius and gave him a one-armed hug.

"I'll keep a watch on her for you," Sirius whispered so only Harry could hear.

Harry smiled and nodded. With a last look at Ginny and Mrs. Weasley, he and Ron stepped inside, and found their carriage Sirius had reserved for them. Hedwig and Pig were hooting back and forth; Hedwig sounded annoyed already.

"Making friends already, Pig?" Ron asked, "Good owl."

Harry was sure Hedwig rolled her eyes as she tucked her head under her wing. Harry sat down against the window and looked out. Sirius, Ginny and Mrs. Weasley were waving at him and Ron. Harry waved, his eyes on Ginny most of the time.

_Don't cry, love, _Harry sighed, when he saw Ginny's misty eyes.

_I'm only crying to keep up appearances._

_Uh-huh, I know you, Ginny._

_Prat! _Pause. _Harry… I'll miss you. I love you._

_I love you too, I promise I won't go a day without talking to you, telepathy or mirror. No negative thoughts._

_No negative thoughts, _Ginny agreed.

The Hogwarts Express gave one final blare and started moving off down the tracks. Ginny walked along the train near their window and continued to wave. She then stopped and blew a kiss.

"Mental, she is," Ron said, chuckling, "She's never like this with Percy and the twins. Except for June. Did you see how she hugged the twins? Teary-eyed then too."

"She's just going to miss us," Harry said.

"She's going to miss _you_," Ron said, "I doubt she told you how much she talked about you years before she met you. You know how we told you that you were the subject of bed-time stories. You were her favorite one. Though those stories were just stories, I guess. Nobody could guess how you were treated by those ruddy excuse for family members. She's seen you every day since that day in May. She may miss me sure, but… I reckon my sister has a fancy for you, Harry. Blah. Sorry about that. Girls, you know."

Harry chuckled and shook his head.

"Bet Mum made us corned beef sandwiches again," Ron muttered.

"I'll get something when the Snack Lady your Mum talked about comes by, eh?" Harry said, "I have a bit of gold with me."

"I can't take that stuff," Ron said, frowning.

Harry did his best not to frown. He never did like the issue between him and Ron about their differences of money. He wanted to make sure that wasn't an issue this time.

"Mate, I have more money than I know what to do with," Harry said, "And I'm not bragging. I never would brag about that. Family is worth more than money to me, and you're richer than you know when it comes to that. So… it is not a problem."

"Well… best mate swear?" Ron asked.

"Best mate swear," Harry said, nodding.

"All right," Ron said, "Fred and George always said the Hogwarts Express has a good choice of snacks. Hope it comes soon."

Unfortunately, it didn't come too soon. Around half past twelve, when they were far away from London, and going past hills and wood, there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?"

Harry grinned when he saw the collection: Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs. Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and a number of other sweets. Ignoring what Mrs. Weasley had said about appetite, he got some of everything and paid the woman eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts.

"Hmm," Ron said, "Do you think Pig likes Fudge Flies?"

"Probably get stuck in his beak," Harry said as he picked up a Chocolate Frog package.

"Right," Ron said, grabbing a bag of Beans, "I think Sirius might have given me some Owl Treats for him. Could give him a bean though. Fred reckons he got Bogey flavored one, once… could be funny to see Pig get something like that." He popped a bean in his mouth and spat it out, "Bleargh, Sprouts!"

Harry unwrapped his Chocolate Frog and quickly chomped off the head before it could hop away. He then picked up the card and saw that he had gotten Albus Dumbledore.

"Agrippa?" Ron asked, "I need him."

"Dumbledore," Harry said.

"Bad luck," Ron said, "I think I gave you one of him for your birthday. More for your collection. The students at school might trade."

Harry nodded and looked at the back of the card. His eyes caught the word "Philosopher's Stone" and he almost choked on his frog. He had almost forgotten about the other important thing he would be doing this year: stopping Quirrel from getting the Stone! Of course… he knew when the date would be when Quirrel had gone down there last timeline… but what if things changed this go-round? He'd definitely have to keep an eye on the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor.

Harry's reverie was broken by a familiar voice outside in the corridor.

"Don't worry, Neville," Hermione's voice said, "I'm sure we'll find him. Let's see if someone in that carriage has seen him, eh?"

Neville said something Harry couldn't hear, and Hermione opened the sliding door. Neville was beside her, looking tearful.

"Hello," Hermione piped up, politely, "Have you seen a toad? Neville's lost him."

Harry smiled. Phase One in Operation: Best Friends underway.

"You know, I think I might have seen him," Harry said, smiling, "How about you two stay here for a few moments. I can go try to look."

"You don't have to do that," Neville muttered.

"I insist!" Harry said, "Ron, can you cheer up Neville here. I'll be right back! You could introduce them to Pig and Hedwig."

"Oh, okay, sure," Ron said.

"Pig and Hedwig?" Neville asked.

Harry grinned. Hermione looked at Harry curiously as he passed. He then hurried out into the corridor, and ran down it. When he was sure nobody could see him, he spun his wrist and his wand fell into his hand.

"Accio Trevor the Toad!" he whispered.

Harry held out his hand and waited. Suddenly, he heard a loud _croak! _The small green toad landed in his out-stretched hand.

"Trevor, please stay with Neville," Harry said, "You'll just get him in trouble."

Trevor croaked again. Harry stored his wand in its holster and walked back to his carriage.

"Good news!" he said, as he walked inside, "I found a toad!"

"Trevor!" Neville said, cheerfully, "How did you find him?"

"Does he have a fondness for Fudge Flies?" Harry asked, "He was hopping like a toad-on-a-mission toward that Snack Lady!"

"Oh, no!" Neville said, "Trevor, you didn't!"

"He didn't frighten her, did he?" Hermione asked.

"Of course not," Harry said, "No harm done! In fact, Neville? We have some Fudge Flies. Would you like to join us? You too – err –"

"Hermione Granger," Hermione said, offering an out-stretched hand, "Muggleborn."

"Nice to meet you, Hermione," Harry said, "This is Ron, my best mate. He might have told you that - and I'm –"

"Harry Potter!" Hermione said, brightly.

"You know him?" Neville asked.

"Everyone knows who Harry is," Ron said.

Harry and Hermione raised their eyebrows toward him.

"Well, they do!" Ron said, "He's probably in a couple of books."

"Actually he is in three," Hermione said, sitting down next to Ron, "He's in _Modern Magical History _and _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts _and _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_."

"I'll take your word for it," Ron muttered.

"Of course," Hermione said, "That is only kind of how I recognized you, Harry. I saw you in Leaky Cauldron in May when me and my parents – their Muggles, you see – went there. We were going to buy more books in Diagon Alley. I had read all my school books already. I got them all back in September – my birthday is in September – that is when I turned eleven. This which named Professor McGonagall came by my house and told me I was a witch! My Dad thought it was an insult at first."

She chuckled, showing her buckteeth. Harry had forgotten about that. She had reduced those in her fourth year in the old timeline.

"But after we heard some of the most interesting things," Hermione said, "I had to believe her! She told me how to go to Diagon Alley, so we went and I bought so many interesting books. I finished all my schoolbooks by May, and wanted more! Earlier in May, I was reading the Daily Prophet, and I saw you in a story with a man named Sirius Black! And I saw the both of you in Leaky Cauldron! And then I found those books about you in Flourish and Blott's. Very interesting – but some of those stories – did that stuff really happen to you when you were a baby?"

Harry nodded.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said, frowning, "I shouldn't talk about that, I suppose. It is awfully rude of me."

Harry shrugged. "I expect everyone will be talking about it."

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Hermione said, standing up, "Neville and I left our things in our compartment! I have to go get them if we're going to sit here. Neville?"

"He might lose Trevor if he does that," Harry said, "Ron? How about you go with her?"

Ron frowned as he looked at the Chocolate Frog he had just opened. Harry sighed. This was not a good way to start Ron and Hermione's friendship…

"Ron," Harry said, "What would your Mum say?"

"She would say I should be helpful," Ron said, "I'll get your stuff, Neville."

"Er – thanks," Neville said, "Stay, Trevor! Eat your Flies!"

Ron and Hermione walked out into the corridor.

"I know who you are of course," Neville said, with a small voice, "I didn't want to say anything in Madam Malkin's. Gran says never to be rude about things like that."

"It isn't rude," Harry said, "I don't mind if people who could be my friends know who I am."

"Friends?" Neville asked, confused.

"Of course!" Harry said, "Everyone needs friends."

"Yeah, I suppose," Neville said, shrugging, "Okay, friends. Blimey… Gran will want to hear about this. I'll have to tell her in my first letter. She already predicted I might have forgotten something at home. I probably did."

"I suggest a Remembrall," Harry said, remembering the small red ball Neville had gotten in the last timeline.

"I saw that in Diagon Alley!" Neville said, "I'll have to ask Gran about one."

Harry slumped back in his seat and sighed, opening a cauldron cake package. Making friends gave a person an appetite!

* * *

**More of the Hogwarts Express next chapter! Unfortunately, this is probably the last chapter I'll put up today. More in the next few days.**

**Next chapter: More of Ron, Hermione, Neville… and Draco! (evil laugh)**

**So what did you think about this chapter? Good? More to come! First year at Hogwarts approaches! Yay!**


	29. Who Needs Enemies?

**Chapter 29  
Who Needs Enemies?**

**Author's Note: Title explanation! This chapter's title, is a connection the previous chapter's title, and completes the quote "With friends like these… who needs enemies?" Stat Update: (Sorry, I just love posting these… more for my pleasure, really he-he): 325+ Story Alerts, 225+ Favorite Alerts, 169 Reviews, and 75,000+ Hits at the time of this update! Thank you all! A whopping 6 chapter (yes, six chapters!) update today just for all of you!**

**Disclaimer: Recognizable sections of this chapter come directly from Chapter 6 of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling. I do not take claim for these, only my own additions.**

* * *

Ron Weasley sighed as he followed Hermione through the train's corridors toward her and Neville's old carriage. He vowed to himself to find a curse good enough to hex Harry with for putting him in this position. Oh, Hermione Granger seemed like a good person. But she reminded him of his older brother, Percy. Like Percy, Hermione seemed to love to talk about things.

Boring things.

"Ron?" Hermione asked, "Where are you going? We're here."

Ron blinked and looked toward Hermione. She was standing in an open doorway to an empty carriage. He sighed. And now he had just made a fool of himself in front of her by walking past her ready to go farther on down the corridor. He made a mental note to find a big curse for Harry. Maybe Fred and George would help… he could tell them he caught Harry flirting with their sister… that could work. Might be a bit truthful, really, if he was honest with himself.

"Er… right," he muttered, "Sorry."

"No problem," Hermione said, smiling.

Ron shuffled his feet as he followed Hermione into the carriage.

"These black ties on our outfits are very peculiar," Hermione said, as she grabbed one of her school outfits that was hanging from the rack.

"I guess it is common for girls to wear ties," Ron said, "Weird, huh?"

"I wasn't talking about that," Hermione said, frowning, "Actually, I find it quite proper for a young lady. But I was talking about the color."

"Oh yeah," Ron said, "They're black until our house is chosen. Then they all magically change colors to suit our house."

"Oh, right, the Hogwarts houses!" Hermione said, grinning, "I read about those in _Hogwarts, A History_. Fascinating book.. Did you know –?"

Ron sighed and picked up Neville's carry-on bag and the small cage he guessed was for Trevor.

"Ron?" Hermione asked, "Did you hear me?"

"Yeah… the ghosts are interesting," Ron said, hoping she was talking about ghosts, "I heard good stories."

"I asked you what house you think you might be in," Hermione said, raising her eyebrows.

Ron … a _very_ big curse on Harry… and his future off-spring!

"Gryffindor, I expect," he said, "All my family's been in Gryffindor."

"Gryffindor's a good choice," Hermione said, smiling, "Ravenclaw was the other one I thought I could get into, but Gryffindor –"

"You tried to help Neville find his toad, right?" Ron asked, "That's a Gryffindor for you."

"Poor Neville," Hermione said, with a sigh, "He's worried he won't get into a house, and they'll chuck him out. Can that happen?"

"I doubt it," Ron said, shrugging.

"Okay, we better get back," Hermione said.

She picked up her carry-on bag and opened the sliding door, and walked out. Ron heard a surprised yelp, followed by a thud. He hurried out and saw Hermione standing near a black-haired, pug-faced girl who had fallen over.

"Oh, I am very sorry!" Hermione said, "Here, let me help you."

"Get away from me," the girl growled, "I can smell your kind a mile away."

"I… beg your pardon?" Hermione asked, confused.

"Don't listen to her, Hermione," Ron said, "Come on. You… go back to where you came from."

The girl harrumphed. "I should have expected someone like you to hang around her kind, Weasley. Just like your father."

"Come on, Hermione," Ron said, gently pushing her back toward the way they came from.

Ron narrowed his eyes at the girl and made sure she didn't follow them.

"How rude of her," Hermione scoffed, "What was she talking about? She could smell me?"

Ron frowned. He knew exactly what the girl meant, but he didn't want Hermione to hear that kind of word, no matter how much she liked to talk.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "She was just upset."

"Do you know her?" Hermione asked, "She knows you, it looks like."

"No," Ron said, "But I know her kind. She's a definite Slytherin for sure."

"Oh," Hermione said; she had definitely read up on Slytherin house, it seems, "But – she called you by your name?"

"She called me by my _last_name," Ron corrected, "Everyone knows who the Weasleys are. Just by our ginger hair and –"

_Our hand-me-down clothes, _he thought but didn't want to say to Hermione.

"And our lovable personality!" a voice said behind Ron.

Ron groaned. He turned around and saw Fred and George standing there.

"Hi, Ronniekins!" Fred said.

"Who is your girlfriend?" George asked.

Ron scowled.

"Hermione Granger," Hermione said, seemingly unfazed by the question, "Muggleborn."

"Nice to meet you, Hermione Granger, Muggleborn," Fred said.

"I hope my bratty little brother is not pestering you," George said.

"He actually just defended my honor," Hermione said, paused, then added, "I think."

Ron blushed. Fred and George looked at him with raised eyebrows and then laughed.

"Good one, Hermione," Fred said.

"It wasn't a joke," Hermione said, with a small voice.

"Don't worry about it, Hermione," Ron said, "Come on. See you two later."

"See you!" Fred said.

"Have fun with your girlfriend, Ronniekins!" George said.

"My twin brothers," Ron muttered, as he and Hermione continued on their way through the corridors back toward their carriage, "Always good for a laugh."

"I wasn't joking, Ron," Hermione said, "You did defend me back there against that… girl. Thank you."

Ron smiled and blushed. Hermione smiled back.

_Okay, _Ron decided, as he followed Hermione through a door into the next corridor, _Maybe just a small curse on Harry._

* * *

Meanwhile, Harry was listening to Neville go on about his worries about which house he'd end up in. His fear was Hufflepuff, because he hadn't heard good things about it. Harry knew this wasn't true, but chose not to say it since Neville might see this as favoring Hufflepuff and Harry knew he was a true Gryffindor.

"My godfather said your father was roommates with him," Harry said, "his year. So maybe you'll follow in his footsteps and end up a Gryffindor."

"Gryffindors are supposed to be brave," Neville said, timidly, "And I'm – well – _not_."

"Maybe not now," Harry conceded, "But the hat takes in things for the future. It sees what you could be, not what you are now."

Neville raised an eyebrow in confusion. He nodded, though his attention went back to his toad, Trevor. Just as Harry was wondering where Ron and Hermione were, they appeared at the window, and Harry slid open the door, allowing them in.

"Thanks," Ron said, "We would have been here sooner, but we ran into my twin brothers."

"And a girl," Hermione said, frowning, as she hung up her robes on the luggage rack overhead, "Literally."

"A girl?" Harry asked, "Who?"

"I don't know her name," Ron said, "But she had dark hair and a pug's face."

Harry frowned. He knew who that description was for: Pansy Parkinson. His mind went back to when he saw her last… she had tried to kill him and Ginny, and she had also cast the curse that blew up the floor in front of them, sending them into the pool.

"Definite Slytherin, though," Ron said, as he hoisted Neville's carry-on bag next to Harry's on the rack, "She's in our year. We'll find out soon."

"We'll probably have to deal with her in class," Hermione said, frowning, "Just wonderful."

Harry frowned as Hermione said this. What had happened between Pansy and Hermione? Harry looked at Ron and motioned slightly to Hermione. Ron frowned and shook his head. Then he realized… did Pansy know Hermione was Muggleborn yet? Had she called her the greatest insult toward Muggleborn?

Before Harry could figure out how to ask if this is what had happened, he saw shadows come forward in the corridor. Then he groaned silently as he saw Draco Malfoy, Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe appear. Draco caught Harry and gave a smirk, then opened the carriage.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry asked.

"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and Longbottom and –"

Draco raised his eyebrows as he looked at Hermione.

"And someone like her," he scoffed, "and it'll rub off on you."

Ron made to get up, but Harry shook his head.

"I suppose you think it is better to hang around with these two?" he asked Draco, "I didn't know child labor was legal in the wizarding world. But it seems like your father hired a couple of bodyguards for you."

Crabbe and Goyle clenched their fists.

"I suppose he's getting desperate though," Harry said. "How he must have reacted after he lost to the Weasleys over my guardianship case. I imagine he took that a pretty hard blow."

"Don't talk about my father like that, Potter!" Malfoy snarled, "You have no idea how he could have helped you if you would have chosen to go with him."

"Help?" Harry asked. "Exactly how could he help me? You're going around with two bodyguards who look like they don't know what they're doing here, while I have true friends who are with me because they _want_to be. Did your father teach you that? Because if he did, I'd rather think of who I should be admiring at this moment in my life if I were you. Think about it, Draco. The Wizengamot, that is our courts who control our country, thought the Weasleys were better than your father to look after me. What does that say for your father?"

Draco's face contorted in rage. Crabbe and Goyle looked like they were ready to make a move, and Harry twisted his wrist around and raised it. Crabbe and Goyle looked horrified to see how fast he had drawn his wand on them.

Draco harrumphed. "Watch yourself, Potter," he said, "You talk big, sure, but can you really put your wand where your mouth is. We'll see about that. Come on, boys."

Draco, Crabbe and Goyle walked on down the corridor, and Harry shut the sliding door, then sat down. Ron and Neville were looking at him in amazement, but Hermione was frowning.

"Ignore him, Hermione," Harry said.

"You shouldn't threaten people with your wand like that, Harry," Hermione said, "You'll get into terrible trouble."

"People like him need to be scared, Hermione," Harry said, "He and his father – well – you heard what he said to you?"

"'Someone like her,'" Hermione said, frowning, "That is the second time someone's done that in less than a half-an-hour. What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing's wrong with you, Hermione," Harry said.

"Yeah, don't even think like that," Ron said.

"That girl said I smelled," Hermione said, "And that boy – he looked at me like I was some kind of rubbish. And you're looking at me like you're too scared to tell me something. Do you know, Neville?"

"Gran told me it is impolite to talk about it," Neville said.

"She's right," Ron said, "It's disgusting."

"What is?" Hermione asked.

"Hermione," Harry said, "I've been reading a few books up on this. Do you really want to know about it?"

"If I have to face that," Hermione said, "Yes… please. If we're – if you see us as friends –"

She looked at Ron.

"I just don't want you to get the wrong picture," Ron said, "We're not all like that."

"Hermione," Harry said, "There are some people in the wizarding world who have always believed magic should stay within magical blood. It should be that way, and nobody else should have that right. If the purebloods had it their way, it would be all purebloods."

"Not all the purebloods," Ron muttered.

"Right," Harry said, "People like Ron's family, and Neville – wizards like them, you'd never hear something like this come from them. But with people like that girl you met, and Malfoy – purebloods like that. They come from families who – well – if they had it their way, purebloods would have been wiped out a long time ago. But because most purebloods accepted this, what is called a half-blood exists: a mix of pureblood and Muggle… or Muggleborn. However, people like Malfoy believe that Muggles shouldn't be worthy of having magic and that Muggleborns shouldn't even exist. Some even believe that Muggleborns have magic because they stole it from purebloods."

"That's awful," Hermione said, her eyes moist, "I would never –"

"_We know_, Hermione," Ron said.

"And so should they," Harry said, "But they don't. They see Muggleborn as an insult to the wizarding world. There is one particular word – an insult to Muggleborn. Nobody respectable wants to say it. I-I've heard from my father's best friends, that my Dad once hurt someone because they called my mother this term. My mother was Muggleborn, you see. But, Hermione, you shouldn't look too far into this. Muggleborn are very welcome into the wizarding world to those who really care. And my mother… a Muggleborn… was considered one of the brightest students ever in Hogwarts."

Hermione smiled.

"Thanks, Harry," Hermione said. "I really thought something was wrong with me."

"Of course not," Harry said, "Something's wrong with Draco Malfoy."

Hermione nodded. They spent the next few hours of the train ride talking about each other's families. Ron described his whole family, and Harry smiled to himself as Ron talked about Ginny. Hermione talked about her dentist parents, and both Ron and Neville were eager to learn about dentists.

"You and my father would get along nicely," Ron said when Hermione went on about how she could already tell some big differences between Muggles and magical folk, "He's obsessed with Muggles. Thinks they're right fascinating."

Hermione chuckled. Then when Ron asked her about Quidditch, she admitted she had read up about it, but thought it was confusing. She described it as football in the air, and Ron asked what football was, which Hermione then told him.

"That's mental!" Ron said, "Who would want to play sports when nobody is on brooms up in the air?"

"Mental," Harry said, with a shrug.

Hermione just chuckled in confused amusement.

Night approached, and the four new friends were starting to get hungry; all the snacks had been finished hours ago. Then the conductor's voice overhead announced the train would arrive in Hogsmeade Village in twenty minutes. Harry, Ron and Neville politely stood outside the carriage and let Hermione change into her robes, and she returned the favor when it was their turn.

"Glad it isn't raining," Ron said, as he stared out the window, as the lights of Hogsmeade were visible in the distance, "Fred and George said we travel to Hogwarts our first time by boats across the lake. They said something about a Giant Squid, but they might have been joking…"

"I don't think so," Hermione muttered, "_Hogwarts, a History_says there's been a Squid in there for a long time."

"A Giant Squid?" Neville asked, nervously, "Oh dear…"

"I'm sure he's very friendly, Neville," Harry said.

Ron snorted and managed to turn it into a cough.

The same voice echoed through the train again: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

Harry grinned, and Ron, he saw, looked pale under his freckles. Hermione looked rather excited, and Neville looked nervous, reminding Harry of how he felt in his position in the last timeline. They jumped up and hurried out to join the crowd thronging the corridor.

The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to the tiny, dark platform. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Harry heard a familiar voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"

Harry smiled when he saw Hagrid towering over the students in the distance. He followed Ron, Hermione and Neville toward the other first years, and Harry was happy to see his old classmates again… well, happy to see most of them. Draco, and most of the future Slytherins looked at Hagrid in disgust.

"You have Trevor, Neville?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," he said, "in my pocket. I think he's asleep, but I'll keep an eye on him."

"C'mon, follow me," Hagrid said, "any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down the steep path toward the lake.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."

There was a loud "Oooooh!" from most of the students. Harry noticed Lavender Brown and the Patil twins ahead of him hopping in excitement.

The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of the great black lake. And then Harry saw one of his favorite buildings in the world. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was the vast castle, Hogwarts, with many turrets and towers.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry and Ron got into a boat, followed by Neville and Hermione.

"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then — FORWARD!"

And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. Harry thought he heard movement in the distance, and saw, through the darkness, a large tentacle raise out of the lake, then go back under the surface. It seemed he was the only one who saw it: The rest of his fellow classmates, boat-mates included, were looking at the castle.

Soon the boats had arrived at the edge of the cliff, and Harry saw the boathouse, and the large staircase that led up to the castle.

Harry smiled as his boat reached the dock and parked. Here he was again, about to start his first year and years at Hogwarts all over again. While nerves played with his stomach as thoughts went through his head about the next four years in his plans, hoping there would be no snags, and then he could spend the three years after as a normal student trying to finish his education again.

"Come on, mate!" Ron said.

Harry looked up and realized he was the last seated in the boats. Ron, Hermione and Neville were waiting for him. He smiled and hurried out of the boat, ready, he hoped, for the adventure ahead.

* * *

**Fairly short chapter, but I wanted the next to be in a new chapter. Unfortunately, a lot of the next chapter is going to be the same, until it gets closer to the end, because I have some big plans near the end of the chapter.**

**Guess I should explain something here. Canon brings them into a tunnel-like entrance when they get across the lake, however, I like the concept of the boat-house and the steps going up from the lake to Hogwarts. So I used it.**

**A lot of good stuff in this chapter. I loved Ron's PoV with Hermione. The confrontation with Pansy was important, and we're not done with her yet. Got something good planned with her. Also, I really liked the explanation of the Muggleborn stuff to Hermione. That whole confrontation with Draco and Harry's explanation to Hermione, I was planning for a while. Happy I pulled it off.**

**Next chapter is when it begins to get really interesting. Been waiting for this for a while!**


	30. The Sorting Hat

**Chapter 30  
The Sorting Hat**

**Disclaimer: Recognizable sections of this chapter come directly from Chapter 7 of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling. I do not take claim for these, only my own additions.**

* * *

Up, up, up the wooden steps, Harry and the rest of the students traveled, following Hagrid. Oohs, gasps and excited comments rang out as Harry's fellow students noticed new details of the castle they could not see from the lake.

"My brothers told me so much about Hogwarts," Ron said, "And I've seen pictures before, but to see it for real… amazing."

"It is quite wonderful, isn't it?" Hermione asked, "The books don't do it justice, sadly enough."

They finally reached solid ground, and Harry thought Hagrid would lead them in through the back corridors toward the Entrance Hall, but instead led them around the side of the castle. Lights sparkled in windows, and the cool wind whipped the grass of the Grounds. They turned a corner of the castle, and Harry could see the great front doors to the castle up ahead.

Then, in the distance, Harry saw the long driveway going toward Hogsmeade and the gates. He could see a few carriages sitting there, waiting for Hagrid to take them away later. And that was when he saw them.

Thestrals. Great winged, skeletal black horses.

Harry knew he shouldn't be surprised. He still had his own mind and thoughts and magical knowledge of his older self, so he knew it was likely he could still see them. But it still felt strange to see them as a eleven year old. Beside him, he heard Neville shudder, and Harry looked toward him. Neville was keeping his eyes on the castle, but Harry was sure he had seen the great beasts.

"'Ere we are now, you lot!" Hagrid said, happily, "Is everyone 'ere? Yes? Good!"

Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the large door. Almost immediately they opened and Professor McGonagall, the stern, tall Transfiguration Professor and Hogwarts Deputy Headmistress, appeared there.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said.

"Thank you, Hagrid," McGonagall said, "I will take them from here."

She pulled the door wide. Harry's eyes lit up when he saw the Entrance Hall. Across the hall he saw the stone staircase he knew led to the massive Grand Staircase.

The students followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. To the right, through the large oak doors, Harry could hear the muffled drone of hundreds of voices – he imagined the students reuniting with their friends, or eager to hear the Sorting Hat's new song, or for some, just ready to get the feast underway. Harry's stomach growled lightly at the thought of food. The Chocolate Frogs and Cauldron Cakes seemed hours ago.

Professor McGonagall led them over to the great doors and stopped there, then turned back toward everyone.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room."

She let this settle in for a moment.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin," McGonagall said; nearby, Harry could see Draco looking at Crabbe and Goyle with smirks at the mention of his soon-to-be house. McGonagall seemed to not notice, because she continued. "Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours"

She looked around, as if already looking for students who would break rules.

"The Sorting Ceremony," she continued, "will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

She looked at the different students, and Harry didn't even bother to flatten his unruly hair. He knew it was a failed prospect.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."

She turned on her heels, opened one of the doors, and stepped inside. The voices became louder for a mere second before they became muffled again. Students around Harry began to talk in whispers of what they would soon expect. Harry remembered how nervous he felt about this, and then how stupid he felt when he realized what really was going to happen. Wearing a hat that would speak to you and read your mind -

Harry almost yelped out loud at the thought.

_The hat would be able to see things in his head that not even Occlumency could block. The hat would know he was from the future. _

Panic started to settle in. Would the hat say something to Dumbledore about its findings? He could picture the hat sitting in Dumbledore's office for the rest of the year, suddenly getting bored and saying 'Oh, yeah, by the way, did you know Harry Potter is from the future? Ten years or so? Just thought I'd mention it since I can't think of how to start the next verse for my song next year."

Why hadn't he thought of this? His stomach now felt like it was in his throat. He could imagine how normal he seemed standing there, nervous with the rest of the students about what would come – Hermione was muttering to herself about things she had read in her books: questions that might be asked, answers to those questions and so on, and Neville was muttering "Not Hufflepuff, not Hufflepuff" in a low, carrying whisper.

But Harry was nervous for a whole new reason now. He really wanted to speak to Ginny _right now_. But they had agreed that it could wait until later, when Harry was safely in his four-poster bed, the Muffliato Charm on his curtains, and he was looking at her through the mirror. Their mind-link was not active at the moment, even though he knew Ginny was just as desperate to hear from him as he was to hear from her. What stories would he tell her then? How would she react to the knowledge that the Sorting Hat knows their secret now? _Both secrets. _Because he was sure the hat would sense the Soul-Bond too…

Then something happened that made him break away from his reverie.

Several people screamed.

Harry looked around and realized that about twenty ghosts had just appeared in the Entrance Hall. Most were chatting with each other, continuing conversations as though a whole new class of students waiting in the Hall was no big thing – to them it probably wasn't.

"Forgive and forget, I say," The Fat Friar, Hufflepuff's ghost, was saying, "we ought to give him a second chance -"

"My dear Friar," Nearly-Headless Nick, Gryffindor's ghost, argued, "haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost – oho! First years…"

"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"

A few people nodded mutely.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."

"He's looking at me, isn't he?" Neville asked Harry.

"Move along now," said a sharp voice, before Harry could answer. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."

Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the walls into the Great Hall.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."

Harry got into line behind Seamus Finnigan, with Ron behind him and Hermione and Neville behind them, and they walked through the pair of double doors into the Great Hall.

Harry smiled hugely as his eyes caught sight of one of the greatest rooms he had ever seen. The thousands of candles, five long tables, House banners, and four hour-glass shaped jars (usually filled with loads of different jewels, the colors of the houses, but all were empty at the moment) were a welcome sight after one of the last times he had seen this room. He had been in this room fewer times than he could count on one hand since the Battle of Hogwarts had taken place, and his mind still went back to that confrontation with Voldemort. The room had been a scene of loss and despair; the injured were helped by Madam Pomfrey, Professors and others; and the dead, including Fred, Remus and Tonks, lay, as they were mourned by others. The room had also been a scene of victory, when Harry had defeated Voldemort, and celebration rang out. Now, if everything went right, nobody in this timeline would have to witness those things or the event that happened in this school that some had labeled "the greatest and most beautiful tragedy of our time."

As he followed Professor McGonagall and the queue of students in between the two centermost tables, he could hear different comments from the students in his year about the room. Hermione was commenting to Ron about the majestic ceiling that seemed to open up into the heavens, stating she had "read about it, in _Hogwarts, a History._"

And then the queue stopped, and Harry saw Argus Filch, the school's caretaker, walking away from a stool that had just been placed in front of the Head Table, where the Sorting Hat now sat. Harry looked along the seats of the Head Table. Hagrid was sitting at the end of one side of the table, next to Professor Sinistra, the Astronomy Teacher. Almost all of the Professors were seated there now, excluding, of course, Professor McGonagall, but also Sybil Trelawney, the Divination Professor who rarely came down from her tower. In the centermost portion of the table, sat Albus Dumbledore in the Headmaster's chair. Near the Headmaster, Harry also saw the other three Heads of House: Sprout, Flitwick, and – Harry wasn't sure how he felt looking at the hook-nosed Potions Master – Professor Snape. Professor Quirrel was sitting next to Snape, turban and all.

Harry ignored the slight twinging feeling in his scar as he thought about Voldemort's head protruding from the back of Quirrel's skull. He strengthened his Occlumency barriers at the thought of this, and the pain went away.

The joined whispers around the Hall broke Harry from his reverie, and he looked up. Professor McGonagall was now standing next to the Sorting Hat. The hat immediately opened its mouth on the brim of its hat and began to sing:

_"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty, _  
_But don't judge on what you see, _  
_I'll eat myself if you can find _  
_A smarter hat than me. _  
_  
You can keep your bowlers black, _  
_Your top hats sleek and tall, _  
_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat _  
_And I can cap them all. _

_There's nothing hidden in your head  
__The Sorting Hat can't see,  
__So try me on and I will tell you  
__Where you ought to be_

_You might belong in Gryffindor_  
_Where dwell the brave at heart  
__Their daring, nerve, and chivalry  
__Set Gryffindors apart;  
__  
You might belong in Hufflepuff,  
__Where they are just and loyal,  
__Those patient Hufflepuffs are true  
__And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  
__if you've a ready mind,  
__Where those of wit and learning,  
__Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin  
__You'll make your real friends,  
__Those cunning folk use any means  
__To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid! _  
_And don't get in a flap!  
__You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
__For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song; Harry right along with them even though it was the same song he had heard last time… though he didn't expect any differently.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"

Harry smiled when he saw Hannah walk up to the Sorting Hat. He then looked at Neville out of the corner of his eye. It was hard to believe, if everything went well, that this nervous little boy would be engaged to be married to that young girl now sitting on the stool in less than ten years. And yet, if everything went well, and the same way it had the previous timeline (Harry thought this was a bit boring, to be honest, but it wasn't that bad – if the Fates allowed, then that was how it would be), Harry could name a lot of the future couples. In the old timeline, a couple of his fellow yearlings standing around him right now were parents of a newborn, their son born only a couple of weeks before that fateful night when he and Ginny had been sent back in time.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the Sorting Hat announced, announcing Hannah Abbot's house.

The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.

"Bones, Susan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah. Harry briefly wondered if in this timeline he and Susan would become better friends if things ended up the way he thought it might: his godfather and her aunt getting romantically involved.

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them. When Mandy Brocklehurst was called up, Harry felt a small twinge of sadness as he watched her get named the next Ravenclaw. She had been one of the many victims during the Battle of Hogwarts.

And then Lavender Brown was called up next, and Harry's mind went back to her fate at the Battle of Hogwarts. She had been brutally maimed by the werewolf, Fenrir Greyback, and the result left her worse off than Bill had been, though not a werewolf either. Seamus Finnigan, her husband at the time of the Atrium incident, had visited her in St. Mungo's every day for months after the Battle of Hogwarts. Though Harry had been told they had been a couple for a month or so during their heinous seventh year when the Death Eaters had taken over the school, and had broken up, their romance rekindled when Seamus would visit her. He had helped her get through the troubled time when she would become extremely moody and almost unbearable. But he wouldn't let her keep him away. The day she had been released from St. Mungo's, a little over half a year after the Battle of Hogwarts, he proposed to her, and she said yes. They were married within a year afterward.

Harry's latest reverie broke when the Gryffindor table cheered as Lavender joined them.

Millicent Bulstrode became the first Slytherin of the new group, and Harry had faintly remembered the Polyjuice Potion in his second year, last timeline, incident involving a cat hair belonging to Millicent's cat, and Hermione. He would have to make sure that embarrassing little incident wouldn't happen this time. Of course… that was almost too easy, now that he thought about it. Then Vincent Crabbe joined her in Slytherin. And, like a strange coincidence, another victim last time of the event going through Harry's head, Justin Finch-Fletchley, had been called up next. He joined the Hufflepuff table.

Seamus Finnigan was called up next, and a full minute later, joined Lavender at the Gryffindor table. Harry smiled in amusement as he saw Lavender ignore Seamus when he introduced himself to her.

And then Hermione was called. Harry heard Ron snicker beside him as Hermione ran eagerly toward the Sorting Hat and jammed it on her head.

"Ravenclaw or Gryffindor?" Ron muttered, almost to himself. "She's a smart girl, definitely, but there was that incident with Neville, of course – definitely the makings of a –"

"GRYFFINDOR!" The Sorting Hat said, unknowingly finishing Ron's sentence.

Harry and Ron clapped along with the Gryffindor table, as Hermione walked over to join her new table. She looked back at Harry and Ron, and went slightly pink when she noticed they were clapping.

Gregory Goyle joined Crabbe at the Slytherin table next then Neville was called up. He blushed and headed for the stool. He tripped, which caused Draco and a few others to snicker; Harry's insides boiled at the sound. When the hat was finally placed on Neville's hand, it took almost two minutes to decide, and Harry was ready to shout "GRYFFINDOR!" when the hat did it for him. Harry, Ron and Hermione clapped the loudest as Neville sat down next to Hermione.

Su Li joined Ravenclaw, and Ernie MacMillan soon joined the Hufflepuff table with Justin and Hannah.

"Malfoy, Draco!" McGonagall called.

Draco walked with an air of arrogance as he headed up to the Sorting Hat. Harry rolled his eyes when the hat barely touched Draco's head and declared him a "SLYTHERIN!"

And then something odd happened… at least to Harry. He thought he heard a small scoff of disgust and could hardly believe it…

Because the scoff had come straight from Pansy Parkinson.

Harry tried to ponder this new development as Morag McDougal was named a Slytherin, and Keri Moon was named a Ravenclaw. Then he heard Theodore Nott's name. And when Nott was declared a Slytherin, Pansy's applause was louder than the applause at the Slytherin table, and she had a very big grin on her face when she was called up next to the hat.

And then… then… as he watched Pansy sit under the hat… was it his imagination – or was she looking straight at him with the most evil of glares?

_Yes, _Harry thought, _this is very odd indeed. This did not happen last time…_

"Harry, did you hear me?" Ron whispered in almost a hiss, "It's her! She was the one who insulted Hermione!"

Harry nodded silently, almost distracted as he watched Pansy become a Slytherin. His eyes followed Pansy as she sat directly next to Nott. She kept her eyes away from Malfoy, though she was talking to Theodore Nott. As Padma Patil went to Ravenclaw, and her twin, Parvati, joined Lavender at the Gryffindor table (both were rather upset that Padma was in a different house), Harry's mind raced…

And then as Sally-Anne Perks was called up next, it hit Harry like a truck-load of bricks.

_Pansy Parkinson had joined him and Ginny from the future…_

There was no way around this thought. Pansy's excitement over Nott joining Slytherin… if Harry remembered correctly, Theodore and Pansy's engagement had been announced in the Daily Prophet not long before the Atrium incident… Pansy _would _feel very close to Nott if she was from the future. Harry wasn't sure… his mind reeled… he thought about Pansy's disgust toward Draco Malfoy when he was instantly put into Slytherin by the Sorting Hat. Draco and Pansy were like peas in a pod during Hogwarts – dated for a long time at one point, right up until middle of sixth year – and now she was looking at him with the deepest disgust because -

_Because he had not joined the new line of Death Eaters who had attacked the Atrium that night…_

The thought was like a heavy nudge on Harry's shoulders… and then he realized that nudge was Ron trying to get his attention.

"Harry?" Ron asked, "Did you hear? You're next."

Harry looked up. Professor McGonagall was looking at him. Professor Dumbledore was looking at him.

Everyone was looking at him.

And a few Slytherins were laughing.

Harry narrowed his eyes as he walked toward the stool, where Professor McGonagall was holding the Sorting Hat. He tried to ignore the comments from disbelieving students asking if he was Harry Potter; this scrawny boy could not be the Boy Who Lived; did she say Harry Potter?

Harry silently harrumphed – he was NOT scrawny anymore, thanks to the previous summer of good food and exercise. Perhaps a bit small for his age… but could he do anything about that? Oh, sure… but he chose not to.

"Come on, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said, "Don't be shy now."

"I'm not shy," Harry said, defiantly, as he sat down on the stool.

_I'm confused… angry… maybe even a bit panicked… but I am NOT shy._

"Of course not," Professor McGonagall said, "This won't hurt a bit. Just a hat… you've worn hats before, yes?"

_Not talking hats who can see my deepest secrets. Well, wait… scratch that… maybe a couple times…_

Harry felt the new weight on his head as the Deputy Headmistress placed the hat on his head.

_Well, hello, Mr. Potter. I've been excited to meet you and – well… well, well, well… it seems I already HAVE met you before, haven't I?_

Harry sighed. His fears, his worries, were correct… the Sorting Hat would know his deepest secrets.

_Yes, yes, of course I do. I know everything inside your head. This is a very clever thing you are doing… even… cunning._

Harry narrowed his eyes. _Do I have to tell you to not put me in Slytherin? Do I have to say that?_

_But this is a very cunning thing your mind has planned._

_Yes, but it is also a BRAVE thing I am doing for my FRIENDS. For those I love…_

_Ah, love… yes, you are experiencing a lot of love right now._

_Yes, I know that._

_Yes, you do… how very interesting. Then I guess you know you have only half-a-soul and you are sharing the soul of another. The illustrious Soul-Bond I believe._

_Yeah… I know._

_This has never happened to me. I have never Sorted somebody with half-a-soul._

_Congratulations. So… you're not Sorting me?_

_Of course I am! Unfortunately this leaves me at a bit of a predicament. Because I usually Sort those who have a complete soul… which means…_

_Which means… what?_

_You'll see. Please hand me to Headmaster Dumbledore after I sort you into…_

"GRYFFINDOR!"

* * *

_Minutes earlier…_

"RAVENCLAW!"

Albus Dumbledore politely clapped (a golf-clap, if he remembered the correct Muggle saying) as Sally-Anne Perks hopped off the stool and joined the Ravenclaw table.

"Potter, Harry?" McGonagall called.

Albus smiled as his eyes directly found Harry Potter standing with the remaining students, next to Arthur and Molly Weasley's youngest boy. Albus noticed Harry didn't move from his spot. Was he scared? No…

_No, _Albus thought, _he seems lost in his head somehow. Deep in thought._

Whispers and murmurs erupted around the hall. A few snickers were heard from the Slytherin table. Ron Weasley nudged Harry's shoulder and Harry looked up. Albus smiled. Harry slowly trudged up the aisles, keeping his eyes on the stool.

_He looks angry about something, _Albus thought, _But what?  
_  
"This is Harry Potter?" a student asked over at the Hufflepuff table.

"That scrawny boy is the Boy-Who-Lived?" a Slytherin said.

"Did she say Harry Potter?" a Gryffindor asked, and Albus saw Fred and George Weasley nod and smile."Come on, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said, obviously ignoring the comments, "Don't be shy now."

"I'm not shy," Harry said, as he sat down on the stool.

_Yes, _Albus thought, _Something is troubling this young boy._

He wondered if he should use Legilimency on him. But no… he thought against it. Not right to use it on a student. Illegal even…  
_  
_"Of course not," Professor McGonagall said to Harry, "This won't hurt a bit. Just a hat… you've worn hats before, yes?"

She placed the hat on Harry. Albus watched, right along with everyone else. He could almost hear his fellow Professors, especially those Heads of House, chanting their own house's name so that Harry could join with them (At least Minerva, Filius and Pomona, he thought inwardly. Severus… well, perhaps not). The hat just sat there on Harry's head. McGonagall tapped a foot impatiently. Students looked on in wonder, and some started whispering.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat finally announced.

The Gryffindor table roared with applause. The Weasley twins chanted "WE GOT POTTER!" Ron Weasley clapped eagerly too.

Harry Potter took the hat from his head before McGonagall could take it and turned on his stool to face Albus.

"The Sorting Hat wants to speak to you – err – Headmaster," Harry said.

"Albus?" McGonagall asked.

"Surprising," Albus said, honestly, chuckling, "Bring it over here, Mr. Potter. And… congratulations."

"Sit down at your new table, Mr. Potter," McGonagall requested.

"No, wait a moment," Albus said, "I am most curious why the Sorting Hat requested Harry to ask myself to speak with it."

He politely took the Sorting Hat, and took his own hat off his head and replaced it with the old hat.

_Yes, great Sorting Hat, you wish to speak to me._

Hello, Headmaster. I have a question to ask of you.

_Oh, yes?_

_Is it, or is it not true, that I have the privilege, the permission, to Sort students where and when I see fit for them to join a House?_

_I believe the guidelines say this, yes._

_Without so much as a question or comment from the Headmaster?_

_True… but could I ask what this is about?_

_Oh, you'll see… right now, in fact._

Albus was about to ask what the Hat meant, when the Great Hall was suddenly filled with surprised gasps. A few students from the Gryffindor table were whispering something.

Albus stood up to see what the commotion was, the Sorting Hat still on his head. And he looked on amazed… and not to mention, baffled.

Ginny Weasley (_Potter_, Dumbledore corrected himself) was standing in the center of the Great Hall, in what looked to be pyjamas, and looked very confused as to why she was there.

_Headmaster… please welcome your newest (and youngest) first year, and ask her to be Sorted. Right now, please._

-  
**(claps and giggles ecstatically)**

**Oh, this chapter went so perfectly! Between Harry's shock about Pansy Parkinson, and the whole Sorting Hat predicament involving Harry, Dumbledore and Ginny. Well, okay, the Pansy bit is rather a new development… but the Ginny bit… has been in my head since before I started this story (as the introductory Author's Note to the beginning of the story gives evidence to).**

**Next chapter is just as fun for me to think about and write. Things change in this next chapter! I'll give you a hint/question to ponder. How is Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and the majority of their cozy little family, going to react to this whole thing? (insert evil laugh here!)**

**Hope this chapter was as fun for you to read as it was for me to write! **


	31. The Youngest First Year

**Chapter 31  
The Youngest First Year  
**

**Disclaimer: Recognizable sections of this chapter come directly from Chapter 7 of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling. I do not take claim for these, only my own additions.**

* * *

Ginevra Molly Potter (formerly Weasley) was extremely confused at the moment. She was also highly embarrassed. She was standing in in the center of the Great Hall at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, wearing only her pyjamas and slippers (and thankfully her wand and wand holster on her right wrist, hidden under her pyjama sleeve). This wasn't exactly the attire she'd be wearing if she knew she was going to be standing in this spot.

Ten minutes beforehand, she had just finished dinner at the Burrow and had gone up to her bedroom to change into her pyjamas and brush her teeth, fully intent on reading the Soul-Bond book she had while waiting for Harry to appear in her mirror.

She considered it lucky she was not standing there with her toothbrush in her hand, and her mouth foamy with paste.

Students and Professors alike were staring at her. Her brother, Ron, stood a few yards away, wide eyed and open-mouthed. Professor Dumbledore, McGonagall and a few others were standing there around Head Table, each (understandably) shocked.

"What are you doing here, Ginevra?" Percy's voice asked.

"Did you Apparate?" Fred asked, excitedly.

"Wicked!" George said.

Ginny shook her head. She didn't Apparate… she didn't even teleport! _At least… not under my own power_, she thought. It did seem like the teleportation she did with Harry because of their Soul-Bond. But she hadn't tried to teleport.

At this thought, she found Harry, standing near the Head table, looking at her. He looked like he wanted to talk telepathically to her, but she knew he knew better to do so in a room where at least two Legilimens were sitting, and everyone was looking at her.

"Come up here, young lady," Dumbledore stated, quite calmly.

Ginny gulped (a calm Albus Dumbledore was _very _scary) and walked past Ron, her eyes only on Harry, Dumbledore and McGonagall.

"What is the meaning of this, Albus?" McGonagall asked.

"I would like to know too, Headmaster," Snape said, "You cannot Apparate within these walls."

At Snape's voice, Ginny strengthened her Occlumency barriers.

_Just try to get in my head, you pervert! _Ginny thought.

Ginny saw Harry smile… apparently he had heard her.

"Apparate?" Flitwick piped up, "She's far too young to do that by herself… and accidental magic -"

" – would not have let her in here either," McGonagall said.

"She was summoned," Dumbledore said.

"Summoned?" McGonagall, Snape and Flitwick asked, all at once.

"Yes," Dumbledore said, "By the Sorting Hat. You are looking at our newest, and youngest, first year. Please be seated on the stool, young lady. Minerva?"

Dumbledore took the Hat off his head and handed it to McGonagall. Ginny slowly sat down on the stool and looked around at everyone. The hall was buzzing like bees.

McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on Ginny's head.

_Welcome back to Hogwarts, Mrs. Potter. Please join your Bond-mate in…._

"GRYFFINDOR!" the Sorting Hat announced.

McGonagall took the hat off Ginny's head.

"Ginny, will you – and Harry, I should say - yes," Dumbledore said, in a low voice, "remain here after the Feast. There are things we must discuss in my office, and I think your parents might wonder where you are. Please sit down at your table so we may continue."

Ginny and Harry walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat across from Hermione and Neville, both aware most of the students were staring at them.

"This will all be explained in the morning," Dumbledore stated loudly to the Hall, "For now, we should continue the Sorting and the Feast. I am sure we are all hungry, and there are still eager First Years wondering where they are headed. Thank you."

Most of the students returned their gaze to the Sorting Hat, as Dean Thomas was called up next. Ginny wasn't interested in watching Dean get sorted. She was trying to keep her mind away the fact that Ron, and her other three brothers were staring at her.

_Do you wish to talk about this now or later? _Harry's voice rang in her mind.

_Later. Too risky. I'll just say I am very confused right now. And I didn't teleport here on my own, Harry._

_I wasn't going to ask that. Oh, and by the way, don't look too often in the direction of Slytherin table. I'll only say this and you can ask me about it later. I think Pansy Parkinson might have joined us from the future._

Ginny tried her best to keep her expression normal. She clapped along with the rest of the Gryffindor table as Dean walked over to join them. Then she looked up at the Slytherin table…

Pansy Parkinson was staring at her.

_Stop looking at her!_

_This is not good, Harry. Not at all._

_I know. We'll talk about it later. It is going to be a very long night, it seems._

_You got that right._

Lisa Turpin joined Ravenclaw, and Ron's name was called. Ginny smiled when he saw Ron walking toward the Sorting Hat. Across the table, Ginny noticed Hermione and Neville was watching him very eagerly.

_Hermione and Neville? _Ginny asked.

_More or less my new friends. Ron… on the other hand..._

_Oh, you big prat. Don't assume anything._

_You know how jealous he gets, Ginny! He is now the last Weasley child to be sorted! We're going to hear about this!_

Ginny stood and clapped with Harry, Neville, Hermione and her brothers as Ron joined the Gryffindor table. Ron took a seat in between Hermione and Neville.

"What are you doing here?" Ron asked her, as Blaise Zabini walked up to the Sorting Hat.

"I don't know, Ron," Ginny said, "I'm just as clueless as you are. Dumbledore asked me – err – and Harry, I guess – to join him in his office after the Feast. I guess I'll find out then."

"He called you the newest first year," Ron said, "You're ten!"

"Thank you, Captain Obvious!" Ginny muttered.

"SLYTHERIN!" the Sorting Hat said, and Blaise walked off to the Slytherin table.

"It is a bit confusing," Hermione said, "Only eleven year olds and higher are usually allowed in as students. I could have been here last year, but I became eleven after the term started. My birthday is this month – the nineteenth you see. Anyway, hello – Ron's told me a bit about you on the train. Ginny, is it? I'm Hermione Granger."

"Pleasure to meet you, Hermione," Ginny said.

"Excellent!" Professor Dumbledore said, standing up, as Argus Filch took the Sorting Hat and stool away, "This was definitely a Sorting Ceremony to remember. To our newest students and students of yesteryear, welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"

"Bit mad, isn't he?" Harry said, chuckling.

The legendary Hogwarts feast appeared out of thin air and onto the five tables of the Great Hall. Ginny's rather full stomach groaned at the sight of the food.

"Pity I just ate dinner at home," Ginny said, "But I think I have room for a few pieces of dessert."

She was most disappointed to find the dessert had not arrived yet.

"Good for you," Ron muttered, as he filled his plate, "The rest of us haven't eaten in hours."

"He's right," Harry said.

"How did you do it, little sister?" Fred asked, "Oi, Ron, Ron's girlfriend, budge up a seat."

Ginny rolled her eyes as Fred, George and even Percy moved down toward their end of the table and sat down.

"She's _not _my girlfriend," Ron muttered and scooted over along with Hermione, taking their plates and glasses with them.

"So?" George asked Ginny, "How did you do it? Apparate?"

"_Hogwarts, a History _states you can't do that in this castle," Hermione said.

"But our sister did!" Fred said, "Our sister! This is legendary! The whole Hall is talking about it. You may be more popular than the Marauders, Ginny!"

"Sirius and Remus will cry their eyes out," Harry said, grinning.

"I think it is best we not discuss it yet," Percy said, "Headmaster Dumbledore said he would explain it tomorrow. And I did hear you say you'd be expected in his office, did I? Harry too?"

"He said Mum and Dad would be there too, I think," Ginny said.

"Ouch," Fred and George said.

"Surprisingly enough, I agree with our brothers' sentiments," Percy said. "Do remember to be polite to the Headmaster. I'm sure it will all become clear very soon. Pumpkin Juice?"

"Excellent menu, this year," the dreary voice of Nearly-Headless Nick said, as he hovered near Ginny and Harry, "Pity, I cannot sample it. Welcome, First Years of Gryffindor. And our youngest Gryffindor too! This is one they'll talk about for years!

"Maybe even the Headless Hunt will talk to you now, N.H." Fred said, seriously.

"Perhaps," Nick said, "Oh, I almost forgot! Introductions to my newest students! I am Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, the resident ghost of Gryffindor."

"Oh!" Ron said, "So you're Nearly-Headless Nick! Fred and George told me!"

"Tattle-tale," Fred muttered.

Nick sighed and glared at Fred and George. "I would prefer Sir Nicholas de –"

"Nearly-Headless?" Hermione asked, "How can you be Nearly-Headless?"

Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted.

"Like _this_," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces, Nearly-Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said, "So — new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable — he's the Slytherin ghost."

"Next seven years are ours," Ginny said, with a wink.

"Oho!" Nick said, "The spirit of our youngest student! Eli knew what he was doing for you!"

"Eli?" Hermione asked.

"The Sorting Hat," Nick said, "Its real name is Elijah."

"_Hogwarts, a History _says nothing about the Sorting Hat having a name!" Hermione said, shocked.

"Of course not," Nick said, "It wouldn't be in that book. Not very many people know about it. You don't think the Sorting Hat calls itself the Sorting Hat, do you?"

Hermione opened her mouth to reply, but then closed it.

"Of course not," Nick said, "Happy eating."

Nick held onto his head as he bowed and floated off to talk to other Gryffindors. When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding…

Ginny grinned and took a couple pieces of apple pie, while Harry took some treacle tart. The conversation turned to family.

"I'm half-and-half," Seamus Finnigan said, "Me Dad's a Muggle. Mum didn't tell him she was a witch. Bit o' a nasty shock for him when he found out."

Many of the students snickered. As Dean talked very little about his family, Ginny frowned. Dean had told her quite a bit more, in the other timeline, when they had dated. He lived as a Muggleborn, never knowing his father… but she was almost sure he might have been a half-blood. Theory didn't help much during the Muggleborn Registration Commission of '97, so he didn't get to return to Hogwarts for his seventh year. Ginny remembered being just as worried about him as she was for Harry, Ron and Hermione, and how relieved she was to see him as well (as strange as it sounds) when he showed up for what would be the Battle of Hogwarts. Her eyes then traveled toward Padma Patil at the Ravenclaw table, and thought about how Padma and Dean had been dating in a long-term relationship by the time the fiasco at the Atrium rolled around. She wondered if they would hit it off much earlier, since Ginny had no intention of doing anything with Dean this time around.

Ginny felt Harry's presence in her mind and looked at him. She knew he must have known she was thinking of Dean, and she smiled in reassurance at him. She noticed he did seem more cheerful as he picked up a second piece of tart.

Discussion at the table moved on. Lavender and Parvati started to gossip: surprisingly enough it wasn't about Ginny… it was more about boys… older boys, so thankfully not Harry. Fred and George were whispering to each other, and Ginny had a feeling their topic probably wasn't about boys. Percy and Hermione were talking about lessons ("I _do _hope they start right away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration, you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult —"; "You'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing — ").

Ginny then noticed Harry was looking at the Professors table, and she looked too. Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall were talking to each other, and Ginny was almost sure the conversation was about her. Then she noticed Professor Snape, who had been talking to Quirrel, but was now looking in her and Harry's direction. Ginny strengthened her Occlumency barriers, and Snape suddenly looked back to Quirrel. Ginny's eyes widened.

_Harry? _she asked, _Snape… did you -?_

_I saw him. I strengthened my Occlumency barrier on instinct._

_Me too. And then he looked away when we did that. This isn't good…_

_He can't prove anything, Ginny. Legilimency on a student is illegal._

_And you think that matters?_

The look on Harry's face told Ginny he didn't.

"Harry?" Hermione asked, "Are you okay? You look pale."

"The Professor up there next the one in the turban," Harry said, "He keeps looking at me."

"That's Professor Snape," Percy said, "Potions Master."

"Don't want to cross him, Harry," Fred said.

"Last thing you'll ever do," George said, then laughed in theatrical malevolence.

At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat, "just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."

Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker," he said, "to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

_Oh, goodie. _Ginny though, as most of the students around the hall looked confused at Dumbledore's statement,_ I get to meet Fluffy!_

_We'll see, Ginny._

_Prat._

"And now I would ask that we all join in a round of the school song!" Dumbledore said.

He gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.

"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!"

And the school bellowed:

_"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,  
__Teach us something please,  
__Whether we be old and bald  
__Or young with scabby knees,_

___Our heads could do with filling _  
_With some interesting stuff, _  
_For now they're bare and full of air, _  
_Dead flies and bits of fluff, _  
_  
So teach us things worth knowing, _  
_Bring back what we've forgot, _  
_just do your best, we'll do the rest,  
Until our brains all rot."_

Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.

"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

Ginny and Harry didn't move from their seats, as the rest of the Hall started off out through the doors; Percy leading most of the new first year Gryffindors. Ron, Neville and Hermione each said goodbye to Harry and Ginny and followed Percy.

"Ginevra," Fred said, "Harry…"

"We knew ye well," George said.

"Good luck," Fred said.

"Harry, can we have the Marauder's Map back if you don't survive this?" George asked.

"Tell Mum and Dad hello!" Fred said.

Fred and George waved and hurried off with the rest of the students. Ginny and Harry looked toward the Head Table and saw Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall heading their way.

"A splendid feast," Dumbledore said, "One for the ages. And now… we must solve this most confusing plot."

"Do you need my help, Albus?" McGonagall asked.

"Contact Arthur and Molly Weasley through the Floo Network," Dumbledore said. "Let them know they are missing a little girl, and that she is here and in safe hands. You have permission to let them into your office through the Floo Network, and then please escort them to my office, where I will be waiting with Harry and Ginny."

"Are you sure Mr. Potter should be there?" McGonagall asked, "I do not see how he is a part of this."

"No, you would not," Dumbledore said, his eyes on Ginny and Harry instead of McGonagall, "Ginny's parents… please, Minerva."

"Of course, Headmaster," McGonagall said.

She took a last glance at Ginny and Harry and hurried off toward the doors of the Great Hall.

"Follow me… Mr. and Mrs. Potter," Dumbledore said.

Ginny looked at Harry, who closed his eyes.

"It would seem by your lack of shock and surprise," Dumbledore said, "that you do know what I am talking about. Follow me. We will discuss it in my office."

"Sir?" Ginny asked, as she and Harry followed Harry out of the Great Hall, "Are you going to tell my parents about… this?"

"Do you mean your Soul-Bond?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, sir," Ginny said.

"There are going to be a lot of questions asked by your parents, Ginny," Dumbledore said, "I'm afraid they must be answered. It is best not to leave those most dear to you baffled. I do understand your fears… and I promise I will try my best to break the news gently."

Ginny looked at Harry, who looked absolutely defeated.

"Yes, sir," Ginny said.

They made their way up the marble staircase that led them to the portrait-adorned Grand Staircase, where there were still a number of students near the top of the moving staircase. However, the three of them were not going that high. The stairs Ginny, Harry and Dumbledore walked up barely moved at all, as if they were sensing the Headmaster was using them. It didn't take the Headmaster and the two students long at all to reach the second floor, nor to arrive at the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office.

"Treacle Tart," Dumbledore stated.

The Gargoyle stepped aside and the staircase revealed itself.

"A delightful delicacy, do you agree, Mr. Potter?" Dumbledore asked, as he, Ginny and Harry made their way up the stairs toward the office, "I noticed you sample it tonight."

"Yes, sir," Harry said, speaking for the first time since the end of the feast, "Most delightful."

Dumbledore chuckled. When they reached the office, the Headmaster raised his wand and two comfortable chintz chairs appeared in front of the large desk.

A portrait inhabitant Ginny recognized as Phineas Nigellus Black harrumphed at the sight of the two students.

"Two young delinquents already, Albus?" he asked, "Well, of course… Gryffindors! I am not surprised. And yet… the ginger does not look old enough to actually be a student. This is most –"

"Thank you, Phineas," Dumbledore said, "Sit down, Harry, Ginny."

As Ginny and Harry sat down, Dumbledore walked over to a podium where a large book lay. He picked it up and carried it over to his desk, where he sat down and opened one of the first pages. He ran a finger down the page and chuckled heartily.

"But, of course," he said, with a smile, "I should have seen this coming. You already did see it, didn't you?"

Ginny thought Dumbledore was talking to her and Harry, but his eyes went off toward somewhere to his left. Ginny followed his gaze and found the Sorting Hat sitting on top of a shelf.

"Er… sir?" Harry asked, "What does that book say?"

"This book, Harry," Dumbledore said, "is known as the Hogwarts Book. Only Headmasters and Deputy Headmasters, or Deputy Headmistress as the current case may be, can look at it unless we give permission. It holds the names of every future student, pureblood, half-blood and Muggleborn in here, from the day they were born and named. When the students have entered Hogwarts, the pages disappear. This page will probably be gone from this book by midnight. You see, this page has the names of all of your fellow first year classmates. Hermione Granger, who is the oldest of your year, was the first to appear on this page. And you – Ginny – were the last, appearing only today, it seems."

"I… don't understand," Ginny said.

"Normally, you would still be in this book until next year," Dumbledore said, "However, events have played out over the last few months that I could not even see coming before then. In May of this year, your two names were updated in this book. That usually never happens. When your name is added, it remains there until you become a student. But… Ginny, your name was modified. Before tonight, as I said, it was on the next page, but the way it looks has not changed."

He pushed the book across the desk, and Ginny looked at where his finger was pointing:

_Ginevra Molly Potter (formerly Weasley)  
August 11__th__, 1981  
May 3__rd__, 1991_

"May 3rd," Ginny said, raising her eyebrows, "The day you visited me."

"And me," Harry said.

"That date is also under Harry's name," Dumbledore said. "The date is when your Souls were bonded together, a phenomenon that has only successfully been done one other time."

"Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel," Harry said.

Dumbledore's eyebrows raised as he looked at Harry.

"You know?" he asked.

"We know," Harry said. "We know a lot about our Soul Bond."

"Enlighten me, please," Dumbledore said.

"We know we're married by magical terms," Harry said, "But not by law until we turn age of consent or our parents or guardians consent on their own. This marriage has allowed us to become emancipated if we wish. It also means the Trace is no longer on us and –"

"You were able to buy your wand early, Ginny," Dumbledore said, "I sense it on you."

Ginny sighed and turned her wrist. Her wand slipped from her pyjama sleeve and into her hand.

"Ollivander's wand-holsters," Dumbledore said, smiling, "A wonderful invention."

"Yes, sir," Ginny said, then placed the wand back in her holster.

"What else do you know about the Bond?" Dumbledore asked.

"We're able to speak telepathically," Harry said. "No need for actual words. We can also feel each other's emotions and pain. We – we sometimes share dreams and nightmares. Ginny is also able to use mind-sight and can sometimes see things I can see. I have not been able to use this yet."

"And, perhaps, you may never," Dumbledore said, "I understand some gifts are only given to one bond-mate. Anymore?"

"We discovered we react rather… oddly," Ginny said, "when our bond is threatened. We argued once when I thought a girl was – err - flirting with Harry. And…"

She looked at Harry.

"Someone insulted Ginny," Harry said, "And next thing I knew, the boy – he fell backwards onto the ground rather forcefully."

"The power to defend your bond-mate if they are in trouble," Dumbledore said. "Ginny, I think you have also discovered another – shall we call it a gift, though it isn't the right word? Anyway, jealousy is a big part of the bond. It can cause you to argue, sure, but it can also protect you. If you are threatened by the opposite gender in a way that you do not like, the bond repels them, sometimes physically, in order to protect you and your – ah – shall we call it… relationship with your bond-mate. There is also another rumored gift. The gift of… teleportation."

"I didn't teleport tonight on my own, sir," Ginny said, "I don't know how I did it. But I didn't feel the strong need or desire to be near Harry then."

"I wasn't going to suggest that, Ginny," Dumbledore said. "In fact, I believe I already answered how you arrived in the Great Hall tonight. I explained that you were summoned. The Sorting Hat summoned you. In essence, Hogwarts itself summoned you here to become a student a year earlier than you would have normally."

"The Sorting Hat," Harry said, looking at the Hat, "said something about – it was unable to actually Sort me because my Soul is not whole."

"You share your soul with your bond-mate," Dumbledore said. "She has a portion of your soul, and in turn you have a portion of hers. That is the Bond. The Sorting Hat would have sensed this and – shall we say – it felt your other half should have been closer to you. It would not have Sorted you unless it was sure your other half would have been Sorted as well. Of course, it knew the answers already before it questioned me. I underestimate it on a regular basis, it seems."

"It is rather romantic," Ginny said, chuckling.

"Very," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling, "But your teleportation does bring up interesting questions. It would seem you two can teleport inside these walls if you so desire it, whereas those who use Apparation cannot."

"I understand we can teleport where House-Elves cannot," Harry said, "As long as one of us is there, and the other has a desire to be there too."

"It is a good thing such power is not universally known," Dumbledore said. "These walls would be in considerably more danger if it was so."

"It is why we wanted to keep this a secret," Ginny said, "We only wanted to tell a few people we could trust."

"That is, indeed, best," Dumbledore agreed. "And while we are on this subject, I do believe two of those people are about to make their way into this office."

Ginny looked at Harry, and they both looked over their shoulders. Professor McGonagall was walking up the stairs.

And she was being followed by a very confused, and shocked-looking Arthur and Molly Weasley.

-  
**Cliffhanger! So… things have just started to heat up, and more and more people are about to know about Harry and Ginny's Soul-Bond. But only a couple more. As Harry said… it is going to be a long night! At least one more chapter's worth of it! **

**For those wondering about the storyline of the missing information from Nicolas Flamel's book. There is going to be something to do with that in this next chapter, if everything plays out right. But only part of what I have planned for it, and maybe not what you would expect.**


	32. Fables And Facts

**Chapter 32  
Fables and Facts  
**

Harry looked on as Mrs. Weasley walked over toward Ginny, who was now getting to her feet.

"Oh, sweetheart!" Mrs. Weasley said, "You must have been so terrified. We had no idea you were not even in your bedroom until Professor McGonagall appeared in our fireplace! But that doesn't matter. We can take you home now."

"But – I don't want to go home," Ginny said.

"Well, I know it is most fascinating here, Ginny," Mr. Weasley said, "But your time will come next year."

"You do not understand," Ginny said, "Didn't Professor McGonagall tell you? The Sorting Hat sorted me tonight. I am a student this year."

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stared at their daughter, then looked at Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore.

"Your daughter is correct, Arthur and Molly," Dumbledore said, with a smile, "Please, sit. We have much to discuss."

He raised his wand and two more chintz chairs appeared next to Ginny's. Ginny sat down and her parents followed.

"Professor McGonagall," Dumbledore said, "I am sure you wish to prepare for your classes tomorrow. Good evening."

From the expression on Professor McGonagall's face, Harry knew she thought she might have been asked to stay in attendance in this meeting – two of her newest students were in question here. She, however, did not raise a fuss.

"Good evening, Professor Dumbledore," she said, and walked back toward the steps.

"Albus, I do not understand," Mr. Weasley said, "Hogwarts only allows children who are at least eleven years of age by the time September 1st rolls around to become students that year. It has always been that way."

"It has," Dumbledore agreed. "And I expect, other than tonight's events, it will not change. However, tonight, it seems our dear old castle has had a temporary change of heart that not even our School Governors or myself could have predicted. I believe you have – ah – heard stories of the Hogwarts Book?"

He pushed the book forward yet again, this time toward Ginny's parents. They leaned forward and looked at it. Harry looked at Ginny, who was looking at her folded hands in her lap. He understood why, right when her parents started mouthing the words "Ginevra Molly Potter".

"Albus, I-I do not understand," Mrs. Weasley said, "This says – well it says –"

"It states 'Ginevra Molly Potter, formerly Weasley'," Dumbledore said, "Yes. You also see the date below your daughter's birth? May 3rd of this year?"

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley nodded.

"I'm sure you remember that day," Dumbledore asked. "I came to visit you, Molly, at your residence, to speak with Ginny, and yourself."

"You…" Mrs. Weasley said, glancing toward Harry, then back toward the Headmaster, "You asked me if I had ever met Harry."

"On that day, I expect you answered quite honestly," Dumbledore said. "Ginny, however, well – as far as I know – if she was being honest, it is quite difficult to understand how this came into play."

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked at Ginny, whose concentration was still on her folded hands.

"You see," Dumbledore said, "On May 3rd of this year, a phenomenon that has only ever been completed successfully once before took place. I wonder, Arthur, Molly, if you have ever heard of the famous tale – usually seen as a fairytale – by noted wizard Bartemius F. Able? The legendary story-teller from whom the word Fable is believed to have originated?"

"I believe I have read his stories," Mr. Weasley said.

"Do you know what his most famous story is about?" Dumbledore asked.

"A connection between two young magical people," Mr. Weasley said. "The story was supposedly the most romantic fairy-tale of all time. It has to do with – with the legend of the Soul-Bond."

Mr. Weasley looked at Ginny and Harry.

"I believe back in his time it was still a legend," Dumbledore said. "But all legends have some matter of fact – it seems Mr. Able might have been a Seer, and his prophetic dreams became fairy-tales he wrote to make a fortune. He had been a rather poor gentleman before his first fairy-tale was brought out to the world. The first successful Soul-Bond would not be created until over one-hundred years after his death. However, on May 3rd, of this year, the second successful Soul-Bond recorded in known history was created between what is now the youngest Bond-mates in history."

Dumbledore looked at Harry and Ginny. Harry tried his best not to smile. It wasn't very hard… this wasn't exactly how he wanted Ginny's parents to know about this.

"From Mr. Able's story," Dumbledore said, "some things were learned about the Soul-Bond. However, as he was not part of a Soul-Bond, he could not know everything that would take place. On May 3rd, your daughter's last name changed to Potter. Why? Because by all magical means, she was seen as rightfully married to Harry – when they became bond-mates."

"Ginny… and Harry… are connected by the Soul-Bond?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"My little girl is married?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"By all magical means, as I said, Molly," Dumbledore said, "Yes, it would seem that way. But, due to the Soul-Bond's peculiar way of adjusting to the current society's laws – such is believed it does so, so that the secret of the Bond can be kept if the Bond-mates wish it – Harry and Ginny aren't officially married – that is – no official record has been made, and will not be unless it changes one of two ways. One is through their choice to get married – which cannot happen until the age of consent. Which just so happens to be fourteen at the moment. The only other way would be if their parents or guardians make it official. Coincidentally enough, their parents and guardians are the same two people."

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley remained silent.

"As for your question, Arthur," Dumbledore continued, "Harry and Ginny are indeed connected by the Soul-Bond. They each share one-half of each other's soul. I imagine the process was not painful – however, I would not deny pleasure might have been experienced."

Harry tried his best not to blush as he remembered the warmth and slight shock his body had received that day he had first kissed Ginny in this timeline.

"Pleasure?" Mrs. Weasley asked, understandably shocked.

"Oh, not in that sense, my dear," Dumbledore said, holding up a hand in surrender. "This is why I am most puzzled by the creation of this Bond on that day in question. You see – in theory, for the Bond to be finalized, the Bond-Mates have to connect somehow – physically. Commonly this is thought to be through a simple hand-hold… or a kiss."

It was becoming much harder for Harry not to blush. Ginny seemed to be having trouble too, especially now that her parents were looking at her once again.

"If they did not connect," Dumbledore said, "the bond would have failed and I believe that we would have known if it had failed. Apparently the process of a failed Bond is quite painful for the bond-mates. The soul, you see, seems to die from – let us call it heartbreak - from not being close to its mate. It is said to be worse than the effects of the Dementor's Kiss"

Mrs. Weasley looked horrified, understandably so.

"But – what does the Soul-Bond do?" she said, "Are – are they all right?"

"We're fine, Mum," Ginny muttered in annoyance.

"Apparently there are quite a few gifts," Dumbledore said. "There also may be some events of discomfort, but there are rumors this does not happen until the bond-mates become the age of consent – not what we consider 'of age' which is seventeen, but age of consent – fourteen."

Harry opened his mouth to say something, remembering the "true power" he had heard of, but a look from Dumbledore silenced him.

"Arthur, Molly," he said, "Have you ever witnessed something between Harry and Ginny where they were, perhaps, in the same room or in the vicinity of each other, but were not talking to each other at that moment in time."

"There have been moments," Mrs. Weasley said, "Yes. I wondered if they were arguing about something."

"Quite the opposite, I am sure," Dumbledore said, smiling. "Bond-mates are very capable – in fact I hear it is their most commonly used gift – of speaking to each other telepathically. In fact, they could be talking to each other at this very moment."

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked at Harry and Ginny, who shook their heads.

"But I would doubt it," Dumbledore said, chuckling. "Until they can control it, there is apparently evidence that can be seen by others when telepathic conversation is going on. To the untrained eye, it may look as if they were under the Imperius Curse, or showing signs of dizziness or fatigue. After a while, however, nobody would be able to know if they were speaking to each other telepathically."

"Ginny does, quite often, look dazed, I've noticed," Mrs. Weasley said.

Ginny groaned and closed her eyes. Dumbledore chuckled.

"There are other gifts as well," he said. "Bond-mates are linked very closely with everything they do. They can feel each other's emotions, if they are sad, confused, excited – you name it. This is so the bond-mate can help them in times of negative emotions. They can also sense if the other is in pain, so they can help them then. It is not too difficult to help their Bond-mate, you see, because they have the power of teleportation – not Apparation, but teleportation. There is a difference. Teleportation is immune to the wards and fields set to stop Apparation."

"Also there is no pain or discomfort during teleportation," Ginny said, "nor sound. Nor… time I think. One second we are somewhere… next we're someplace else, if we wish to be."

"But there are limitations," Harry said. "I think we can only teleport wherever our bond-mate is at in that moment."

"Is that how you came here tonight, Ginny?" Mr. Weasley asked.

Ginny shook her head quite forcefully.

"While teleportation," Dumbledore said, "is used if they have the need or great desire to be next to their bond-mate, tonight was different. Because Harry and Ginny share souls, the Sorting Hat thought it was most peculiar. It simply refused to Sort Harry unless his soul was complete. In other words, the other half of his soul had to be nearby. I am guessing , and my guesses are usually good, that the Sorting Hat knew the need the Bond-mates have to be together – this need will grow more powerful as they become older, before it goes back to normal – and it desired that if one mate were to be Sorted, the other should as well. The Sorting Hat, and in essence, this castle itself, summoned your daughter here tonight so that she may join her bond-mate, and join the ranks as one of the newest first years – and in turn also became the youngest first year – ever."

"But," Mrs. Weasley said, "I understand she is now a student… but we were not prepared at all to have to pay for another booklist this year."

"We have money," Ginny said.

"Ginny," Mr. Weasley said, "Your mother is right."

"I was not talking 'we' in that sense," Ginny said, "Harry and I – well – there's another part of the Soul-Bond you do not understand yet. Headmaster, I'm sure you know of what I'm talking about. We discussed it… sort of… earlier."

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked from Ginny to Dumbledore.

"The first thing I mentioned to you, Arthur, Molly," Dumbledore said, "was that Harry and Ginny are by all magical means – married."

Mrs. Weasley gave a very small, timid shriek at this. Of course, Harry knew, it would take some time for her to become adjusted to this.

"Even though it is not official by law," Dumbledore said, "I believe, Arthur, you know what common marriage laws dictate."

"But that is usually official, Albus," Mr. Weasley said, "Those laws are Ministry-regulated."

"It is a common misunderstanding in our system, Arthur," Dumbledore said. "Marriage cannot be governed by our Ministry, no more than love can. To do so would – well, 'take away' would be too harsh a term – I'll say it would wound and poison our greatest gift we have been given as humans – not just wizards and witches."

"Love," Ginny said, and Harry nodded in agreement.

"Correct," Dumbledore said, smiling, then looked back at Ginny's parents, "Marriage laws – at least in the wizarding world - are regulated by magic itself, not by society. Essentially, it is why arranged marriages are one of the most frowned-upon practices in society."

"So," Mr. Weasley said, "Ginny and Harry…"

"… are now guided by the magical laws of their marriage that the Soul-Bond has given them," Dumbledore said, nodding, "Yes. They are – by all means – considered 'of age' in our world."

Mrs. Weasley gasped.

"I take it you see what I am talking about, Molly," Dumbledore said. "Ginny and Harry's marriage has allowed them to become emancipated, if they so choose. However, given the eventful trial for search of Harry's guardian this past summer, I do not believe they have made the decision to fully act toward their emancipation. At least not yet. However, there are other – ah – privileges."

He looked at Ginny and Harry.

"Gringotts goblins, specifically my vault overseer, Ragnok," Harry said, "he recognizes our Soul-Bond."

"But," Mr. Weasley said, "That would mean –"

"Yes," Dumbledore said, "He understands that Harry and Ginny are married. Under the laws of marriage according to Gringotts, Harry owns the vault he would have normally had to wait upon until he reached the age of seventeen. And Ginny also has ownership of that vault."

"That is why I said 'we have money'," Ginny said. "Harry and I are both aware, and have voluntarily and mutually agreed that everything in that vault is ours by marriage."

"This is unheard of!" Mrs. Weasley said, "Young lady, you know very well that we do not accept charity!"

"Since when is ownership of a vault by a very mutual marriage, as well as magical law, 'charity'?" Ginny demanded.

"Surely you do not want to be married, Ginny?" Mrs. Weasley asked, "You're ten years old!"

"And Harry is eleven!" Ginny said, rather loudly.

_Sort of, _Harry thought, shrugging.

"Dad, Mum," Ginny continued, "I do not see how this is a problem concerning age. We all love Harry – you immediately agreed to become his guardian when you realized he did not have one. Aren't we family anyway?"

The word 'family' seemed to silence Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"Haven't you realized that ever since I was the age of – well – four or five," Ginny said, "I've had a fancy for Harry. Maybe the Soul-Bond was created this year, but maybe it was always meant to be."

Harry knew that, while this was a good argument, it was decided by good reason that the Soul-Bond – their bond at least - was created through the fact that marriage was pretty permanent and the fact that they were sent back in time did not matter. But… even then… Ginny had a good argument.

"You may think I do not understand the meaning of love," Ginny said, "But the Headmaster said it earlier: the Soul-Bond is created by love. It is a very rare gift – but it seems to be created to help us find our soul-mates."

Ginny looked at Dumbledore, who nodded in acceptance.

"And while most witches and wizards do not find theirs until they're older," Ginny continued, "I have found mine. And I can say I very much love him."

Mrs. Weasley gave another very small shriek of disbelief.

"Your daughter is wise beyond her years if she truly understands the gift of love," Dumbledore said, smiling.

"Harry and I may have to wait until we're both the age of consent," Ginny said, "to make it official in society – and I have no arguments against that – Harry?"

"Actually, that is a good thing, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley," Harry said, "Making this official by society's records would raise questions, I think. The Headmaster was right when he basically said the Soul-Bond is adapted to keep its secret… we want to keep it a secret. Especially if it can be very dangerous."

Harry looked at Dumbledore, who smiled.

"But don't get me wrong, Mum, Dad," Ginny said, "I have no problems with the modified name you see in that book. If it has given me the last name of Potter, I'll very much accept it. Even though being a Weasley is also one of the best gifts in this world."

The room went very quiet – the only sounds were those of portrait inhabitants snoring – very fake snores, Harry thought.

"The Soul-Bond is… dangerous?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Ah, Arthur," Dumbledore said. "Even I do not understand every implication the Soul-Bond has in store for our young Bond-mates. It just so happens I am very close to the other successfully linked Bond-mates –"

"You know them?" Mr. Weasley asked, his mouth open in a perfect, comical O.

"We are the closest of friends, Nicolas and his wife and I," Dumbledore said.

"The Flamels," Mr. Weasley breathed.

"They are a very secretive couple," Dumbledore said. "It is rumored Nicolas wrote one book about the Soul-Bond that I understand is very enlightening. But it is also very rare. There is just one copy, and I could not begin to give theory of its current location at this moment."

Curiously enough, his eyes traveled to Harry. Harry did his best not to react.

"Even if my guesses are usually good," he continued. "Even so, I would doubt Nicolas and Perenelle would speak too much of their bond – even to the newest bond-mates. It seems that they have a great fondness for the experience, and I would expect they would wish it to be experienced in full by Harry and Ginny. Everyone knows a good adventure cannot take place unless there is a sense of unpredictability. If you knew what was going to happen, the experience would be – shall we say – boring."

Harry looked at Ginny, who looked rather amused. Dumbledore didn't know how close his words were to their situation at this moment.

"But as I stated earlier," Dumbledore said, "I doubt the most unwelcome dangers of this Soul-Bond will be experienced anytime soon. All theories point to the age of consent – fourteen, as our current society laws state. If it concerns you then, I assure you that I will try to help Harry and Ginny if and when the matter arises."

Dumbledore smiled to reassure the four of them.

"Now," he stated, standing up, "it is getting very late and Harry has class in the morning. Ginny, however, will be excused from class tomorrow – in the very least, tomorrow morning - so that she may accompany you, Arthur, Molly, to Diagon Alley in order to get her things from her booklist. I imagine she would very much like to spend her first night here, in which she would be welcome to join her fellow first year Gryffindor girls. Tomorrow, after breakfast, the most important meal of the day I say, you can meet her at the Hogwarts gates. I am sure our gamekeeper, Hagrid, will escort her to meet you. If you'll consent to the fact that Harry and Ginny share a vault, I am sure there will be no arguments against using some funds from their vault for the shopping trip. I'm sure Ginny knows how to access the vault."

Ginny nodded timidly.

"Excellent," Dumbledore said. "If you have objections, the Hogwarts students funds are rather plentiful at the moment thanks to some generous donations. Molly, Arthur, if you have any more questions about anything concerning this, I will be honored to answer them when I return from the seventh floor."

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley shook their heads. They seemed confused… and in apparent need of a nightcap, in Mrs. Weasley's case. Mr. Weasley's specialty was tea with a bit of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey mixed in.

"Perhaps another time," Dumbledore said, smiling, "You are most welcome to use my fireplace to get back to your lovely residence. I am going to accompany the children back to their tower, since I am sure they do not know how to get there. I would not want them to get lost – that could be rather dangerous at the moment. Good evening. Mr. and Mrs. Potter, say your temporary farewells and accompany me."

Mrs. Weasley frowned at the Headmaster's conjoined use of names. Ginny stood up and hugged her father, then her mother.

"We'll see you tomorrow, sweetheart," Mr. Weasley said, "Eight-o-clock, I think?"

Ginny nodded.

"We'll talk more about this later, Ginny," Mrs. Weasley said, "Good night. Harry, good evening."

Harry nodded, though he frowned slightly when he noticed the edginess in her voice. She also made no motion to hug him. He knew then that this was going to take a while for Mrs. Weasley to get used to. Mr. Weasley smiled and gently patted Harry on the shoulder. Harry and Ginny then followed Dumbledore out of the office, down the steps and headed for the Grand Staircase.

"That could have gone a lot better," Ginny muttered, "I'm so embarrassed."

"Ah, Ginny," Dumbledore said, "I think it went rather well. I'm sure it will take some time for them to understand, but you made some pretty good arguments. I am sure they will think about what you said. I must say I was very impressed."

"So was I," Harry said.

"I rather surprised myself with my actions," Ginny said, chuckling.

Dumbledore chuckled softly.

Normally the trip from the second to the seventh floor would take over ten minutes, but the trip only took five since the stairs behaved quite nicely with the Headmaster traveling on them. Harry looked around as he made his way down the seventh floor corridors. He then recognized the hangings of Barnabas the Barmy, the elusive guardian into the mysterious Room of Requirement, where one of its many rooms was currently home to the diadem Horcrux. He made a mental note to check up on it soon, even if he chose to keep it there for now.

Soon, they arrived in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"The Gryffindor Tower is located directly behind this lovely portrait," Dumbledore instructed.

"Oh, Headmaster, I blush!" the Fat Lady said. "Now, I heard a very peculiar rumor tonight! Is it true Gryffindor has one extra student tonight? A student who is younger than the required age of eleven?"

"Indeed it does, my Lady," Dumbledore said.

The Fat Lady eyed Ginny, whom Harry saw blush.

"Exciting!" the Fat Lady said, "Oh, dear… where are my manners? Password?"

"Caput Draconis," Dumbledore stated clearly.

The portrait opened to reveal the small entry-hole into the Gryffindor tower. Dumbledore then led Harry and Ginny inside. The only inhabitants of the Common Room at the moment were – not so surprisingly – Ron, Fred, George and Percy. They stood up immediately from their places around the welcoming fireplace when they saw the newest entrants.

"Headmaster?" Percy asked.

"Yes, I believe I know your concerns and questions," Dumbledore said, "The answer you have been wondering is correct. Your sister is in fact our newest first year, right along with young Harry and Ronald."

Harry looked at Ron, but couldn't decipher his expression at the moment.

"Tomorrow," Dumbledore continued, "Ginny will be excused from classes while she is not here. Your parents will accompany her, after breakfast, to Diagon Alley to buy her things. Do not worry about funding, it is all taken care of. Now… it is my wish you do not interrogate Ginny and Harry about this any further. There have been enough dramatics. If your parents see fit to explain the discussion we had this evening, it is their choice. But I request you do not ask Harry and Ginny about it. Good evening, Gryffindors. Tuck in. Classes start tomorrow."

"Yes, Headmaster," Percy said.

Dumbledore bowed slightly in respect. turned and left the tower.

"Come on, you lot," Percy said, "Harry, Ron will show you to your dormitory. Ginny, yours is straight upstairs to the left… you'll find your doorway toward the topmost part of the tower. Good evening."

_We'll talk when we get upstairs. _Harry said, as he followed the boys up the stairs, _Remember Muffliato_

_Okay. Damn, I wish I brought my mirror. I'll have to get it tomorrow. I'm sure I'll be stopping by the Burrow to get some things._

It took a little less than five minutes for Harry and Ron to reach their dormitory. The snores around the room told Harry that Neville, Seamus and Dean were all fast asleep. Harry found his familiar bed, and his trunk resting at the end of it. He found pyjamas and placed them on his bed. He half-expected Ron to interrogate him, but Ron just quickly changed into his own pyjamas and went to bed, closing the curtains of his four-poster bed around him.

Harry frowned and hurriedly changed into his pyjamas, keeping his wand-holster on. He crawled into bed, shut his curtains and put the Muffliato Charm up.

_Ginny? _he asked.

_I'm here, Harry. This is so odd to be sharing a dorm with Hermione! But I like it. Oh, Harry, at first I was a bit disoriented with everything, but – well you know how I wished this morning how I could join you this year? Looks like I got my wish!_

_Yeah…_

_Are you okay, Harry? You seem bothered._

_I'm fine, Ginny. I'm very happy with this. It's just… things are now going to get unpredictable. I was ready to go through the year with Ron and Hermione. This now changes things. Ron's a bit grumpy right now. I have a feeling this could mean nothing good. It's just… different, Ginny._

_I know, Harry. I can sense that too._

_But I am very happy with this. I was honest about that._

_Me too._

_There are concerning issues we need to face and figure out though. For instance… Pansy Parkinson._

_You're sure she is from our future._

_Yes. She glared at me and you for no apparent reason if she had just met us. Apparently she insulted Hermione and Ron on the train. She's rather disgusted with Draco right now, and they were pretty close in Hogwarts in the last timeline: friends and more throughout the whole six years Draco was here. But tonight… she had a look of pure hatred for him – you remember her disgust for him that night during the Ministry invasion, how she hated that he was not a part of her group – and then she was very close to Theodore Nott. You know how their relationship was in the future?_

_Engaged to be married, and fellow Death Eaters. Yeah. Wow… it is pretty convincing. What do we do?_

_I don't know, Ginny. But we have to do something quick. Who knows what Pansy has done since she came back? Who knows what she could do?_

_We'll figure it out. We'll keep an eye on her definitely._

_We'll have to be careful. She's sharp as a tack._

_I know. I'm going to bed. We both have busy days tomorrow. Good night, Harry. I love you._

_I love you too. Good night,, Ginny._

Harry felt the link close. He stared up at the ceiling of his four-poster bed as thoughts went through his head. He couldn't get his mind off of one thing Dumbledore had said this evening…

"_Everyone knows a good adventure cannot take place unless there is a sense of unpredictability. If you knew what was going to happen, the experience would be – shall we say – boring."_

Harry frowned… well, he was always up for a good adventure.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore returned to his office, which was now empty. He then walked back to his desk and pulled out a piece of parchment, a quill, and a tub of ink, then began to write:

_Nicolas,_

_Things continue to become interesting! Young Ginny Potter, one-half of the newest bonded couple, is now the youngest first year in Hogwarts history! I'll have to discuss this further another time. It was quite a sight to witness._

_Also… we were correct to assume Harry and Ginny Potter knew about their Soul-Bond. They seemed very much enlightened about certain things with the bond. However, something troubles me. I have recently been in contact with a certain shopkeeper who was the one-time owner of your book on Soul-Bonds. He informed me that the book was sold to the goblin, Ragnok, and it is known now that Ragnok is the Potters' overseer for their vaults. It is assumed that Harry and Ginny now own your book._

_That is not what troubles me. The shopkeeper said he was currently being investigated by Ragnok about a missing section of your book. Apparently the words had been obliterated from their pages, and Ragnok seemed very concerned about this. I am guessing he hoped the Potters would learn about this knowledge that is missing. He said some parts of Chapter 7 was missing. I am sure you know more about Chapter 7 than I do, so I will leave this matter to you._

_As for your concerns, Harry and Ginny seem very happy about their bond. They discussed it most eagerly and cheerfully once they realized I knew about it. They were even – shall we say – delighted to be a part of it, and to be married._

_As for your other concern, however, please trust me when I say it is in good hands, and what we discussed is currently underway, and everything is secure._

_I hope you respond soon with what to do about my concern…_

_Your good friend,_  
_Albus_

Albus looked over at the large golden perch. His trusty familiar, Fawkes the phoenix, was currently resting peacefully. Albus smiled. He would not wake his friend – either of them, because he was sure Nicolas was sleeping as well – tonight. It could wait until tomorrow.

_And sleep_, Albus thought, as he stood and headed for his quarters, _was a most welcoming adventure at this moment._

* * *

**Contented sigh. I love this chapter, but I wish I could have had Mrs. Weasley sound… less welcoming to the whole Soul-Bond thing than I had her. Mr. Weasley is more welcoming to it… simply because he's usually more understanding about things, but Mrs. Weasley, being the overly-bearing mother type is far less welcoming. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if I achieved that. Maybe readers think differently, hmm? (Hint, hint)**

**More to come soon! Including more about the missing pages. Oh, but do not think the answer to those pages will come right away, no… more questions will be created than answers.**

**Also… more student reactions to Ginny's unexpected arrival, Harry and Ginny's experiences in class with their more experienced magical knowledge, and – oh yes - the first lesson of Potions I have been so very much looking forward to. (insert evil laughter here)**

**Note: Bartemius F. Able is my own creation, as well as everything concerning him (including 'origin of Fable' which I know is definitely not true).**


	33. Matchsticks And Oak Trees

**Chapter 33  
Matchsticks and Oak Trees  
**

**Author's Note: I am changing the class schedules around a bit from canon for my story. Hope this does not bother anybody.**

**Disclaimer: Recognizable sections of this chapter come directly from Chapter 8 of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling. I do not take claim for these, only my own additions.**

* * *

When Harry and Ginny made their way down to the Great Hall the next morning at a quarter after seven, they were not accompanied by Ron, Hermione or Neville, as they hoped they would be. Harry was rather concerned about this. Ginny, however, didn't seem to be too bothered…

_Maybe they just decided to get breakfast early, _Ginny suggested, _Everyone is waiting for their timetables, and most are eager to start the first day of class._

_Yeah, but… you would think that Ron would have woken me up to go to the Great Hall with him._

_That does not mean he's avoiding you. Maybe he thought you would accompany me._

_Yeah, I guess so. I just hope you're right._

Harry and Ginny arrived at the large doorway into the Great Hall. The majority of students were already there, and Harry didn't have to ponder this for too long. Of course, they were eager to hear Dumbledore's announcement about the events that had taken place.

"Hey, Ginger!" a familiar, drawling voice said behind Harry and Ginny.

They turned around. Draco, Crabbe and Goyle were standing there.

"How do your parents feel about this whole thing?" Draco asked, "I expect they are rather happy. Why shouldn't they be? For the first time in years, they don't have to put up with snotty brats every day! Bet it is quite the relief to them."

Crabbe and Goyle erupted in deep guffaws.

_Harry, calm down._ Ginny said._You know how our bond reacts to insults. We cannot do this in front of everyone._

Harry closed his eyes and counted back from five.

"They are very happy, Draco," Ginny said, smiling, "I'm the youngest first year in Hogwarts history! This is unheard of. Perhaps I was invited by the Sorting Hat, and Hogwarts itself, because it realized I was a very smart witch and I didn't need to wait another year to start my education. I wonder, Draco, when you would have come to Hogwarts if the usual required age was not eleven. If the same laws applied to you, and your entry was decided by what age you were capable of being smart enough to start your education."

Ginny paused and tapped a finger to her chin in mockery of deep thought.

"Perhaps thirteen?" she asked, "Fourteen?"

Harry snickered as Draco glared at Ginny.

_Come on, Harry._

Harry turned on his heels and followed Ginny into the Great Hall, ready to take his wand into his hand if Draco decided to do something foolish and attempt to attack him and Ginny in front of everybody. Fortunately this did not happen. However, something else did… the whispers around the hall became louder as Harry and Ginny made their way to the end of the Gryffindor table.

"It's Harry Potter!" a third-year boy at the Ravenclaw table said.

"Did you see his scar?" a girl next to the boy asked.

"Reckon he's the reason she is here early?" a carrying voice at the Hufflepuff said.

"They do seem like a couple," another voice said at the same table.

"They're ten and eleven," Angelina Johnson hissed to the students at the Hufflepuff table.

"So?" a girl across from Angelina said, "I'm sure she's had a fancy for him since she was in nappies."

"Yeah, Johnson," a boy said, "You've read the gossip papers, I expect. He's lived at her house for months!"

_Ignore them, Harry. _Ginny thought, sighing.

Angelina smiled apologetically when she saw Harry looking toward them. He nodded and smiled back thankfully. Finally, they made their way to the end of the Gryffindor table, where Hermione, Neville, and Ginny's four brothers sat.

"Good morning, Ginny, Harry," Percy said, with a smile.

"Morning," Ginny muttered, as she and Harry sat down.

Harry and Ginny started filling their own plates with various breakfast foods.

"Heard the whispers, did you?" Percy asked.

"Can't you stop them?" Ginny asked, "You're a prefect!"

"You just need to ignore them," Hermione said. "Headmaster Dumbledore will set it right, I'm sure."

"Hermione's right," Percy said, "Unfortunately the gossip mill around here is a very big one. An event starts and it snowballs. This event… started for everyone to see at the first big event of the year."

"A perfect storm," George said.

"Of apocalyptic proportions," Fred said.

Harry looked across the table at Ron, who was dragging his fork through his scrambled eggs.

"Are you okay, Ron?" Ginny asked.

"Some of the gossip we've heard is true," Ron said, shrugging. "Harry has lived at our house for months, and –"

"And I've had a fancy for him since I was in nappies?" Ginny asked. "Is that what you were going to say?"

Ron blushed. Ginny scoffed and forcefully jabbed her fork at a piece of sausage.

_It is true, Ginny, _Harry said.

_Yes, but I don't need everyone else knowing that. It is nobody's business how much I love you._

_Correct. Just mine. And thank you._

"Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall's voice said behind them, "Miss Weasley. Your timetables."

Harry took his, while Ginny took hers.

"Thank you, ma'am," Ginny said.

"You're welcome," Professor McGonagall said, "By the way, Hagrid will be waiting by the entrance doors when you finish with your meal. Your Professors have been informed of your excusal from class today. However, if you do return in time for your afternoon class, I do hope you will attend. It is my own, and I would be very happy to have you for the first class."

"Yes, ma'am," Ginny said, "I will try to be back here for it."

Professor McGonagall smiled. She moved to head off down the table, then frowned and looked back at Ginny and Harry.

"Please do not be discouraged by the whispers of your fellow peers," she stated, "Their opinions are their own, and most people always question what they do not understand. You have done nothing wrong, Miss Weasley, nor have you, Mr. Potter."

"Yes, ma'am," Harry and Ginny said.

Professor McGonagall looked around at Ginny's family and their friends.

"I do expect my Gryffindor students will not take part in such foolery, however," she said. "We Gryffindors are very much above such gossip-mongering."

Many of the students at the end of Gryffindor table nodded. Percy was the only one to say anything.

"Wise words, Professor," he said.

"Thank you, Mr. Weasley," McGonagall said, "Congratulations on becoming prefect. I'm sure you had no doubts."

"No, ma'am," Percy said, glaring when Fred, George and Ron all gave small snorts.

"I didn't think so," McGonagall said, "Good day. See you in class."

She walked off down toward the other end of the table. Harry looked at his timetables:

Monday/Wednesday:  
A.M.  
8:00 - 9:40 – Defense Against the Dark Arts – Professor Quirrel  
10:00 - 11:40 – History of Magic – Professor Binns  
P.M.  
Noon - 1:30 – Lunch/Free Period  
1:30 - 3:00 – Transfiguration – Professor McGonagall

Tuesday/Thursday:

A.M.  
8:00 – 9:40 – Charms – Professor Flitwick  
10:00 – 11:40 – Herbology – Professor Sprout  
P.M.  
Noon – 1:30 – Lunch/Free Period  
1:30 – 3:00 – Potions – Professor Snape

Friday:  
A.M.  
8:00 – 10:30 – Potions – Professor Snape  
11:00 – Noon – Lunch  
P.M.  
Noon – 2:00 – Transfiguration – Professor McGonagall  
11:00 – 12:30 A.M. – Astronomy – Professor Sinistra

Saturday:  
A.M.  
10:00 – 11:00 - Flying Lessons (OPTIONAL - TEMPORARY) – Madam Hooch

Harry groaned. Five-plus hours a week with Professor Snape. He didn't remember having this much during the last time-line. At least there were a good healthy portion of free time during the week.  
_  
Same schedule, _Ginny said, _Brilliant! Quirrel, Binns and McGonagall today. Glad I am not expected to be here for the first two classes today._

_Yeah… lucky you._

_Cheer up. You know most of it._

_True._

Ginny smiled and Harry thought she might say something else, but sharp ding of a glass stopped her from doing so. Harry looked up to see Professor Dumbledore standing up.

"I promised I would explain what happened last night to all of you," he said. "So I shall. What happened last night was something so unforeseen, I was even unprepared for it. It seems that the Hogwarts records made some kind of mistake when it came to Miss Weasley's year to come to this school, and when she didn't arrive to school last night, the Sorting Hat and Hogwarts itself seemed to – well, the best way I can say is – it summoned her here."

He raised up a hand to stop the whispers just yet.

"Last night," he continued, "when I talked to her in my office with her parents, I discussed with her whether she was ready for this task or if she wanted to wait and come next year. I am delighted to say she is up for the challenge, which is a brave and noble act. I hope that, even though her age is in question as a student, you will treat her as every other student here, and one of our newest first years. I am most curious to see how she can stand up to her fellow classmen. Mr. Potter was there because he was the student the Sorting Hat requested to send a message to me about Ginny's arrival. He was there, because understanding is the first step to acceptance. I hope the same goes for all of you. Thank you."

Dumbledore smiled to Ginny and sat back down. The Hall filled up with whispers and murmurs again.

"You see," Percy said, "It is a brave and noble thing to do. We should all be proud."  
_  
_"And here I thought you played a prank on Hogwarts, Ginny!" Fred said.

"Hogwarts played a prank on you!" George said.

_Nice story… heck, I almost believed it! _Harry said.

Ginny chuckled and nodded to Harry and the twins' comments.

When it was ten minutes to eight, Harry said goodbye to Ginny, through telepathic conversation, and told her if she made it back to Hogwarts before Transfiguration, to meet him outside at their spot. After exchanging a verbal goodbye and a smile, Ginny met up with Hagrid, and they walked through the front doors of the castle. Harry followed Hermione, Ron and Neville to Defense Against the Dark Arts.

As it had in the previous time-line, Quirrel's classroom smelled like garlic. He had an iguana in a large tank on one side of the room, and a couple of bats, which were hanging upside down, in a cage on the other side.

"W-welcome to D-Defense Against the D-Dark Arts, class," Quirrel stuttered, "A f-fearfully f-fascinating subject, if I d-do say so myself."

He tittered nervously. Harry tried his very best not to roll his eyes. How he had not seen past this façade last year was beyond him.

"Professor Quirrel?" Hermione asked, "Could you tell us about that turban you wear? It is fascinating."

"It is, isn't it?" Quirrel chuckled nervously, "It was g-given to me by an African prince, d-during my t-travels. A th-thank you gift for – ahem – warding off a tr-troublesome zombie."

Parvati, Lavender and Padma (the Gryffindors had the class with the Ravenclaws) shuddered with fright.

"How did you fight off the zombie?" Seamus asked.

Quirrel laughed nervously. "Excellent w-warm weather, we-we're having, isn't it? P-perfect for my p-pet iguana. Now the iguana…"

Harry sighed and shook his head. This was exactly how he remembered class going last time. He had no clue how he had become so interested in Defense Against the Dark Arts when the first two years of the subject were considered an absolute joke.

History of Magic wasn't any better. While Harry thought he might do a bit better in this class than he had last time, since his concentration was a bit better, and he knew more about the facts… there was just no way around it. Most of the subjects, and the way the ghostly Professor Binns talked about them, were just _dreadfully boring._

"I don't know what's worse," Ron said, as he, Harry, Hermione and Neville walked down the Grand Staircase toward the Entrance and Great Halls. "A joke of a stutterer that Professor Quirrel is, or the droning rubbish that ghost of a professor talks about. Thank Merlin for free period and lunch. I do hope McGonagall is better."

"Free period?" Hermione asked, "We have homework to do after lunch! Quirrel's gave us that two-paragraph essay on zombies, and Binns has asked us to write a 12-inch story about Uric the Oddball and make it historically accurate! Or maybe you didn't catch that since you were asleep."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll do it," Ron muttered, "Besides, who can't write a story about Uric slaying the goblin king of Botswana? I imagine Binns would give us extra credit if it was violent."

"That was Emeric the Evil!" Hermione said.

"Trudging the swamps in Ireland?" Ron asked._  
_  
"Urg the Unclean," Hermione said, with a sigh.

"So I'll write how Uric outran a goblin in Ireland!" Ron said.

"That just doesn't make sense!" Hermione said, as Harry howled with laughter.

"Fine, I'll just copy off of you," Ron said, with a sigh.

"And why would I let you do that?" Hermione asked.

"Because you're smart and nice?" Ron asked. "But don't worry, I'll make my version more violent and not so girlish. Nobody would know I copied off of you."

"So my version of a medieval puppet show Uric did to try and convince a hag that he was a prince will be polite and girlish?" Hermione asked, her eyebrows raised.

Neville snickered.

"Medieval puppet show?" Ron mouthed to Harry, then sighed, and said to Hermione, "Did I mention you were smart and nice?"

Hermione scowled and walked off toward the end of the Gryffindor table. Ron glared at Harry and Neville as they laughed.

"A curse on both of you," he muttered, which only caused them to laugh more.

Harry quickly finished his lunch, ready to go out to his and Ginny's spot on the Grounds. He told his friends he wanted to get a head-start on the History work. When Neville said he was interested too, Harry told him that he had just remembered he had done half of it, and he needed private time for a brainstorm, and he would see them in Transfiguration.

He then hurried outside before the others could talk to him about the assignment.

Harry and Ginny's "spot" – the Hogwarts version – was a large oak tree that stood on the outside of a grove of trees in the center of a portion of the grounds. It had very nice shade during the high-noon hour which made it hidden from view unless someone walked right up on you. It also had a perfect view of the castle, lake, and Quidditch Pitch, giving you a heads-up if anyone came your way. Harry considered it very lucky that nobody was there at the moment, because it was the perfect spot. Sadly, this grove of trees had been uprooted by giants during the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry and Ginny's favorite oak had been smashed to pieces and thrown at the castle – branches near the top had been like projectile missiles as they fell toward the ground and the people below.

Now Harry sat at the trunk and waited for Ginny… and waited… and for a while he was convinced she would spend all day in Diagon Alley. Perhaps Mr. and Mrs. Weasley hadn't even let Ginny come back…

_I'm back! _Ginny said, at twelve forty-five,_I'll be at our spot in five minutes. I just left Professor Dumbledore's office, and the Headmaster sent all my things to my dorm by magic. I only have my knapsack and things I need for Transfiguration._

_Thank Merlin. I thought for a moment you might not come back._

_I'm very happy to hear your voice too. Believe me._

Harry frowned, and he wondered what Ginny's parents had done today. He leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes as he waited for Ginny. Next thing he felt was a light kiss on his lips. He opened his eyes and smiled. Ginny was sitting cross-legged next to him.

"Did you teleport?" Harry asked.

"Maybe," Ginny said, grinning.

"Better be careful doing that," Harry said, "And kissing me like that. Someone might see you."

"This spot is well-hidden around this time of day and you know it," Ginny said, "I'm also very free to do this."

She crawled between his legs and sat down, and laid her head against his chest, just under his chin. He smiled and stroked a hand against her hair.

"Mm, I need that," Ginny said, her voice almost a purr.

"Rough morning?" Harry asked.

"Dad didn't meet me at the gates," Ginny said, "Had to give an excuse not to be at work today. Family emergency, I expect. So it was just Mum and I for about a good half-an-hour in Diagon Alley. And you know how she was last night?"

"Mmhmm," Harry said, clearly remembering Mrs. Weasley's murmurs of disbelief and even annoyance coming from her throat at different moments of the meeting. He also remembered the forced farewell she had given him, when less than twelve hours before she had hugged him like he was her son.

"Well, it was just her and me in Gringotts," Ginny said, "And I really, truly wish you were there with me, because I had to face Ragnok alone with Mum, and – and while I'm sure he's okay with the fact my parents know about our Soul-Bond, I could just tell my Mum was disapproving of him. And what is worse is from our conversation last night with Dumbledore, she _knew _I'd been at our vault before, so she was trying to find out when. I tried to tell her it was when you and I were shopping last month with Sirius, but she seems to know we've been there before. And because of that damned dragon, she had to come into our vault with me. She saw everything, and – you should have seen her face when she saw all the Galleons and Sickles and Knuts."

He nodded. He could see it – because she always had the same look on her face when someone offered her family some kind of charity. He could imagine her "charity" speech again. He wondered what she had seen in the vault, and for a moment, he felt his privacy had been crossed, like she was a thief breaking into his vault. He hated thinking something like that about a woman who he felt was like a mother to him.

Then a noise broke him from his reverie, and at first he thought Ginny scoffed, then he realized it was a sniffle.

"You could tell she's upset with me," she said. "I must have messed up last night when I was all talk about how I'm so supportive of this Soul-Bond, and I'm happy we're married –"

"Are you?" Harry asked.

"Hey!" Ginny growled, "Of course I am!"

She looked over her shoulder and frowned and he nodded.

"Sorry," Harry said, "I know you are. I-I shouldn't have said that."

Ginny leaned her head back against Harry's chest again. He kissed the top of her head, and he her heard one of his favorite sounds from her: the soft sigh that told him she was happy. Or at least content with him. Not angry…

"You don't understand, Harry," she said. "She sees me as a ten-year old little girl."

"Well, of course she does," Harry said.

"I know, Harry," Ginny said, "I know what you're going to say, and believe me. I know. But… sometimes it is still hard to remember that on the outside I'm this little girl again. That girl that Mum sees as her baby just starting to grow up. I can see where she's coming from. I'm not even supposed to be here at the castle yet. This time, last time-line, while you and my brothers were all here, I was at the Burrow having that bonding time with Mum. It was usually just me and her. Dad was at work. Luna came over sometimes too, but usually it was me and Mum. No bratty boys around. And today, I… I didn't feel any of that in that half-an-hour I was shopping with her before Dad arrived. None of it. She was tense and her mind was in the aftermath-mode. You remember that mode, don't you?"

"After the Battle of Hogwarts," Harry said, nodding.

"That took two months to get past," Ginny said. "Those two months for you and I were crucial. We were just trying to get back into being a couple again. I was being stupid at first, trying to avoid you for a few days, so of course we lost those precious days when I should have just realized I had nothing to be too angry about with you. We were both still pretty banged up, emotionally, after the Battle of Hogwarts, and the events of the past year, and our only relief was our spot at the Burrow. That is why I'm happy to be out here at this spot. Our other spot… so many happy memories out here."

Harry chuckled and nodded. He remembered those few weeks in his sixth year when he and Ginny first became a couple, where they would sit out in this spot, chatting, relaxing like they were now, and more than occasionally, snogging.

"Somehow this spot doesn't feel the same right now," Ginny said looking up at the tree. "Is it because we're in our ten and eleven-year old bodies?"

"Maybe," Harry said.

"I hate that it feels so forbidden," Ginny said, sniffling. "I'm back at that age where I'm my brothers' baby sister who they believe needs to be protected. I am supposed to be long past this. While in my mind, I'm at that age where…well... you realize our first wedding anniversary is supposed to be in less than two months?"

"And if everything goes the way it went in the previous timeline," Harry said, We'll be celebrating it with a troll."

Ginny chuckled. "Right."

Harry smiled and Ginny looked over her shoulder toward him again. She looked at his lips and kissed him softly again. He returned the kiss, but it was brief before she backed away and relaxed against him again.

He frowned… her mother must have really said some things to her… about him and her. He wondered what it would be like when they returned to England next and he had to face her. He thought about how, when this school year was over, Sirius might be able and ready to be his guardian, and how Mrs. Weasley might not let him spend any time over at the Burrow, simply because of the Soul-Bond. The thought angered him greatly.

"Soon this won't feel forbidden anymore," he said, hoping it would convince himself as well as her.

"Maybe sooner than you think," Ginny said, with a sigh.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"I don't think my Mum and Dad are going to Romania for Christmas," Ginny said, "They're planning on inviting Bill and Charlie back home."

"Really?" Harry asked, "That's good… isn't it?"

"No, it isn't, Harry," Ginny said, "Do you understand what this means? The whole family will be there. Mum, and Dad can have everyone sit down…"

Harry felt himself go pale.

"By Christmas, Harry," Ginny said, "my whole family will know about our Soul-Bond."

Harry's throat tightened. He wasn't ready for that many people to know about his Soul-Bond yet. Sure, he knew he would tell Ron and Hermione sometime. This wasn't exactly a secret they needed someone to know Occlumency to learn about, unlike their biggest secret. Still… it wasn't what Harry and Ginny had planned out.

_A good adventure cannot take place unless there is a sense of unpredictability, _Dumbledore had said.

A simple line in the middle of an explanation had affected Harry more than it should have. And he didn't like it. Things were going wrong, and Harry knew he needed to take back control.

But how?

Harry and Ginny stayed in their spot under the oak until a quarter-past-one, then they headed to the Transfiguration classroom. They made it with minutes to spare, which made Harry smile. If he and Ginny had the desire to stay at their spot during free-time before class, they could get to many of their classes very easily. When they arrived, they found that class was with the Slytherins, of course. Draco, Crabbe and Goyle were sitting at the right side of the room. And so were Pansy and Nott, though they were near the front of the class, while Draco was at the back. Harry made a bee-line for the direct other side of the room, farthest away from both Pansy and Draco.

_Pansy's looking at us again! _Ginny growled.

_We'll find a way to do something about her._

_What exactly?_

_I'm… not sure yet._

Harry could feel Ginny's annoyance, and he couldn't blame her. He was about to calm her down when he heard the chairs move in front of them, and he looked up. Ron, Hermione and Neville sat down in the row ahead of them.

"Where were you, mate?" Ron asked, "We couldn't find you."

"Er – library," Harry said, "I caught Ginny coming back and we went in there so I could help her start on the homework."

"Oh," Ron said.

Harry thought Hermione might challenge this, since her favorite place was the library, especially during free time, but she said nothing.

"Figure out anything on Uric the Oddball, Ginny?" Ron asked, "Because I need help."

Harry grimaced. He hadn't talked about homework with Ginny at all during their time out at the oak tree. Thankfully, Ginny was saved a response, because McGonagall had cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."

Most of the students looked at each other with curious looks. Ron and Neville exchanged frightened looks, and Hermione looked very excited.

"With that unhappy introduction," McGonagall said, "I will now show you one of the gifts a skilled witch or wizard who knows Transfiguration can perform."

She pointed at her desk and turned it into a pig. Many of the students laughed and applauded. McGonagall turned it back into a desk. The students were eager to know how to do this.

"Unfortunately, that is very complex magic," McGonagall said, "And you certainly won't learn it unless you are in my NEWT level classes, closer to the end of your education a few years from now."

Sounds of discontent were heard, but stopped when McGonagall gave them a stern look.

"Today," she said, "we will try to turn a match-stick into a needle. But –" she said as students became excited again. "In order to know how to do this perfectly, you need to understand the concept. Turn to page five of your Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration. Read pages five to seven and answer the ten questions at the end. If you are finished with these questions by the end of class, you should understand the incantation and the wand-movements and timing needed to do what is asked of you. Use the remaining time to try to successfully change your match-stick into a needle. You should have plenty left if you use your time wisely. You may begin now."

For Harry and Ginny, transfiguring match-sticks into needles was child's play, but, of course, they needed to act like there was some difficulty to it. It took less than an hour of the hour-and-a-half class for Harry finish the questions in the chapter.

_How do you want to do this? _Ginny asked, _We can't exactly do it straight away. McGonagall would think something was odd._

_I have an idea._

Harry set a match onto the table. He gave the incantation and deliberately started to move his wand in the wrong manner, giving minor mistakes in the way his wand moved. Ginny smiled and mimicked his movement, acting as if she was using his way as guiding her own. Then she would accidentally say the wrong incantation once or twice.

Professor McGonagall was walking amongst those students who had started on transfiguring their matches, and she walked over to Harry's side of the classroom.

"Very good, Hermione," McGonagall said, and Harry noticed that Hermione's matchstick was growing more silver in color, "You understand that color and shape are two different movements with your wand."

"Yes, ma'am," Hermione said.

"Two different movements," McGonagall stated loudly, "You must find which is easier to do first… color or shape? You will learn color-changing charms in Charms class later, which will make this easier for you when it comes to Transfiguration, however, that way is not always the best way. Two different movements – Mr. Potter, you need a vertical sweeping movement."

McGonagall moved over in front of Harry and Ginny's desks.

"Vertical sweeping movements," she repeated, "See how Miss Weasley is doing it. Miss Weasley, your spell usage is not accurate. Nice try using the Latin word for silver, however it does not work for this incantation. While most magic derives from the Latin language, you may have missed one detail in your reading. This spell is pronounced using the reverse spelling of the word silver."

She summoned a match-stick from her desk, then laid it in her hand. "_Revlis Incana_," she said, clearly, waving her wand in the correct manner.

The match-stick immediately turned into a sharp, silver needle.

"You try, Miss Weasley, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said.

_Right way now? _Ginny asked.

_Sure._

Harry and Ginny simultaneously did the incantation and movements of their wands. Instantly, the match-sticks turned into silver, sharp needles. Unfortunately, something happened that Harry wasn't ready for…

His needle expanded and grew to the size of a pencil.

_Er… what happened? _Ginny asked.

_I have no idea…_

McGonagall cleared her throat. "Were you aiming for a size-modification of your needle, Mr. Potter?"

"No, ma'am," Harry said.

"Hmm," McGonagall said, "The color and sharpness is indeed correct. I cannot explain size coming from such a spell. Five points to Gryffindor, Mr. Potter. Miss Weasley, your needle however, is very nicely done, actually. Impressive for a witch of your age."

"I've seen Mum do it a few times with toothpicks when she needs needles," Ginny said, shrugging.

"I usually do not suggest toothpicks, as their sharpness is the same," McGonagall said, "But you overcame that obstacle. Ten points to Gryffindor, Miss Weasley."

"Professor!" Pansy said, raising her hand, "I think I've got mine."

McGonagall walked over to the other side of the classroom.

"Is this a duplication spell, Miss Parkinson?" she asked, looking at Pansy's desk.

"No ma'am," Pansy said, "I've just done three of them."

"She's telling the truth," Nott said, "It was brilliant!"

"Thirty points to Slytherin," McGonagall said, "Ten for each successful needle."

Harry looked at Ginny, who narrowed her eyes.

_I think we just discovered Pansy's evil plan, _Ginny said.

_Make us look like fools in front of everyone?_

_Not just that. She might even try to stop us from doing things. She might be trying to give us a bad name.  
_  
_She knows about Quirrel, Fluffy, the troll… and if we start doing something, she might find ways so it seems we did it a different way. Or… you know… get us caught before we can do anything. Mess things up for us, you know?_

Harry nodded as he twirled his oversized needle between his fingers. Ginny was right. They were going to have to do something about Pansy…

Before Pansy made this great adventure way too unpredictable.

* * *

**So I didn't have Potions Class in this chapter like I thought I would. The chat by the oak tree became much longer than I thought. Next chapter will have that (and I promise it is worth waiting for!) and something to do with the Flamel book's missing pages… and maybe even Pansy Parkinson! I have a good idea about how to deal with Pansy Parkinson… I just need a way to set it up.**


	34. The Potions Master

**Chapter 34  
The Potions Master  
**

**Disclaimer: Recognizable sections of this chapter come directly from Chapter 8 of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling. I do not take claim for these, only my own additions.**

* * *

The next morning was completely opposite from the previous morning. When Harry woke up, he dressed and made his way downstairs to the Common Room, not only was Ginny waiting there, but so was Ron, Hermione and Neville. Neville seemed very excited about something as they all made their way into the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Herbology today!" Neville said, when Harry asked him, "I've been waiting for this class. Great Uncle Algie built me a small greenhouse last summer in preparation for this class alone. Ooh, I hope we get to learn about Devil's Snare today! It is amazing!"

Neville's speech had lasted all the way to their usual seats at the Gryffindor table.

"I heard the plant is very dangerous," Hermione said, as she spread marmalade on a piece of toast.

"Oh, yes," Neville said, timidly, "It can be. It all depends on how big the plant is, and the age. If it is a baby, it won't do too much. Smaller Snare vines might wrap around your fingers, and perhaps break them. I could just imagine starting out with those."

Charms was the first class of the day. Harry was annoyed to learn that this class, like Transfiguration, was with the Slytherins. The classroom was elongated, with rows of bleacher-like seats with desks on either side of the room. In the middle was Professor Flitwick's desk and a large space for Charm usage.

"Charms is often seen in the wizarding world," Flitwick said, "as a soft subject. This is a misconception. It is seen as one of the most interesting and illuminating practices in the world. It is also usually seen as fun Charms! Oh yes… on any given day if I am feeling cheerful, we might experience some of those fun Charms. For your first year of class, you will learn some of the simplest forms of Charms. Basic Unlocking Charms, Levitation, Color-Changing, et cetera. Some of these are usually seen as everyday Charms. Today, we will start learning one of the most common Charms that you will more than likely use several times in a single week. It could be even useful for those late nights when you want the comforts of your bed to do your homework in, but everyone else is sleeping. I am, of course talking about producing Light! Everyone… repeat after me. Lumos!"

"Lumos!" everyone chanted once.

"Very good!" Flitwick spoke up, "We will also be learning the way of disabling the Light Charm. Much simpler to say. Rhymes with everyday English words. Repeat after me. Nox!"

"Nox!" everyone chanted at once.

"Excellent!" Flitwick said, "The wand technique for Lumos is a simple upwards jab of your wand. Nox is a downwards thrust of your wand. Understand? Wonderful! Now, do not be afraid. It is going to get very dark in here. When it does, I want you all to attempt to perform the Lumos and Nox Charms!"

Flitwick raised his wand, and the whole room went completely dark.

"Do not be discouraged if you can't do it after the first few tries," Flitwick said, "For some, it takes a while, but once you have the correct motion, you will be able to do so every time. An easy charm once perfected! Let's try the Light spell together – remember the simple upward jab. One, two, three! Lumos!"

Flitwick's wand lit up, illuminating his face. The students began chanting Lumos. Harry and Ginny decided this time, because the spell was so easy, to get it right the first try. Though they were not surprised when three or four other wands lit up around the classroom as well; Hermione's was one of them.

"Oh, very good!" Flitwick said, "I am happy that a few of you are able to get it straight away. Try Nox and Lumos and repeat this motion! Nox!"

Darkness crowded Professor Flitwick again. Harry, Ginny, Hermione and the other three students who successfully did the spell, followed. However, this time, Harry, Ginny and Hermione were the only ones to do so successfully."

"Wonderful!" Flitwick said, "That was on the Gryffindor side of the classroom, so fifteen points for Gryffindor – five each for the first three students to successfully light and disable their light. Continue trying in order to perfect it! And everyone else… keep trying. I am sure you'll all do very well."

After an hour of the class was finished, and a good majority of the classroom had done a successful Lumos and Nox at least once (Ron and Neville had finally done the Light Charm, but had trouble with the disabling charm), the lights were turned back on and Flitwick raised his wand, and all wands went dark again.

"Since this was a very successful first day," Flitwick said, "I have a very small assignment for you. Three students were unsuccessful with their Lumos and Nox Charms today, and three could not successfully disable their lights so I want you all to list and describe six different scenarios where you will use the Lumos and Nox Charms in your life! And well done all of you!"

"I kept hitting my elbow on the desk when I tried the downward thrust," Ron moaned, as they headed down the Grand Staircase toward the Entrance Hall half-an-hour later, "I'm going to get a bruise!"

"I could list only five ways to use Lumos and Nox," Neville said, with a frown.

"Did you suggest lighting that dark hole in your head where there is supposed to be a brain, Longbottom?" a drawling voice said behind them.

Harry narrowed his eyes as he turned and looked at Draco, Crabbe and Goyle standing there.

_I'll handle this, _Ginny said.

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Ginny twist her hand. She flicked her wrist, and Draco's foot sunk through one of the stairs.

"How about using Lumos to watch where you're going, Malfoy?" Ginny asked, snickering.

"You fools!" Draco bellowed to Crabbe and Goyle, "You didn't tell me the trick stair was right here!"

Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Neville laughed all the way out onto the grounds. They were breathing hard to calm themselves down as they headed for the greenhouses.

"You know," Hermione said, "wasn't the trick stair another level up?"

"The stairs change every day, Hermione," Ginny said. "I heard on Fridays, stairs that go to the fifth floor actually freeze at random times, and you might get stuck in the middle of the Grand Staircase with nowhere to go."

"But I swear Ron walked right where Draco was and he didn't fall!" Hermione said.

"Bad luck?" Harry asked, shrugging.

"You watch Ron walk?" Ginny asked, with a smirk.

This silenced Hermione (though Harry thought he saw her go rather pink) all the way to the Greenhouse One. Harry was happy to find out this class was not with the Slytherins, but with the Hufflepuffs. The desks sat two-by-two (Greenhouse One was like a normal classroom set-up) and Harry was amused to find that when Neville couldn't find a seat next to one of his friends, he ended up in a seat next to Hannah Abbot.

The Herbology witch, Professor Sprout, made her way to the front of the class. On the top of her head, she was wearing a straw hat with yellow roses circled around it.

"Welcome to Greenhouse One, First years!" she said. "As you can see, this greenhouse is strictly here just for the purpose of written assignments. Now… don't be discouraged. This first assignment is very easy. On Thursday, we will go to Greenhouse Two and I'll introduce you to an actual plant you'll be able to diagram and work on. First, however, I think you all can see the flower on my hat. For ten points to your house, who can tell me the most popular use of this rose?"

Neville was one of the few to raise his hands, right along with Hermione. Harry thought he might have recognized the rose, but didn't want to say anything if he was wrong. Ginny didn't raise her hand either, but he heard her whispering to herself, asking where she had seen it before.

"Ah, Mr. Longbottom!" Sprout asked.

"The yellow rose on your hat is actually a very common water plant," Neville said, his tone as confident as when Hermione answered questions, "Not because it is something that grows in a body of water, but because it needs to stay wet. It is what is known as the Butter Rose, and the liquid the rose gives off is the color of butter. It is the most common ingredient in the drink, Butterbeer! And the drink is named after the rose."

"Excellent!" Sprout said, "Nicely put, Mr. Longbottom, take ten points for Gryffindor."

Neville blushed brightly.

"I am an avid Butterbeer drinker," Sprout said, "And I grow these roses and given them to Madam Rosmerta in the Three Broomsticks so she can use them to make her own Butterbeer. Always the best from my roses, I guarantee it!"

She smiled and sat down at her desk.

"Your assignment today is simple," she said, "But it may take the whole class period to do so. What I want you to do is list as many types of magical plants as you can. I won't tell you how many there are – that would be too simple. But just list the names of every magical plant you can think of."

Neville, Ginny and Hermione all looked the happiest with this assignment. Harry knew that Ginny would be happy with the assignment. When they had moved into Potter Manor in the last timeline, and Ginny was off for a couple of months from the Quidditch League between end-of-season, and the first training camp days for the next season, she had started a magical herb garden. She had looked through three or four books of plants, and had memorized many of them.

Harry, however, didn't know too many, and he just wrote down as many as he could remember working on, hoping it would suffice. When the class period was up, he had written over forty plants… but when he looked at Ginny's list, there seemed to be almost twice as many. When she saw his list, she grinned.

_Cheer up, love. _Ginny said, as she and Harry walked with their friends back toward the Great Hall for lunch,_Plants was never your specialty. Cooking is… but not plants._

_You always insisted on working on the garden. That was your thing._

_To-may-to, To-mah-to. You fought bad guys, I fought Flobberworms._

Harry laughed out loud, then blushed when he realized Ron, Hermione and Neville were looking at him and he had no reason, at least to their knowledge, for laughing like was an hour-and-a-half between the two classes, so after a quick lunch, Harry and Ginny made an excuse that they needed to finish their History of Magic homework, then once again made their way down to their spot under the oak tree and relaxed. However, Harry couldn't relax too much because of what class was coming up.

_What's wrong, Harry? _Ginny said, telepathically._You're tense, and you're never a comfortable pillow when your muscles are tense._

_Why are we using telepathy?_

_Because it is more soothing then speaking out loud, and you're tense. Why?_

_Next class is Potions._

_Oh, come now, Harry. I'm surprised you haven't been looking forward to this class._

_Excuse me? Did you not hear me say Potions?_

_Of course I did. But you're going to know how to do almost every one of those potions easily. Without needing Snape's potion book. We had our very own Potions Lab in our basement, Harry!_

_Snape still won't be impressed even if I make a perfect potion._

_You'll never know until you try it._

_I guess so. I just have to remember placing unbreakable charms on my vials when I fill them up with each potion, so he can't knock it off the desk._

_That's the spirit! Speaking of tense muscles, have you decided how to persuade Neville and Hermione to join us with exercises, and when we should start those exercises._

_I want to let them get settled in first before we start making them get up and go to the Quidditch Pitch. A week or two at the most. We can ease them into the thought of exercising too. We can't always use the excuse of homework on Ron to come out here. Sometimes we should say we're going jogging._

_And do some actual jogging. Hogwarts food is making you put on pounds._

_Now who is a prat, Mrs. Potter! Besides, I like this private time we have._

_So do I._

Ginny smiled and looked at him, then kissed him softly on the lips. He returned the kiss, and he wrapped his arms around her as she laid back down.

"Thank you," he said,, out loud, "I'm not so tense anymore."

"I thought that might help," Ginny said.

"Maybe I should get tense more often," Harry said.

"Prat!" Ginny said.

At as quarter past one, Harry and Ginny made their way back into the castle. Hermione, Ron and Neville were coming down the stairs from the Grand Staircase when they noticed them.

"There you are!" Ron said, "I thought you were going to do homework."

"We finished," Ginny said. "We were jogging out on the Grounds."

"Jogging?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," Harry said, "Ron, Ginny and I used to jog and stuff all the time at the Burrow. Ginny and I were starting again today, gradually getting back into it, you know."

"Mental," Ron said, "That just makes you sweaty. Fred and George always said the dungeons were stifling. That will dehydrate you."

"Right," Harry said, "Next time we don't jog before Potions."

"Good thinking, Harry," Ginny said.

Ginny grinned and Harry chuckled. The five of them went down to the dungeon and headed inside the Potions classroom. Predictably, the class was with the Slytherins. Professor Snape hadn't arrived yet. Harry and Ginny made their way to the back of the classroom.

_Have you been strengthening your Occlumency barriers? _Harry asked.

_Of course. That is what I was doing when we were "jogging". You?_

_Of course. Can't take chances with Snape._

"We should sit up front," Hermione said, frowning.

"Not a good idea," Ron said, "Not with this Professor."

"Sit down everyone," the cool, clear voice of Professor Snape said, behind them, "Now!"

Hermione, Ron and Neville hurried into seats near Harry and Ginny.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word — "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death — if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

_Dunderheads? _Ginny asked.

_Same exact speech he did last time. Predictable, of course._

_Funny, Harry…_

"It looks like we have at least one dunderhead here in this classroom already," Snape said, walking slowly over toward Harry's desk. "Some students can't take the heat of the dungeon. You look rather – dizzy – Mr. Potter. I wonder if you have a clear enough mind to answer my questions."

"Yes, sir," Harry said.

"Tell me," Snape said, "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

"That would be the Draught of Living Death, sir," Harry said.

Professor Snape raised his eyebrows. "Very well. Another question. Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

"The stomach of a goat," Harry said, "It will save you from most poisons."

"I didn't ask you for its purpose, Mr. Potter," Snape said, "Two points from Gryffindor. However, I will give those two points back if you can answer this question. What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"I don't understand the question, sir," Harry said, smiling inwardly.

"You do not?" Snape asked, his lips curling in a smile.

Harry saw Hermione's hand go up.

"I'm not sure if you were mistranslating the question, sir," he said, "But there is no difference. They are the same plant, which also goes by aconite."

Snape's lip curled again, this time in a frown, and Harry knew why. He had just asked a trick question, and Harry had seen past it.

"Take your two points to Gryffindor back, Mr. Potter," he said. "The rest of you – please tell me why you are not writing this down."

Snape's cloak swished as he turned on his heel and returned to the front of the classroom.

_Very nice, Harry. _Ginny said, as she started writing down the questions and answers in her notes,_See, what did I tell you?_

_He'll get more chances, believe me._

_You'll be ready._

"For your first class, ladies and gentleman," Snape said, "You'll be brewing a potion to cure boils. You'll be working on the potion with - "

Snape looked from Harry to Ginny.

"The partner at your table," he continued. "You have the majority of class, I will be checking your potions when there is ten minutes left of this class. Start. Now."

_Too easy, Professor Snape, _Ginny said, _Your cauldron or mine, Harry?_

Harry took his own cauldron from his knapsack and set it on the table. He and Ginny each began to get a share of their ingredients from their knapsacks. Harry weighed dried nettles and while he watched the horned slugs stew in the cauldron. Ginny crushed snake fangs while she watched the fire under the cauldron rise and lower.

"Exact temperature for your slugs, Mr. Malfoy," Snape said, "Nice job."

Snape walked around the desks, watching the different students work on the potions.

"Mr. Longbottom!" Snape growled, "Do not put your crushed fangs in yet! Five points from Gryffindor. Idiot boy, you could have caused an outburst!"

_You're causing an outburst, Professor Snape, _Ginny said.

Harry smiled as he stirred the slugs, dropping portions of nettles in at a time.

"A happy Potioneer, are you, Mr. Potter?" Snape asked, walking over to Harry and Ginny's desk, "We'll see."

Snape looked down at the cauldron. Harry grinned inwardly. He knew the potion was the exact way it should be at the moment. Snape looked directly at Harry, and he recognized that stare. He felt a push against his Occlumency barrier, but knew it was strong enough. Snape raised an eyebrow and looked over at Ginny. Harry looked at Ginny, and he could tell she too was concentrating on her Occlumency. Snape's lip curled.

"Keep an eye on that fire, Miss Weasley!" Snape muttered, "Or are you – perhaps – too young to tend to fires? Little girls such as yourself should play with dolls, not fires. You'll get burned."

Draco, Crabbe and Goyle snickered. Between Snape's retort, obviously inflamed by his anger of the Occlumency barriers, and the snickering, Harry was incensed.

Suddenly, Snape hissed in pain and put his hand to his arm. At first, Harry thought he was clutching his Dark Mark, but he put up the sleeve of his other arm. It was very red. Snape took his wand out of his pocket and started murmuring under his breath. He then looked at Harry and narrowed his eyes.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley," Snape said, "Clear your cauldron, and gather your things. You are coming with me to the Headmaster's office now! Everyone else! Clear your cauldrons! You may leave. No grade today! You two, hurry up!"

Harry watched, putting his things away, as Snape swished his cloak around and walked over to a cupboard, where he took out a vial of something and put a few drops on his arm. Soon, Harry and Ginny were done, and they picked up their knapsacks and followed Snape out of the classroom. It took about ten minutes to get to the gargoyle outside the Headmaster's office. Harry and Ginny were both silent, not daring to use telepathy to each other.

"Treacle Tart," Snape muttered, "Move!"

The Gargoyle moved off to the side, and the stairs descended.

"Get up there now," Snape growled.

Harry and Ginny hurried up the steps and Snape followed them. Dumbledore was sitting at his desk. The perch where Fawkes was sitting was empty at the moment.

"Well, a delight to see you, Mr. and – ah," he said, eyeing Snape, "Good afternoon, Professor Snape. Aren't you supposed to be teaching a lesson."

"I was in the middle of a lesson, Headmaster," Snape said, "And these two students – well, I don't understand what happened exactly."

_Of course you do, you idiot. _Harry snarled. _You insulted Ginny and paid for it._

_It wasn't that much of an insult, Harry._

"Can you tell me what happened?" Dumbledore asked.

"I asked the students to make potions to cure boils," Snape said, "And I walked over to Mr. Potter and Miss Weasley's potion to see how they were doing."

"It must have been dreadful if you're up here seeking a meeting with me," Dumbledore said, smiling to Harry and Ginny.

"It was… not dreadful," Snape admitted, "It was… satisfactory. I asked Miss Weasley to continue on her fire on the cauldron, and then I felt a burn on my arm."

"Which arm?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry did his best not to roll his eyes. Did Dumbledore think Snape's Dark Mark burned?

Snape motioned to the arm without the Dark Mark.

"It seemed like someone hit me with an Inflaming Jinx," Snape said. "No student in that class should know, or be able to perform that jinx!"

"Of course not," Dumbledore said, "Did one of these two students do so?"

"Not unless they used a silent incantation," Snape said.

"Would you believe they are capable of such?" Dumbledore asked.

"I do not know," Snape said. "Mr. Potter – earlier in the class, I asked him three questions. Questions that are usually asked during my NEWT levels. And he answered them all correctly."

"Wonderful," Dumbledore said, "That would usually reward a student points for their house."

"I gave him points," Snape said.

_You took two away, then gave me then back, _Harry said,_ That is zero in my book!_

_Preaching to the choir, my love._

"But that is not what is important here," Snape said. "These two students should not be able, at this age, to answer such questions, nor should they be able to correctly prepare that Boil Cure at that stage with that little passing time. Nor should they –"

Snape scoffed and shook his head.

"Yes, Professor Snape?" Dumbledore asked.

"I may have overstepped my boundaries today, Headmaster," Snape said.

"Oh?" Dumbledore asked.

"I was wanting answers," Snape said.

"Of course you would," Dumbledore said, smiling.

"I tried to attempt the slightest form of Legilimency on these two students," Snape said, "And –"

"And?" Dumbledore urged.

"They both blocked me," Snape said, "It is impossible! Not at this age!"

"Ah, Professor Snape," Dumbledore said, "Surely you know it is not impossible. Surely you have heard of born ability of the Natural Occlumens?"

"Of course, Headmaster," Snape said, "But two Naturals in the same year, the same class, working together?"

"Ah, if you think about it," Dumbledore said, "It is under special circumstances these two are in the same class and year."

"I – of course, Headmaster," Snape said, "You are right."

"Natural Occlumens have a gift from a young age," Dumbledore said, "To block all forms of Legilimency. I am not surprised, Professor Snape."

"No, sir," Snape said, "I wouldn't expect so."

"Did you come here to give these two students some form of punishment?" Dumbledore asked.

"I… I have no evidence to do so, Headmaster," Snape said.

"Of course not," Dumbledore said, "I imagine with no Professor in your class, and potions brewing, you had cleared the class for the day, yes?"

"Yes, sir," Snape said.

"Very good," Dumbledore said, "Harry, Ginny, you may go and do what you wish. Professor… please stay behind for a few moments."

"Thank you, sir," Harry said.

"Have a good day, Harry, Ginny," Dumbledore said.

"Sir?" Harry asked, "If you don't mind me asking… where is your phoenix?"

"On an errand, Harry," Dumbledore said, "Thank you for your concern."

Harry nodded and followed Ginny out of the office.

"Why did you ask about Fawkes?" Ginny asked, as they walked down the corridor, toward the Grand Staircase.

"I've just never seen him away from the office like this," Harry said, "Unless he was helping me or something. It was odd."

"He's Dumbledore's messenger, Harry," Ginny said, "I expect he's sending a message. Far more useful than owls."

"Right," Harry said, "Silly me."

"So what do you think about Snape now, Harry?" Ginny asked.

"I think we've just made him worse," Harry muttered.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore sat there, with his hands folded as he looked at Professor Snape. Harry and Ginny Potter had just stepped out of the office. Albus had almost made a grave mistake earlier with the Bonded couple. He had almost called them "Mr. and Mrs. Potter" and Snape was right behind them. Snape, of course, like the rest of the teachers, did not know of Harry and Ginny's Soul-Bond. Albus realized his mistake could have been costly.

"Yes, Headmaster?" Snape asked.

"As you stated earlier, Severus," Albus said, "You overstepped your boundaries today."

"Yes, sir," Snape said.

"You do know it is illegal to use Legilimency on a student," Albus said, "Just as it is illegal to use Veritaserum."

"Yes, sir," Snape said, "It was a minor slip of judgment."

"We all make minor slips, Severus," Albus said, "It is the major slips that are costly. I, too, found myself with the desire to use Legilimens on a student a couple days ago."

Albus was sure, as Snape looked at him, that the Potions Master probably knew which student he was talking about.

"Alas," he said, "I stopped myself."

"I should have done so myself, Headmaster," Snape said.

"Yes," Albus said. "As you may expect, Severus, Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley are a bit – shall we say – special amongst the students here."

"I see no difference between them and the others," Snape said.

"Of course you don't," Albus said, "If you did, you would find them a most interesting pair."

"Pair?" Snape said.

"Just a phrase, Severus," Albus said. "But yes, most interesting. The so-named Boy Who Lived, and a girl who is now the youngest first year in Hogwarts history? Invited to this castle by the castle itself? Special amongst their peers."

"You could say that for a number of students that have been here over many years, Headmaster," Snape reasoned.

"That is true," Albus said, nodding. "However, these two… I have a feeling the things you experienced today with them are just the beginnings of something special we will witness with them. I am ever watchful toward them. But it is my wish that you remain less watchful. Treat them as you would treat every student in this castle. No different. Do not treat them better… or worse because of the events of today, Severus. Even if there is a chance your injury was caused by them. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Headmaster," Snape said.

"Very good," Albus said, "you are excused."

Snape turned on his heels and walked out of the office. Almost immediately, Fawkes the phoenix appeared over Albus' desk, dropped two scrolls of parchment in front of him, then returned to his perch, and immediately drifted off to sleep.

"Thank you, old friend," Albus said.

He leaned forward and saw that both scrolls were numbered 1 and 2. He opened the #1 scroll and began to read:

_Albus,_

_My apologies for not responding so quickly. Perenelle and I have pondered over the answers of your previous letter with much thought._

_We are most delighted to learn of the news that the newest Bond-mates have taken to their gift so greatly. It gave me many good thoughts, and that is a very good thing, especially when my days are so troubled as of late._

_Before I answer your concern, however, I must comment on your answers to one of mine. I am very glad to find that your plans of security are working well. However, Perenelle and I have been very worried about this as of late anyway. We have been ravaged by more nightmares. Instead of our island, the nightmares show us a darkness over your own school. The darkness that was once on our island, I fear is now ever close to you. I do so hope that which we hold dear is safe, though Fate has told me it may not be. I hope for mine and Perenelle's sake that I am wrong._

_As for your concern, the news is indeed troubling. The contents of Chapter 7 of my book were indeed very important to those who are experiencing the Soul-Bond. Of course, your students who are dealing with it, won't experience this for a few more years. One portion, each of them will face when they each turn fourteen, and the other part will happen when the youngest of the two, the girl, turns fourteen. For it to happen on two souls so young is very troubling indeed. Troubling that, if the information is revealed right at this very moment to the bond-mates, it might make them fearful of the gift that is being given to them._

_I wish that the world we live in at this very moment was a much kinder one. It would certainly give me one of my greatest gifts I could ever receive. I would have loved for myself and Perenelle to meet the newest bond-mates. Unfortunately, the current events taking place tell me I may never get that honor. If this was different, Perenelle and I could have sat down with the young mates and inform them what is going to happen to them. But we cannot. Therefore, in this second scroll of parchment, I have given you the information that I believe is missing in my book. The entire contents of Chapter 7, though I am sure the whole chapter is not missing. I give you permission to read them, Albus. But please… keep this information to yourself until you see fit to give it to the new bond-mates. They are not ready for it at this very moment. Their hearts and souls are too young._

_I feel an end coming, my old friend, and if it is, in fact, mine and Perenelle's end, do not feel sad for us. Perenelle and I have lived very long lives. In fact, sometimes we feel quite selfish to have lived this long. But at this moment, I feel most privileged. Privileged to have been able to know you and Fawkes. And privileged to have known about the existence of a new Bonded pair. It is the greatest gift this old man could ever receive to know these truths._

_I hope we can meet again before the end._

_Until then,_  
_Nicolas Flamel_

Albus felt tears in his eyes. The way his old friend was talking about the end was very saddening. And yet this darkness he felt was coming over Hogwarts – yes, Albus had felt it too. He knew it would come. He just hoped it did not affect Nicolas and Perenelle.

He rolled up the parchment and took the other one, then unrolled it. For a good five minutes, he read through the words of the mysterious Chapter 7. His mind reeled as he read through the experiences of Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel. For something like this to happen to Harry and Ginny in the near future – just under three years from now for the first, and just under four for the second! Both were quite troubling for such young minds as Harry and Ginny. He now understood why Nicolas thought it best to keep this information away from the young Bond-mates until they were ready.

Albus just wondered when it would be best to reveal such information. As for that answer, he did not know.

* * *

**So… Snape now knows about Harry and Ginny's Occlumency powers, though he thinks they are something given to them from birth. He also finds it odd that Harry and Ginny know so much. Will he continue to investigate and torment the couple? Or will he heed Dumbledore's advice. We will see…**

**Yes, I know some of you wished that Harry and Ginny could meet Nicolas and Perenelle. Unfortunately, I cannot do that, because of the storyline I have decided for the missing information. Dumbledore now holds that information... when will he reveal it to Harry and Ginny? Oh, not for a while. A long while. Sorry about that… this is just one answer that is going to have to wait to be revealed.**

**I hope you liked this chapter! Soon, we are going to get into some time-skips… not too much, or too bad, but there are events I want to get into. You may already know about some of those events because of the book. But first… we need to do something about that pesky Pansy! What will it be? You'll have to wait and see!**


	35. Flying Lessons

**Chapter 35  
Flying Lessons**

**Author's Note: Q&A Time!**

**Q: (regarding Chapter 30) I was thinking the exact same thing about the hat being able to read his mind and also with the soul bond. However, I thought that Harry had his own, Ginny's, and Voldemort's soul in him.**

**A: You know, I hadn't really thought about that... oops... ah well. Though as Ragnok said, a Soul-Bond is different from a Horcrux when it comes to the soul. So… I guess that COULD pass off as a reasonable explanation for why the Sorting Hat didn't react like you would think. The Sorting Hat would sense it in Harry's body (saying he'd do well in Slytherin in the previous timeline), but it was more focused on the "cunning" trait of Harry's plans to change the timeline, and the Soul-Bond itself.**

**Disclaimer: Recognizable sections of this chapter come directly from Chapters 8 and 9 of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling. I do not take claim for these, only my own additions.**

* * *

The first week of classes seemed to go on forever in Harry's opinion. On Saturday, while Ron, Neville, Seamus and Dean were still asleep (Ron and Seamus snoring noisily), Harry stared at the ceiling of his four-poster bed. It was nearly eight-o-clock. He had two hours to get up, get dressed and get a bite to eat before Flying Lessons started out on the grounds.

Even though flying lessons was optional, and he knew how to fly, he would still show up, mostly because if events turned out the way they did in the last time-line, he could be the Seeker for the Gryffindor team by the end of the day, and he could get his Nimbus 2000 sent from the Burrow. He needed his broom before he could even start thinking of plans to get down to the Chamber of Secrets. Getting down there wasn't on the top of his priority list yet. He had other things to do first.

But for now, he stared up at the ceiling, reminiscing about his first week of class. Most of the week seemed monotonous, and that was why, to Harry, it seemed it would never end.

Defense Against the Dark Arts (sadly enough) and History of Magic, were still boring. Quirrel taught more about iguanas and their supposed link to the Dark Arts, even though the students wanted to hear about the mummy he briefly mentioned before changing the subject. After the students turned in their stories of Uric the Oddball to Professor Binns (Ron's attempts at asking Hermione to help him had failed, and even though she had hinted about the assignment, he had written how Uric tried to convince a prince he was a hag, instead of the other way around), the ghostly teacher lectured again, causing sleepiness throughout the class; only Hermione seemed immune from the effects.

In Transfiguration, they were still turning matchsticks into needles, though after the previous day's class, half of the class had successfully transfigured their objects, and Professor McGonagall asked them to read on to the next chapter, while they waited for the rest of the class to improve. After an exciting first lesson of Light Charms, the first years hoped for some of the "fun Charms" Flitwick had mentioned. Unfortunately, it went the opposite way: Flitwick had decided that a lecture, notes and book reading was the way to go for Wednesday's class. The plant Professor Sprout had mentioned was (as Neville hoped) baby versions of the dangerous Devil's Snare. Students were asked to draw and label parts of the plants, but for most of the class they were waging battle, trying to keep the baby plants' vines from snatching their fingers, wrists and, in Ron's and Seamus' case, wands.

After the first lessons of Potions, Harry still had two consecutive classes of Potions to get through that week. On Thursday, they were asked to, once again, brew potions to cure boils, to make up for what they had missed. While a quarter of the students, Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron (Ron, thanks to the fact that he was Hermione's partner) included, made successful potions, Snape was still disgruntled with the other students' results and on Friday, he told everyone to answer questions in the textbook, and write a twelve-inch essay on the best way to obtain the ingredients needed for the potion. Harry and Ginny were surprised, however, that Snape was avoiding them. He would not let them answer questions he asked out loud, not after his experience with Harry the first day, nor would he walk by them when they worked on their potion on Thursday. This, however, was just fine with Harry.

The last class of the week was Astronomy, where the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws traveled to the tall tower at eleven in the evening, were requested to find the star-sign that was their birthday's sign and map it. As Harry and Ginny had known for a while now, their signs were the same, Leo the Lion, and they were able to work on it together through their Soul-Bond. Funny enough, Ginny's mind-sight actually helped this time. Harry found the star-sign when Ginny couldn't, and then through her mind-sight, which she had learned to control a little in the past couple of weeks, she was able to find the sign as well. All of the students were tired when they returned to their common rooms and dorms when class ended at half-past-midnight.

Harry's mind traveled back to his free time he had spent outside of class. Due to the excuse and Ginny had made up on Tuesday, Ron had joined Harry and Ginny outside two out of the next three days, and they ended up jogging halfway down the long driveway from the gates to the school. They tried to talk Hermione and Neville into joining them, but so far both had made excuses of the homework they needed to get done. However, on Friday evening on their way up to Astronomy, Hermione and Neville both said they would be willing to join in the exercises. It was agreed that Hermione, who seemed to be the best at keeping a schedule would figure out times they could spare to start on their exercise routines.

Harry's mind started to travel to the two hours he and Ginny had spent at their oak tree Thursday evening after Potions when he felt a familiar presence visit it.

_Well, I was going to ask if you were up, _Ginny said, _But I can sense through your emotions that you are. I should have known you were lying in bed thinking about me. _

_Can you blame me?  
_  
_Nah, I'd be a hypocrite if I did. I had a very nice dream about you last night, and it has been on my mind all morning. Shame we don't share dreams as common as we do nightmares._

_Yeah… shame._

_Excuse me? Is there a dream you had that you hoped I wouldn't walk into?_

_I can't help what I dream about._

_Prat! I know how your mind works. Exactly why I am glad you don't have the power of sight-share yet. You'd probably abuse it._

_I will not give you the satisfaction of an answer to that, Mrs. Potter._

_Uh-huh. Anyway I am downstairs in the Common Room. Want to come to breakfast with me?_

_Sure, I'll be there in a bit._

_'Kay._

As Harry dressed, Ron and Neville woke up too, and accepted the invitation to go down to breakfast as well with Harry.

"Gran's supposed to be sending me a care package today," Neville said, as the three of them walked down the steps toward the Common Room, "Hope she remembered."

When they arrived, they found Ginny, as well as Hermione, waiting there. Hermione looked rather shocked about something.

"I asked Ginny if she wanted to go breakfast," she said, when Ron asked her, "and she said we should wait for you, and that you would probably be down soon to come with us. I didn't expect her to be right!"

"Technically, I only guessed that Harry would be awake," Ginny said, "Solely on the fact that he doesn't sleep in very long on Saturdays."

"Not really a good thing," Ron muttered, as the five friends started off their trek through the castle from the Gryffindor Tower, "Especially when we're not back here until nearly one in the morning because of Astronomy."

"You could have slept in," Hermione said.

"Nah, Flying Lessons today!" Ron said.

"But I thought you said that you, Harry and Ginny already can fly a broom!" Hermione said.

"Sure," Ron said, shrugging, "But if I can show off my skills, while someone like Pansy Parkinson will probably just watch her broom lay miserably on the ground, I can't pass it up! Pity Malfoy knows how to fly well, thanks to his dear ol' Dad. I would have liked to shown him a thing or two as well. You going, Hermione?"

"I'd hate to miss a lesson even if it is optional," Hermione said, "But… I really don't fancy flying on a broomstick..."

"Oh, Hermione," Ron said, "Flying's the best! At least try. You won't know unless you try, right?"

Hermione frowned, biting her lip. Harry recognized this as a deep-in-thought look that was common with her. A moment later, she smiled and nodded.

_Speaking of showing Malfoy a thing or two, _Ginny said, _I happen to remember a story, Harry, of how you became the youngest Seeker in the last timeline._

_Mmhmm…_

_I don't suppose you're going to do a repeat of that somehow, are you?_

_If the Fates allow… what was all that with Hermione?_

_I dunno. I wasn't thinking about it when I told her you were coming downstairs. Really stupid actually… how am I supposed to know that? Of course through our telepathy, but she doesn't know that yet._

_Right. You think she's suspicious?_

_If she isn't yet, she will be. Unless we want to tell her before she learns Occlumency, we need to be careful around her. You know how smart she is. She notices everything._

_Yeah… I know._

Nearly half-an-hour later, as Harry and his friends were eating breakfast in the Great Hall, owls flew through the rafters carrying the morning post. Three owls swooped in toward their end of the Gryffindor table. Harry recognized Errol as one of them. The aged owl dropped four scrolls in front of Ginny.

"From Mum and Dad," Ginny said, "One for me, and one for you, Ron. And one for the twins and also Percy. Hmm, our brothers aren't here yet."

"Nothing for Harry?" Ron asked, frowning.

"Guess not," Ginny said, as she frowned at Harry.

"It's okay," Harry said, as he caught the Weekend Prophet newspaper that an owl dropped toward him, "I forgot to write to your Mum and Dad. And Sirius. Been so busy. I should, though. Hedwig needs a good fly."

"Why do you have a copy of the newspaper?" Ginny asked.

"Bought a subscription," Harry said, "Curious about things, I guess."

_Sorry, _he added, _thought I mentioned it. Need to know if things are happening at home._

_It's okay. Hey, Neville got a package!_

"What's that, Neville?" Ron asked, as Neville held up the small glass ball."A Remembrall," Neville said. "I asked Gran if she could buy one for me."

"I've read about those!" Hermione said, "If the smoke turns red, it means you forgot something – oh."

The smoke in the Remembrall had indeed turned red.

"You forget your brain, Longbottom?" Malfoy's drawling voice asked behind Harry.

"Shove off, Malfoy," Harry growled.

"Flying Lessons today, Potter," Draco said, "Think you can get off the ground?"

"I won't ask if you can get off the ground, Malfoy," Harry said. "I'm more worried about you crashing with that big head of yours. Perhaps you should skip class today. Optional, you know. You won't get in trouble."

"You wish, Potter," Draco said.

He harrumphed and walked off, Crabbe and Goyle in his footsteps.

"Can't wait to show him how well we can fly," Ron muttered, "Think I could knock him off his broom and tell Hooch it was an accident?"

"Ron, the best way to stop Draco is to ignore him," Hermione said.

"Anything in the Prophet?" Ginny asked Harry loudly, before Ron could retort.

Harry unfolded the newspaper and almost gasped when he saw the heading. It wasn't anything new to him, but it surprised him all the same.

_GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST _

_Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown. Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day. _

_"But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon._

"That happened on your birthday, mate!" Ron said, looking over Harry's glass of orange juice at the newspaper.

"Break-in at Gringott's?" Hermione asked, in a worried tone, "But that is impossible. All the security I've read about… they even have a dragon, if the rumor's right."

"They have a dragon," Harry said, "I've seen it."

"Really?" Ron asked, "I didn't know that."

_Oops, _Harry said, _he isn't supposed to know I use the vault that far into Gringott's yet._

_I got this…_

"We both saw it last month," Ginny said, "Sirius' vault is a high-security vault."

"Wow!" Ron said.

_Anyway, what do you think, Harry? _Ginny asked, _About the article?_

_It was the Philosopher's Stone. Even if I didn't go with Hagrid, he still might have gone and picked it up for Dumbledore that day._

_Yeah, good point._

"I wonder what the thieves were trying to get," Hermione said, frowning.

"Probably just a load of gold," Ron said, shrugging, "It is a bank."

Hermione nodded, accepting this theory.

_Are you going to try to involve Ron and Hermione in the Philosopher's Stone mystery? _Ginny asked.

_If the Fates allow, they'll probably try to figure it out anyway. Besides, I wouldn't want to take this adventure from them. It will help our friendship in the future, especially when we tell them our secrets._

_True…_

_Anything interesting from your Mum?_

_She misses me… wishes I was home. Trying to make me feel guilty. No mention of you, I see._

_Give her time…_

Yet another owl flew over Harry's head and dropped a small note in front of Harry. He picked it up and read it:

_Dear Harry, _

_Would you like to come down to my hut for a cup of tea this afternoon? I've been wanting to talk to you since our short meeting in the Leaky Cauldron in May. If you want to hear about some stories about your father, mother and their friends, I knew them very well. Or… you know… if you want to talk about your first week. Perhaps around three? Your four friends can come with you if they wish._

_Hagrid_

Harry looked up at Ginny and his friends.

"Hagrid the gamekeeper invited me for tea at three today," Harry said, "He invited you four as well. Want to come?"

Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Neville all nodded. Harry looked up at the Head Table, saw Hagrid looking at him and gave him a thumbs-up. Hagrid smiled and nodded.

"I'm telling you, Fred," George said, "Wood's gone mental!"

"That he has, brother," Fred said.

Harry turned around. Percy, Fred and George had arrived for breakfast.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"The Gryffindor Quidditch Captain," Fred said, "Oliver Wood… he's been trying to find a Seeker all week to try out for the team, and he hasn't found anyone."

"Hey!" Katie Bell said, in an offended tone, "Don't blame Oliver for that."

"Well, you can't blame anyone, really," Angelina said, "Nobody wants the job after Raymond's accident in June. Nobody wants to go up against the Slytherin Seeker's Wronski Feint after Raymond got plowed, and their Seeker… he's still here for another year."

"So you are dating Oliver, Katie?" Fred asked, "We heard rumors…"

"Yes," Katie said, blushing, "My parents aren't really happy, since I am dating so young, but… we connected when he was helping me with my skills. He wrote me this summer. But that won't be the reason I'm getting the Chaser position this morning."

"Quidditch try-outs are this morning?" Ron asked, "When?"

"Ten-thirty," George said, "Want to watch?"

"Flying Lessons," Ron muttered.

"You know how to fly, little brother," Fred said.

"I'm… going so I can help… Neville," Ron said, though he looked at Hermione.

"And your girlfriend," George asked, snickering.

Ron scowled.

"You three have letters from Mum," Ginny said, shoving a scroll toward the twins, and one to Percy.

"Excellent," Percy said.

"Ron, you can go watch try-outs if you want," Hermione said, "I might not even go. I have that Potions homework…"

"You have all weekend and Monday to complete it, Hermione," Ron said.

"Yeah, I suppose so," Hermione said.

"I'm going to Flying Lessons," Ron said, "No Seeker try-outs, it seems, and looks like Katie's a shoe-in for Chaser… it'll be over before it begins."

"Hmm, wonder what this is all about," Percy said, "Did all of you get the same news about Christmas?"

"Yeah," Ron said, "I thought Mum and Dad were going to Romania, but… Bill and Charlie coming home? That'll be fun."

"They've been looking forward to going to Romania though," Percy said.

"They were planning to go with me," Ginny said, "That's scuppered, so Mum told me on Monday they were planning something else instead. Looks like this is it."

"Should be fun," Ron said, "And you can meet Bill and Charlie, Harry! You might get to bunk with me since they'll be home!"

"You're looking forward to Christmas when it is just September?" Hermione asked.

"Who isn't?" Ron asked.

Harry and Ginny laughed out loud and Ron narrowed his eyes.

At ten, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Neville joined most of the first years out on the Hogwarts Grounds.

_Odd, _Ginny said, _Pansy isn't here._

_Good. She would probably mess something up for us._

_True…_

Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She was just as Harry remembered: she had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk.

"Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."

I've always hated these brooms,

Ginny said, as she and Harry stood side-by-side next to a couple of brooms, _They are more ancient then ours at home._

"Stick your right hand over your broom," Hooch said, "And say UP!"

"UP!" the class shouted.

Harry, Ginny, Ron and Draco's brooms were the only brooms to immediately raise into their caller's hands.

"Excellent, you four!" Hooch said as she passed them, "The rest of you… continue, with feeling!"

Draco looked towards Harry, Ginny and Ron in anger. Apparently he didn't think they could successfully call their brooms.

"Fine, fine," Hooch said, after two more minutes of shouts and groans, "Pick up your brooms and let them hover! That should be easy! They can do it themselves."

Hooch had more interest in Harry, Ginny, Ron and Draco than she did with the rest.

"Very good," Hooch said, "Now, mount your broom. And hold tight, we don't need you sliding off the end."

The students did as was asked.

"Mr. Malfoy, you are completely on the wrong end of your broom," Hooch said.

"But I've done it this way since I was six!" Draco scowled.

"Well, you've been doing it wrong," Hooch said.

Harry, Ginny, Ron, Neville and Hermione snickered.

"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle — three — two —"

"Calm down, Neville, you'll do it wrong," Ron whispered.

Neville sighed and held onto his broom as Madam Hooch whistled.

Everyone began to hover and rise a few feet. Suddenly, Ginny's broom began to rise higher in the air.

"Miss Weasley?" Hooch asked, "Lower the broom. Lean forward."

"I'm trying!" Ginny said, as she rose higher into the air, "The broom is out of control."

_What's wrong? _Harry asked.

_This broom is jinxed, I think!_

"Hang on, Miss Weasley," Hooch said, "I'll get you… let me get my – my broom? Where did it go?"

Harry growled. Something was really wrong here. Without a second thought, he kicked off and flew up into the air.

"Mr. Potter, get down here this instant!" Hooch said, "I can control this!"

_Sorry, Professor! _Harry thought, _She's my Bond-mate._

_You'll get in trouble! I can just fall and save myself._

_With what? Whoever jinxed your broom might still be around! They might mess you up!_

_What do we do?_

_I'm thinking… I… wait… maybe you should fall. I can catch you. I'll get below you._

The broom started to raise higher. Harry could hear the students below screaming for them, and Madam Hooch was bellowing at them.

_We'll go with your plan. Please catch me._

_Don't worry._

Harry sped up and flew a few feet below Ginny.

_On three? _Harry asked.

_O-okay._

Harry sighed. Even in their minds, she sounded afraid.

_Don't worry, _Harry repeated.

Ginny nodded and put a leg over her broom. Suddenly, her broom jolted up and down and she screamed and slipped off. Harry swore; he wasn't ready for her! He held out an arm, but she reached too late, and started falling toward the earth!

Without a second thought, he dropped out of the sky, and dove straight down and sped toward her. He knew what he was doing, he told himself. This was just like a Snitch. He held out his hand as he got close to her, and felt a part of her robe. He grabbed it, felt her weight and pulled her toward the broom. She grabbed onto his arm and pulled herself up onto the back of his broom.

The students who were gasping, crying out and screaming before were now cheering, mostly in relief.

Ginny was breathing hard and sniffling behind him.

_You're okay, _Harry said, _I knew I could get you._

_I had no doubts, Harry. Er… why does my arm hurt? Strange… it doesn't feel hurt._

_I think it is me… you're feeling my pain._

He knew he might have pulled a muscle in the arm he had pulled Ginny up with. This was his eleven-year old body, not his twenty-year old Auror-trained body. He told her that, as they flew down toward the ground and settled down easily.

"Harry Potter!" a voice rang out.

Harry looked up. It wasn't Madam Hooch who had yelled out, but Professor McGonagall.

"Come with me, you two," McGonagall said, as she walked over to Harry and Ginny.

"Ginny!" Ron said, running toward them with Neville and Hermione, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Ron," Ginny said, as she and Harry dismount from the broom..

"We'll let Madam Pomfrey decide that, Miss Weasley," McGonagall said, "You and Mr. Potter will come with me. Madam Hooch! Come here please!"

Madam Hooch hurried over to McGonagall.

"She said her broom was jinxed, Minerva," Hooch said, "It sure looked like it. Never seen anything like –"

"I understand," McGonagall said, "However that is not what I requested your service for."

She whispered something in Hooch's ear. Hooch raised her eyebrows at McGonagall.

"That's an… odd request," she said, "But okay, if you're sure…"

"Come, you two," McGonagall said.

"Oi, you lot!" Hooch said to the students, "Class dismissed! Do what you wish!"

Hooch rounded up the broomsticks with a single spell and walked off in the direction of the Quidditch Pitch. Harry and Ginny followed McGonagall into the castle. Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the Hospital Wing.

"Oh dear, what's happened, Minerva?" Madam Pomfrey, the Hogwarts Nurse, said, "Accidents during Flying Lessons? I wouldn't be surprised. Happens every year."

"Please give something to Miss Weasley for shock," McGonagall said, "And Mr. Potter…"

"Something's wrong with my arm, I think," Harry said; he was sure it was a muscle sprain, but he was still holding it gingerly throughout the whole journey just in case.

"Well, come with me," Madam Pomfrey said, "We'll get you fixed right up. Anything else, Minerva?"

"Someone else will be here in a few minutes," McGonagall said, "Nobody hurt… just meeting me here."

"Odd place to meet," Madam Pomfrey said, "But… as you wish."

Harry and Ginny sat down on adjoining beds. Madam Pomfrey did a diagnostic spell with her wand on Harry's arms.

"Sprained muscles, I believe," she said, "Common flying and Quidditch injury. Nothing a nice Potion won't fix. Oh, there's more here… this is… but this is most peculiar."

"Something wrong, Madam Pomfrey?" McGonagall asked.

"I'm… not sure," Madam Pomfrey said, "It's almost as if…"

She looked at Harry, then looked at Ginny, in disbelief.

"Ah… it seems I am a bit late," a voice said.

Harry cricked his neck as he looked up.

"I heard two of my students had an interesting Flying Lesson," Dumbledore said.

"Headmaster," Madam Pomfrey said, "I was running diagnostics and…"

She frowned and waved her wand over Ginny.

"This is – most unheard of!" she gasped.

"Yes, I thought a diagnostic spell might catch that," Dumbledore said.

"What is going on, Albus?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"I would like to know that too, Albus," McGonagall said, "They are my students."

Dumbledore looked at Harry and Ginny.

_What do you think? _Ginny asked.

_They're going to want to know. Madam Pomfrey… well, it seems diagnostic spells can sense Soul-Bonds. I think she knows enough already. She is a Nurse._

_Perhaps it is better our Nurse and Head of House know._

_I guess so…_

Harry nodded to Dumbledore, and he smiled.

"Please finish checking up on your patients, Poppy," he said, "Then I will explain it to both of you in your office."

Madam Pomfrey summoned two bottles, each filled with a different potion. One was a peach color, while the other was clear. Harry recognized both: the first was a muscle relaxant, while the last as a remedy for shock. Madam Pomfrey poured the peach-colored potion into a summoned glass, and then the clear potion in another glass.

"This is for you," she said to Harry, handing him peach-colored glass, "And Miss Weasley… for you. Please drink and stay here until I return."

Harry gulped down the potion and made a face. It tasted like bogies.

Madam Pomfrey and McGonagall followed Dumbledore into the small room adjoining to the hospital.

"Blah!" Ginny groaned, "I hate shock remedy potions!"

"More and more people are finding out about our Soul-Bond," Harry said.

"We should have known diagnostic spells would find something odd with us," Ginny said. "Good thing we found out now… what if we had to go to St. Mungo's for something? I doubt there is such thing as Healer-Patient confidentiality when it comes to something like this."

"Yeah," Harry said.

_Harry_, Ginny said, _On the way up here I was thinking about who might have jinxed my broom._

_Professor Quirrel jinxed mine last timeline…_

_I know. But don't you think that the person who did this wanted us to think it was him? Harry, I bet it was Pansy! She wasn't at Flying Lessons._

_I'm going to kill her._

_No you aren't Harry._

_She tried to kill you!_

_Harry, we'll figure this out, but you will not kill her._

Before Harry could respond, Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall, and Madam Pomfrey, walked out of the office. The latter two looked toward Harry and Ginny in shock.

"I guess you know now," Ginny said.

"Yes, Miss… Mrs. Potter," Professor McGonagall said.

"Miss Weasley is fine," Ginny said, "The other name is – err – private."

"Of course," Professor McGonagall said.

"Well, I am glad to know about this," Madam Pomfrey said, "From what I've heard, this bond can be tricky. Have you been feeling anything that you do not like yet?"

"Nothing except nightmares," Harry said. "We share them."

"I'd suggest Dreamless Sleep Draughts," Madam Pomfrey said, "But they're easy to become addicted to."

"I don't think it is best, Poppy," Dumbledore said, "From what I've heard, the only cure to these nightmares is that Harry and Ginny can share them together and calm each other down afterward."

"I've heard many rumors about these bonds, Headmaster," Professor McGonagall said, "As Mr. and – Mr. Potter and Miss Weasley get older –"

"We cannot know if they are rumors or fact, Minerva," Dumbledore said, "We'll just have to wait and see. For the moment, I do not think there is too much to be concerned about. All signs point to the facts that Harry and Ginny will have nothing besides these nightmares to worry about for a while."

Professor McGonagall frowned and nodded. "Of course, Headmaster."

"If anything changes that you do not like, Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley," Madam Pomfrey said, "Come see me immediately. As Professor Dumbledore requested, I promise we will keep this information confidential."

"Yes, Madam," Harry said, while Ginny nodded.

Suddenly, the sound of a throat clearing was heard. The five occupants of the room looked toward the door. Oliver Wood was standing there, looking expectant and confused.

"You requested me, Professor McGonagall?" he asked, as he walked over to them.

"Yes, Mr. Wood," Professor McGonagall, "I was wondering if you have found a Seeker yet?"

"No, ma'am," Oliver said, frowning, "No Seeker showed up to try-outs. Only Chasers. Katie Bell is the new Chaser, and I predicted that before the term even started. I'll just have to search more…"

"Search no longer," Professor McGonagall said, "I have found you a Seeker!"

Oliver raised his eyebrows, and as McGonagall looked at Harry, so did he. His face glowed as if he had won the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup already.

-  
**This chapter seemed like it wouldn't end! So many things changed from my original plans. The Neville fiasco was going to be what I used, but I thought it was too predictable. So I used what I went with. And then I just kept writing as things went in my head. When I started this chapter, I had other plans for it, including Hagrid and something else I do not wish to spoil… but then things progressed as the Flying Lessons went on and… whew! I totally surprised myself with everything that happened after the Flying Lessons.**

**I do hope you like this chapter. More to come! Next chapter should be exciting if my plans go well!**


	36. That Flighty Temptress, Adventure

**Chapter 36  
That Flighty Temptress, Adventure**

**Author's Note: The PoV switches are going to get rather confusing in this one. So watch them. The first two is Harry, the next is Ginny.**

**Disclaimer: Recognizable sections of this chapter come directly from Chapter 9 of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling. I do not take claim for these, only my own additions.**

**Edit: FFN mistake, had to reupload.  
**

* * *

"You're _joking_!" Ron exclaimed.

It was a quarter-to-three, and Harry and Ginny had only been let out of the Hospital wing fifteen minutes prior.

The discussion about Harry's new Seeker position had lasted nearly twenty minutes. McGonagall described to Oliver and Professor Dumbledore about what had happened during Flying Lessons. Dumbledore had given Harry fifty points for his bravery and quick-thinking for saving Ginny's life, and promised that he would get to the bottom of this broom-jinxing problem. Oliver had a ten-minute discussion with Harry about his broom flying skills, Quidditch knowledge, and his maneuvers he used to catch Ginny. Oliver looked ecstatic, saying "If he can catch a – what are you, Miss Weasley, seventy-pounds wet? – ten-year old little girl, he can easily catch a Snitch! Youngest Seeker in a century! Oh, thank you Professor!" and then raced out of the Hospital Wing, positively whooping and saying he needed to find Katie and the team.

After Professor Dumbledore left, Madam Pomfrey requested to Harry and Ginny that they stay in the Hospital Wing for a couple of hours for some bed-rest. However, this bed-rest only came after Madam Pomfrey ran more diagnostics explaining she wanted to look more into their Soul-Bond. Harry was rather annoyed how she had called him and Ginny 'interesting subjects'.

When, Harry and Ginny woke up from their naps, it was nearly two. They had a quick lunch, brought to them by house-elves, then were given permission to leave.

Now they were heading down toward Hagrid's Hut, and Harry and Ginny had just got done explaining the news about Harry's new position.

"But Fred and George said they failed to get Professor Dumbledore to let first years make the teams!" Ron said, "I could have tried out!"

"I think Harry was allowed because Professor McGonagall knew Wood couldn't find a Seeker," Ginny said, "Really… he was desperate you know, and McGonagall's obsessed with Gryffindor winning the cup this year."

"Wow, Harry," Ron said, "You must be the youngest Seeker in a –"

"Century," Harry finished, "According to Wood."

"That is all very nice," Hermione said, "But I think we should worry about the reason this all happened. It is more important."

"Nothing is more important, Hermione!" Ron said, "Harry's the new Seeker!"

"So that is more important than the fact that your little sister's broom was jinxed?" Hermione asked.

"I – err – well," Ron stammered, "Jinxed? Are you sure?"

"I couldn't control my broom," Ginny said, "It kept going higher."

"And what about the fact that Madam Hooch's broom disappeared?" Hermione asked, "I bet it was banished. You know… someone made it disappear."

"But – who would want to do that to Ginny?" Neville asked.

"Ginny fell off her broom," Ron said, his face going pale, "If – if Harry didn't catch her – someone tried to kill her!"

"Oh, Ron," Hermione said, "Madam Hooch said she was ready to put a Cushioning charm down on the ground. But still – you were very brave up there, Harry. And fifty points to Gryffindor for it, from Dumbledore himself!"

"Harry," Ron said, "Er… thanks for saving my sister."

"You're welcome, mate," Harry said.

"My hero," Ginny said, dramatically, linking her arm with Harry's.

Ron and Neville snickered when Harry blushed.

_Wow… he's not complaining about this, _Ginny said, looking down at their linked arms.

_Do you think I could get away with kissing you?_

_Don't push your luck, prat._ Pause. _You can kiss me later._

_Deal._

* * *

"Well, your father woulda been right proud o' you, Harry," Hagrid said, as he poured tea for everyone, "Even if ya didn't become Seeker. Savin' Ginny's life like tha'… if it is how ya say it… right proud. Down, Fang!"

The five friends were in Hagrid's hut, and they had just told him what had happened during Flying Lessons and Harry's meeting with Wood.

"Thanks, Hagrid," Harry said, "I wonder what Mr. and Mrs. Weasley will say. McGonagall said she'd write to them today… I think she was wanting to buy me a broom, but I told her I have one."

"They'll be proud too," Hagrid said, "Savin' their little girl."

"Yeah, they'll be proud," Ginny said, "Right after they ban me from getting on a broom ever again."

"Oh, now, Ginny," Hagrid said, "I'm sure ya are a fine broom flier. It was an accident. They'll understand 'at."

"Who would want to jinx Ginny?" Ron asked.

"Harry was right next to Ginny," Neville said, "I-I mean, it could have been him instead."

Everyone looked at him. He blushed and took a gulp of tea.

"Sorry… just been thinking about that," he said.

"Maybe you're right, Neville," Harry said.

"Say… Draco might have done it!" Ron said, "Ginny and Harry's stood up to him a couple times this week."

"Draco was looking at his broom," Hermione said, "I've read about jinxes, and you have to keep eye contact. He couldn't have done it."

"Oh… yeah… right," Ron said.

"What do you think, Hagrid?" Ginny said.

"Dumbledore will find out, Harry," Hagrid said, "Don't you worry 'bout tha'. Good man, Dumbledore, he'll figure it out."

"Say, Hagrid?" Ron said, "You hear about the Gringott's break-in?"

Hagrid frowned and nodded. "Aye, I heard about that."

He drank from his large mug.

"It must have been a really powerful wizard to break into Gringott's," Hermione said, "I mean – the security is supposed to be powerful. I wonder if the vault was near that dragon."

"Nah, it wasn't," Hagrid said.

When everyone looked at him, he realized what he had said.

"I shouldn't have said that!" he said, "No questions. I know nothing about it!"

The others gave looks of amusement.

"So the vault was near the dragon?" Ron asked.

"No questions!" Hagrid said, "And no, it wasn't. I on'y heard a bit. And 'at was only… only because I went to ask abou' the dragon. I love dragons."

"You like dragons?" Hermione asked.

"Yeh," Hagrid said, "I'd love to have one."

"Hagrid," Ron said, "You live in a wooden house!"

Hagrid waved a dismissive hand, and accidentally knocked Harry's mug of tea over.

* * *

"Mental, Hagrid is," Ron said, half-an-hour later, as the five friends entered the castle again, "I can't believe he wants a dragon."

"Isn't it illegal to own a dragon outside a reserve?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," Ginny said, "Our brother, Charlie, he works with dragons in Romania, at a dragon reserve. He writes home all the time about a new burn he has. At first it worried Mum, now it just annoys her, because she's learned he can get them healed pretty well."

"And they can grow a lot bigger than Hagrid's hut!" Ron said, "Mental! Well – anyone want to play chess when we get back to the Common room?"

"We have that homework to do, Ron," Hermione said, "It is better to do it right away."

"We have tomorrow, Hermione," Ron said. "Harry?"

"Mm, I should get that homework done," Harry said, "It is Potions… better to get it out of the way first. Like vegetables you don't like, you know."

Ginny saw Harry look at her and she smiled inwardly. She could tell Harry wanted some private time alone with her.

_Got something on your mind, Harry? _Ginny asked.

_You. I just want to relax after this day…_

_Hmm… we could go to our oak tree?_

_We're all headed up to the Common Room. He'd think something is strange if we both turn around._

_I have an idea. I need to do something anyway…_

_What?_

"I need to use the little witch's room," Ginny said, as they reached the third floor, "I'll meet up at the Common Room soon."

"Want someone to go with you?" Harry asked.

"Maybe it is better," Hermione said, "Someone did try to jinx – err – one of you."

"I'll be fine," Ginny said.

"Fine," Ron said, "But if you're not back in half-an-hour, we'll come look for you."

_Damn it! My protective brother…_

"Ugh!" Ginny said, "Fine! Harry, you can come with me. If you promise to wait outside the bathroom."

"Er… sure," Harry said.

"We'll still come down if you're not back," Ron said.

"My hero," Harry said, chuckling.

Ron scowled, and Hermione and Neville chuckled. Harry and Ginny walked down the third floor corridor.

"Were you making an excuse?" Harry asked, "Or do you really have to go?"

"Never ask a woman that," Ginny said, grinning.

"Lead on then," Harry said.

A few minutes later, they found the bathrooms. Harry looked as if he was going to follow Ginny in, and she shook her head.

"Stay here," she said, "You can't come in with me!"

"Yes, ma'am," Harry said.

"And you better not try to use sight-sharing, Potter," Ginny said, "It would be just like you to get that skill while I'm doing something private."

"Wow, Ginny," Harry said, "Are you using Legilimency on me?"

"No, I just know you," Ginny said.

"Of course you do," Harry said.

Ginny rolled her eyes and walked into the bathroom. One of the stalls was occupied, so she walked into one three stalls farther down. When she finished, she stepped out and went over to a sink.

"Well, well, well," a drawling voice said, "If it isn't Ginny Potter."

Ginny's eyes went wide and she turned around. Pansy Parkinson was standing there.

_Ginny? _Harry asked, _What's wrong? You became scared all of a sudden._

_It is Pansy. Only come in here if I tell you. I mean it!_

_Be careful, Ginny._

"I mean," Pansy said, "That is what it was in 2001."

"So you are from the future," Ginny said.

"Oh yes," Pansy said. "You know… first I wasn't sure if you were from the future. Of course, at first I wasn't sure if your dear husband was either. And then… less than a week after I arrived back in time, the most peculiar thing happened. Peter Pettigrew was revealed to be alive. Now… I was quite shocked. I mean… that certainly didn't happen in our timeline. And - who was at the scene of his reveal – but you and Potter. Of course… Pettigrew was posing as your brother's rat, so maybe I wasn't sure about you then. But Potter… well… what was he doing in Diagon Alley in May? I know he knew nothing about magical self until his eleventh birthday. At least in the last timeline. Then I had no doubts. The same thing that happened to me, it happened to him."

"Exactly what happened to you?" Ginny asked.

"Now, now, I'm not done, ginger," Pansy said. "It is a good story. I want you to hear it before I take care of you. You should have died today up on that broom. But no… Potter the Auror had to save you even now."

"You did jinx my broom then!" Ginny said.

"Well, duh," Pansy said, rolling her eyes, "Did you think it was – I dunno – Professor Quirrel?"

_She is getting on my nerves, Ginny._

_Not yet, Harry. She doesn't know you're there._

"Let me continue with my story," Pansy said; now, Ginny noticed she had her wand out, though she wasn't pointing it at her… yet, "I wasn't sure about you, really. I thought it was a coincidence. I mean… your parents are goody-two-shoes, of course they would want to be Potter's guardians. Potter would want to be near you even if you were not from the future because he loves you."

Pansy scoffed.

"Of course he loves me," Ginny said, "I mean… isn't that why you're hanging around Theodore? You'll end up with him instead of Malfoy this go-around?"

"At least Theodore knows what is right," Pansy said. "I'm sure I can train him… he and I will become what we were meant to be. A few years earlier this time."

"Lovers or Death Eaters?" Ginny asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Pansy retorted, "Let me finish my story. I've been thinking about this all week. It is a good one."

Ginny rolled her eyes. Yes, she would let Pansy finish. It would distract her long enough so she could think of what to do.

"So," Pansy went on, "I wasn't sure about you until last Sunday… you have Dumbledore eating out of your hand, but not mine. I know all about you, Mrs. Potter. You only appeared so suddenly in the middle of the Great Hall, because you lifted the Disillusionment Charm you had on you since you left your pretty little house. You just had to be with your man, didn't you? Couldn't resist. I bet it was easy. Confundus Charm on the Sorting Hat, and Dumbledore himself, and you and Potter can waltz through this castle through the next seven years controlling everything that happened and making sure it goes your own little way. Very smart… you just left out one little thing. Me."

She chuckled and narrowed her eyes.

"I thought I killed you and Potter in the Department of Mysteries!" Pansy said, "I thought the two of you fell in that pool and drowned. But no… you had to vanish right in front of me. I thought… hey, the pool had to be some kind of Portkey. It would send me straight to you… you wouldn't see it coming. So I put a bubble-head charm on and jumped right in… damn bubble-head charm didn't work. I got sucked in and I blacked out. Damn near drowned. When I woke up, I was eleven years old and in my bed at my parents' house."

Ginny was surprised to see that Pansy's eyes were watering.

"I saw my parents and brother again," she said. "I thought I'd never see them again. They were killed in an accident on holiday when I was fourteen. At least I'm told it was an accident. I was sent to live with Theo's family. My parents are close with them. They'll be happy to know how close I am with Theo. I should have been with him even during my first round at Hogwarts, but back then, I thought Malfoy was the right way to go, so I dated him. But… now they're back. And here I am… eleven years old, and with the magical knowledge of a twenty-one year old…"

She blinked away her tears and narrowed her eyes again.

"… and the foreknowledge to change history the way it should have happened!" she said, with a smirk.

Ginny knew it was time to act. She concentrated on a spot next to her, and hoped Harry could sense her desire for him to be near her.

"Goodbye, Mrs. Potter," Pansy said, raising her wand, "You'll be reunited with your husband and brothers very, very - Potter!"

It all happened in a flash. Harry had appeared through teleportation right next to Ginny. His arm was already raised, his wand between his fingers. Pansy's eyes widened, as a red beam hit her and sent her flying across the bathroom.

"Harry?" Ginny asked, as she stared at Pansy's body lying on the floor, "Is she -?"

"Stunned," Harry said.

"Did you hear her?" Ginny asked.

"I heard everything," Harry said, nodding.

"What do we do?" Ginny asked.

"The only thing we can do," is HHarry said, "Wipe her memory."

"What?" Ginny asked, "Harry, she –"

"If we take her to Professor Dumbledore," Harry said, "He might look through her mind with Legilimency – even if it is illegal, he'd do it to get answers. He could find out she's from the future, and –"

"He looks deep enough he could find out we're from the future too," Ginny said, nodding. "Okay… wipe her memory. One problem though. She still has her magical knowledge of a twenty-one year old."

"She won't know how to unlock it," Harry said, "I know what I'm doing."

Ginny nodded and watched as Harry walked over to Pansy. He pointed his wand toward her, and kept it there for over a minute.

"Well," he said, "I'm no Obliviator, but I think it worked. Let's go. She'll wake up in a little while with a nasty headache, and no memory of anything that would tell her she's from the future."

Ginny nodded and followed Harry out of the bathroom. They walked down the corridor, and were about to turn a corner, when Ron and Hermione walked around it.

"There you are," Ron said, "What were you doing?".

"We told you we'd be coming," Ginny said, "I was in the bathroom, what do you think we were doing?"

"Sorry," Ron said, "I was just worried. I thought about it all the way up to the portrait of the Fat Lady, and decided I should come back and find you. I let Neville into the Common Room, but Hermione seemed to know what I was up to. She said –"

He frowned and looked at Hermione.

"I told him that Neville might have been right," Hermione said, "Whoever jinxed you Ginny, might have been going after Harry, so they wouldn't care if you two were walking together."

Ginny nodded. "I suppose you're right."

Suddenly, a meowing sound was heard. Ginny and the other three turned and saw Mrs. Norris standing there, looking at them.

"Shoo!" Ron said, "Go away! Go find your -"

MIAOW!

"What is it, my sweet?" Mr. Filch's voice said from down the corridor, "Did you find those brats who threw Dungbombs down the stairs? I'll have 'em!"

"Come on!" Harry hissed, "He won't care if we say we didn't do it!"

"Did you do it?" Hermione asked.

"No!" Ginny said, "He's right, come on!"

Ginny grabbed Harry's hand and the four of them ran off down the other way, down a gallery full of suits of armor. They ran into another corridor… and suddenly, it got very dark.

"Who turned out the lights?" Ron asked. "I can't see - agh!"

Ron's yell was followed by a loud clang and bang.

"Damn suit of armor," Ron muttered.

"This is mental!" Hermione said, "Lumos!"

Ginny, Harry and Ron copied her. In the glow of their wands, Ginny could see their surroundings The corridor was full of dusty windows and spider-webs.

_Oh shit! _Harry cursed.

_What's wrong?_

"Where are we?" Ron asked.

"This is the forbidden corridor!" Hermione said, "We need to go back and –"

"We won't let them get away, my sweet," Mr. Filch said, a corridor behind them, "They're in the forbidden corridor… detention for sure. Maybe suspension."

"Run!" Ginny hissed.

Ginny grabbed Harry's hand, and ran off down through the corridor. She heard Ron and Hermione's footsteps behind her.

_Ginny, believe me, we do not want to head this way!_

_It is this way or Filch! Besides, you said you wanted to get Ron and Hermione in on this adventure!_

_Not this way!_

_Then when? After detention with Filch?_

_Ugh… come on!_

Ginny ran forward… right into the end of the corridor where they slammed into a door — and it was locked.

"This is it!" Ron moaned, as they pushed helplessly at the door, "We're done for! This is the end!"

They could hear footsteps; Filch was running as fast as he could toward them.

"Oh, move over," Hermione snarled. She tapped the lock, and whispered, "_Alohomora_!"  
_  
_The lock clicked and the door swung open — they piled through it and shut it quickly.

"Alohomora?" Ron asked.

"Basic Unlocking Charm!" Hermione whispered, "Flitwick mentioned it first class!"

Ron said something, but Ginny wasn't listening. Instead she was looking around at their new destination… knowing that they weren't alone.

_Be very, very quiet. I bet he's asleep. We don't want to wake him up just yet. Not with Filch there._

"Where are they, my sweet?" Filch's voice rang out on the other side, "Who came down here?"

Suddenly, they heard a very loud banging noise, followed by a growl.

_Uh-oh, _Harry said, _this is not good. Er… music!_

_Password to our safe at Potter Manor, Harry!_

Ginny softly hummed Hoggy Warty Hogwarts under her breath.

"Ginny, stop!" Ron hissed.

Ginny continued to hum, and Harry joined in.

"Mental!" Ron hissed, "Both of you."

"Shh!" Hermione whispered, "I heard something."

"HELLO, FILCH!" Peeves the Poltergeist's voice rang out, "Nice to see you up here!"

"PEEVES!" Filch growled, "DID YOU LET OFF THOSE DUNGBOMBS!"

"So what if I did?" Peeves asked, "Going to set Miss Kitty on me! I got moooore!"

"PEEVES!" Filch roared.

Filch's footsteps headed in the other direction.

"Thank… you… Peeves," Ron said, with a sigh, "And why are you two humming? Stop!"

Suddenly, they heard another growling sound. Ginny raised her wand, making the room light up.

"Er… guys?" Ron said, "What was that sound? Is there something in here with us?"

And that was when Ginny saw it: the monstrous three-headed dog, Fluffy. Towering over them with drool dripping from its three mouths. Its six beady eyes staring straight at them.

_Door, _Harry muttered, _Door… cue scream in… three… two…_

Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Harry all screamed. Harry opened the door quickly, and Ginny pushed them all out. Using wandless magic, she then slammed the door shut behind them as Fluffy growled and barked loudly.

They ran down the corridor and didn't stop running until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Pig snout!" Ron yelled.

"How rude!" the Fat Lady said as she opened the portrait.

The Common Room was thankfully empty. Everyone was probably outside or in the library.

"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" said Ron, turning around and looking at the three of them. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does."

"You don't use your eyes, do you?" she snapped. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"

"The floor?" Ron suggested. "I wasn't looking at its feet, I was too busy with its heads. Maybe you didn't notice. There were three!"

"No, _not _the floor," Hermione said, "It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something."

She stood up, glaring at them.

"Do you realize?" she asked, exasperated, "How close we could have… we could all have been killed — or worse, expelled! If you excuse me, I need to do my homework."

Hermione growled and walked off up toward her dormitory.

"She _needs _to sort out her priorities," Ron muttered, "I'm going to go find Neville and see if he wants to play chess. I should have done that in the first place. Three-headed dogs… mad caretakers with even madder cats… poltergeists… three-headed dogs!"

He scowled and disappeared up the boy's dormitory staircase. Ginny grinned and looked at Harry.

_Don't grin at me, _Harry said,as he walked over to the couch in front of the fireplace. _I'm mad at you._

_Why?_

Harry glared at her as she sat down next to him.

_Because! I was not planning on having them meet Fluffy that way! That way almost got us killed last time!_

_So how were you going to plan on let them meeting him?_

_Oh, I don't know… guided tour? "On this side of the cart, the forbidden corridor… oh and look! A trap door guarded by a three-headed dog… what could be down there?"_

_Sarcasm doesn't suit you. I thought you wanted them in on this adventure._

_I told you, I didn't plan on it happening this way!_

_A wise man once said: Everyone knows a good adventure cannot take place unless there is a sense of unpredictability._

Harry glared at Ginny. _I hate you… I really do._

Ginny giggled. Harry rolled his eyes, as she wrapped her arms around him.

_And yet, _he said, _I also love you… don't ask me why._

_I never planned on questioning your love._

She looked around to see if anyone was there, then kissed him softly. She smiled against his lips when he returned the kiss, then she backed away and put her head on his shoulder.

"Harry?" she asked, "Can we get a dog?"

"I thought we already had one," Harry said, with a smirk.

Ginny raised her eyebrows, then she realized what he meant and chuckled for a good couple of minutes.

* * *

**Well, this is the second chapter in a row that didn't exactly go as I planned it. Sure, I planned for the Pansy confrontation AND for it to lead up to Fluffy… but it went crazy around the part of them getting into the third floor corridor. (sigh) My fault for writing late at night.**

**So… the Pansy problem is solved… but as you may know… things sometimes have a way to come back. Will it? Maybe… we'll see!**

**Next couple of chapters are rather fun, the way I've planned them... instead of the time-skip I was planning, I got a better way to do it. Got a couple more things to do in the month of September, then I really want to get to Halloween.**


	37. Interlude I: Sirius Black

**Chapter 37  
As My Memory Rests  
(Interlude I: Sirius Black)**

**Author's Note: Most of the next two chapters are rather random, almost interlude-like chapters, but a fun way to get through September instead of a big time-skip. It was going to be one chapter, but I think I need to do it with two.**

**Minor chapter spoiler: James and Lily's Wedding date is uncanon.**

**Edit: Made a mistake, had to re-upload.**

* * *

_As my memory rests  
but never forgets what I lost  
wake me up when September ends  
_  
"Wake Me Up When September Ends" – Green Day

* * *

The following day, at noon, Sirius Black walked out of the fireplace and into The Leaky Cauldron. He had just finished up with an appointment at St. Mungo's, and had come to Tom's pub for another meeting, one he was very much looking forward to.

_One more month, _he mused, as he walked across the large room to find a table, _One more month, and I can be reinstated as an Auror._

"Sirius!" a familiar voice called out.

He looked over his shoulder and saw Arthur Weasley sitting there, in front of him a plate of Tom's special-of-the-day: a BLT sandwich, chips, and a slice of some kind of pie, from the looks of it.

"Been meaning to talk to you," Arthur said, "Come and sit down."

Sirius shrugged and walked over to Arthur's table and sat across from him.

"Can't stay long," Sirius said, "Meeting Amelia here in a few minutes."

"Madam Bones?" Arthur asked, with a grin, "A date?"

"I wish," Sirius scoffed, "She's playing hard to get. Women! Nah, just been at St. Mungo's for my monthly check-up, as Amy requested. One more month, Arthur, and you're looking at a reinstated Auror!"

"Congratulations, Sirius," Arthur said.

"So she wanted to check up on me," Sirius said, "Though, who knows? It could be her excuse for a date! What are you doing here? Sunday is usually the day off for you."

"Muggle please-men found a warehouse in South London full of Charmed – err – toasters, I think they're called. And a whole slew of other stuff. Obliviators were sent to wipe the Muggle memories, and make sure no department on their side knows anything funny, and my department was sent in for the raid."

"How fun," Sirius said, "So you've been wanting to speak to me?"

Arthur sighed and nodded. He took a drink from his glass of butterbeer and set it down.

"Has Harry sent you any post this past week, Sirius?" Arthur asked.

"No visit from Hedwig or any other owl," Sirius said, shaking his head, "Why? Should he have?"

"So you don't know what happened last Sunday?" Arthur asked, frowning.

Sirius looked at Arthur, concerned. "What happened to Harry?"

"Nothing… on Sunday," Arthur said, "Well, nothing really. Sirius… has Harry told you anything that he wouldn't have wanted to tell me and Molly?"

Sirius frowned. What had Arthur and Molly discovered? Which secret? He decided to throw out a wild guess.

"I asked him to tell you more about what happened at the Dursleys," Sirius said, "He's quite open with me about it."

"No, nothing to do with the Dursleys," Arthur said. "Anything to do with – with my daughter?"

Sirius sighed.

"You know then?" Arthur asked, narrowing his eyes.

Sirius nodded, though he wasn't sure what Arthur and Molly knew. The Soul-Bond or the time-travel? Arthur looked around and lowered his voice.

"You knew about their Soul-Bond?" he asked, "And you didn't tell me or Molly?"

"He – they – asked me to keep it a secret until they were ready," Sirius said. "They were going to tell you. Did they tell you?"

"We had to find out from Albus Dumbledore," Arthur said, sighing. "Somehow on Sunday night, Ginny wound up in the middle of the Great Hall, in her pyjamas."

Sirius closed his eyes… he knew how much Ginny would miss Harry. But to teleport in the middle of all those students and Professors?

"They told me they can teleport," Sirius said, slowly.

"Aye," Arthur said, nodding, "But Albus said that isn't what happened. Apparently Hogwarts itself summoned her there, because of their bond. She's now the youngest first year ever."

"She's a first year?" Sirius asked, amazed, "With Harry?"

Sirius nodded.

"How's Molly taking this?" Sirius asked.

Arthur frowned and sighed. He took another drink of his butterbeer.

"Should have gotten something stronger," he muttered, then looked at Sirius. "How much do you know about Harry and Ginny's bond?"

"As much as they do, I suppose," Sirius said, shrugging.

"Teleportation," Arthur said, "Telepathy, sharing emotions and pain… and… they're apparently married."

"Yeah," Sirius said, nodding.

Arthur sighed. "My little girl is married."

"How's Molly taking this?" Sirius tried again.

"Molly and I took Ginny here to Diagon Alley to do school shopping on Monday," Arthur said. "I had to go to the Ministry to take a leave of family emergency for the day. So it was just Molly and Ginny for about… oh, half an hour. Well, we couldn't afford Ginny's school stuff… we hadn't planned on that. And… Sunday evening, Ginny and Harry told us it didn't matter. They were able to use Harry's big vault. The one his mother and father owned, the one he was supposed to get when he turned seventeen."

"Aye," Sirius said.

"Molly went down there to the vault with Ginny," Arthur said, "and she said she took one look at the vault and… did you know how much James and Lily had?"

"James came from a wealthy line of family, Arthur," Sirius said, "It wasn't a secret."

"Ginny seems so happy to be in this position," Arthur said, "I – I don't know what to think about it. She's had a fancy for Harry for years, ages before she met him. Molly and I – we wrote letters to the kids a couple nights ago, Errol probably arrived at Hogwarts yesterday with them. She wouldn't write to Harry, Sirius. She refused to let me write to him too. She's – she's not very supportive of this. She knows about the emancipation thing, and she's afraid Ginny will run off with Harry. Molly found out about the properties Harry owns now, and – she's afraid Ginny will decide she doesn't need a guardian, and she'll move in with Harry. Molly said from the looks of their vault, they can take care of each other, and not even worry a wink if Ginny leaves the Burrow… even at ten years old!"

Sirius nodded. He thought of Melina the house-elf, of Harry's offer to let him live in the house… their minds being that of adults. If it came to it, they could reveal their Soul-Bond, and nobody could legally make them do anything… they could live on their own.

"What do you think?" Sirius asked.

"I'm trying to be supportive of Ginny and Harry," Arthur said. "I understand this is a troubling for them. We don't know what the Soul-Bond will bring for them. I've tried to do some research on the Soul-Bonds… looking for anything that will tell me something I can learn about, without Molly's knowledge of it. I know some things, and all theories point to – Ginny and Harry are going to need our help in this, Sirius. Sooner or later they will… and we can't afford the possibility of them distancing themselves from us. But…"

He sighed and shook his head.

"Molly doesn't know what to do about Harry," he said, "She's been talking about things lately. Bill and Charlie's coming home for Christmas, so they'll get their room back during the holiday, when Harry is there – he'll have to sleep in Ron's room. You see what she's doing?"

Sirius nodded. "She's trying to make sure Harry isn't alone in his room at night."

"Am I mad to think that?" Arthur asked, "They're ten and eleven, Sirius! They're kids… and she's wrung out because they're… technically… married. Ginny said she likes being married, and this made Molly panic. That first night… I had to dose her with Sleeping Draught just to make her happy."

He drank another sip of his butterbeer.

"I was hoping yesterday would change things for Molly," Mr. Weasley said.

"What happened yesterday?" Sirius asked.

"Molly and I got a letter from Minerva McGonagall," Arthur said. "Apparently she and Poppy Pomfrey know about the Soul-Bond now."

"Minnie – how?" Sirius asked.

"Right, guess I should start from the beginning," Arthur said; he seemed very distracted, "Yesterday was the first years' first flying lessons. It was optional, so I don't know why Harry and Ginny were there. They know how to fly. But they were… and somehow… apparently Albus and Minerva think someone jinxed Ginny's broom."

"_Jinxed_?" Sirius said, trying to keep his voice low.

Arthur nodded. "She said the broom kept raising higher and higher into the air out of control. She only seen part of this, and heard the rest. Students inside the castle were causing a commotion. She saw Harry and Ginny fifty feet in the air, and still rising, and she said Harry was right below her trying to catch her. It seemed like had a good plan, she says, but the broom started to shake and Ginny fell off. Harry tried to catch her and –"

Arthur's plate shook as his hands did. "He didn't – not at first. She started falling toward the ground, and he dropped out of the air on his broom and flew toward her, and was able to pull her up on his broomstick!"

"Harry caught Ginny out of the air?" Sirius asked, gobsmacked.

"She said she couldn't believe it!" Arthur said, shrugging. "It gets more unbelievable. So she said she took Harry and Ginny to the Hospital Wing – Ginny for shock, Harry for a muscle injury he got catching Ginny – and Poppy ran diagnostic checks…"

"And saw their Soul-Bond," Sirius said, hoarsely, "St. Mungo's would turn the two of them into an experiment if they found out. Merlin!"

"That's not the best part… you might like this one," Arthur said, "McGonagall said she was so impressed with Harry, she made him the new Gryffindor Seeker."

Sirius' mouth was in the middle of a grin and a perfect O.

"Youngest Seeker in a century," Arthur said, laughing, "She wants me and Molly to send Harry his broom."

"Oh, James Potter would have a hippogriff," Sirius chuckled, shaking his head.

Arthur nodded, then frowned. "Molly doesn't know what to think. Harry saved our little girl, and she's happy – but –"

"She's still got thoughts of their bond and marriage on her mind," Sirius said, nodding.

Arthur nodded.

"I tell you what," Sirius said, "I'll write to Harry, and talk to him about it. I'll tell him you wanted to write too, so he doesn't think you hate him."

"I could never hate that boy," Arthur said, smiling weakly, "As much as it pains me to say it… I think he's rather taken after Ginny. No surprise there."

"Potters can't resist a red-head," Sirius said, chuckling.

Arthur smiled and nodded.

"Well, I better get to my reserved table," Sirius said, "Amy will be here any minute."

"Thanks for the discussion, Sirius," Arthur said, "I needed to talk to someone about that, and I had a feeling you knew about their bond."

"Sorry I didn't tell you sooner," Sirius said, "They wanted me to keep it a secret."

"They knew how Molly and I might react," Arthur said, "I understand. You could tell how fearful they were of the fact we were learning this information – and not on their own terms."

Sirius nodded and stood up. "Give Molly my best."

Arthur smiled. Sirius walked across the room, and found the table with a folded place-card on it, reading _Sirius Black and Amelia Bones. _Sirius smiled as he sat down. The card looked rather familiar… it was new, but it reminded him of something. He couldn't remember it, though. He ran his fingers over Amelia's name… and his mind traveled back to another memory…

* * *

_December 24th, 1976_

_"James Potter and Sirius Black!" a high voice shrieked, "Exactly what are you doing?"_

_Sirius groaned, right along with his best mate James Potter. They were caught. It was the Yule Ball at Hogwarts, and they were in their sixth year. They had been spiking the punchbowls with Ogden's Old Firewhiskey, a stash they had bought from the lovely Madam Rosmerta. The first punchbowl had already been spiked, but they were so excited – so punch-drunk on their success- they hadn't kept a look-out, or asked Remus or Peter to do so. Though, of course… Remus was one of the chaperones that evening, given that he was a Prefect. One of the other chaperones was…_

_"Lily-bean!" James said, "Did you come over here to ask me to dance?"_

_"In your dreams, Potter!" Lily Evans growled._

_She took her wand from her silver and white skirt, and pointed at the bottle of firewhiskey, banishing it._

_"Hey!" James said._

_"You didn't think you were going to get caught, did you?" Lily asked._

_James looked at Sirius, and he grinned._

_"You're right… you caught us," Sirius said, frowning._

_"Sorry, Lily-bean," James said._

_"Shame… we should have spiked the other bowl first," Sirius said, doing his best to keep a straight face._

_"Hmm, I knew I heard a shriek!" a new voice said, "Why am I not surprised… James and Lily?"_

_Sirius grinned when he saw Amelia Bones walking over to them. She looked other-worldly beautiful in her silver and gold gown._

_"James and Lily," James said, sighing, "Lily-bean, do you not see how that works out? Maybe add Potter to the end…"_

_"Keep dreaming, Potter!" Lily growled._

_"Well, I'm bushed," Amelia said, "I need a drink. Hmm.. which one did you two not spike?"_

_Amelia walked over to the other punchbowl – the spiked one – and dipped a cup into it. She caught Sirius' eye and winked and drank._

_Sirius' eyes widened. She KNEW it was spiked!_

_"I was right," Amelia said, "Pure butterbeer and strawberry punch. Lily?"_

_"Sure," Lily said, "Punishing Marauders is tough work…"_

_"A lifetime job," Amelia said, handing her a glass._

_Lily took a sip and Sirius saw Amelia hide a grin. Sirius looked at James; his best friend looked as if he had won a lottery._

_"Hey, Black!" Amelia said, "If you're done trying to prank somebody, do you want to do something?"_

_Sirius' eyes widened._

_"Amelia Bones!" Lily growled._

_"What?" Amelia asked, "Just because you don't want one of the Marauders, doesn't mean I can't have one."_

_"She wants you bad, Padfoot," James whispered._

_"Good luck with Bean, Prongs," Sirius said, then looked at Amelia, "I'd be delighted. A dance?"_

_Amelia gulped down her drink and set the cup down._

_"I was thinking of taking a walk," she said, with a wink._

_Sirius grinned… oh, what a lucky dog he was tonight!_

* * *

"Sirius… Sirius Black!" a familiar voice said, breaking him out of his reverie.

Sirius blinked and looked up. Amelia Bones was standing there.

"I bought two specials for us," she said, "Tom will bring them over soon."

Sirius nodded.

"Staring off into space, were you?" Amelia asked, as she sat down.

"Reminiscing," Sirius said. "You gave Lily that spiked drink that night at the Yule Ball."

Amelia's eyes raised in surprise, and she chuckled.

"So I wanted to give James and Lily a kick-start," she said, then shrugged, "Didn't work, did it?"

"For some reason, I thought I had started our – relationship," Sirius said, "I forgot you asked me to do something that night instead."

Amelia chuckled. "You were oblivious back then, Black. I had to do something. Why were you reminiscing, hmm?"

"Do you have to ask?" Sirius replied.

Amelia frowned.

"Sirius," she said, "I –"

"Things are different than they were twelve years ago, Amy," Sirius said, "What's wrong this time?"

Amelia sighed and looked around. She then lowered her voice. "Did you forget what you asked me the day you were released? If you want to become Lord Black, and get your butt on those all-important seats, how would it look to both our careers if we were suddenly… involved?"

"You're worried about that?" Sirius asked.

"This is just as important to me as it is to you," Amelia said. "We could clean up the Ministry. Do you really want to waste it like that?"

"It wouldn't be a waste," Sirius said, "We were quite well together last time. Don't you think we could have gone on to become more if things were different?"

She frowned. "What did you want to talk to me about today?"

Sirius sighed… he'd let this slide for now. "St. Mungo's says I'll be healthy enough to be reinstated in a month."

"Congratulations," Amelia said, smiling, "I'm sure you're pleased."

"Delighted," Sirius said, and he knew how his voice sounded.

"Sirius," Amelia said, frowning, "If things were different –"

She was interrupted by Tom appearing at their table with two trays of food and bottles of butterbeer.

"Can I have mine to go?" Amelia asked, as she put coins down, paying for both her and Sirius' meals, "I won't be very long."

Tom smiled and pointed his wand behind him. A large paper sack zoomed across the room and landed on the table.

"Thanks," Amelia said.

Tom bowed slightly and walked away. Apparently he knew this was one discussion he didn't want to be in the middle of.

"If things were different?" Sirius urged, as he looked down at his BLT.

"I've had two relationships in the past twelve years, Sirius," Amelia said, "Neither lasted over six months."

Sirius' eyebrows raised at this response.

"Did they hurt you?" he asked, "I'll find them and –"

"I broke up with them," Amelia said, then sighed, "Because they weren't you."

"So… what's the problem?" Sirius asked.

"I told you," Amelia said, "I can't do this right now. I –"

She put her food in the paper sack. She stood up and looked at him.

"I'll talk to you later, Black," she said, "Come see me in a month to get your badge back."

She frowned and looked as if she wanted to say more. But she didn't. She turned and walked away. Sirius looked down at his BLT and then his eyes traveled to the placement card. He now realized what it reminded him of…

* * *

_April 25th, 1979_

_Sirius' eyed the words in front of him. It read: Sirius Black and Amelia Bones. They were on a placement holder to mark the seating arrangement at the table he was currently sitting at._

_"Speech!" Six-year old Nymphadora Tonks, her hair a bright red said._

_The hundred-plus guests of Potter Manor laughed and echoed her._

_Twenty-year old Sirius Black stood up, then smiled as he looked down at his best friend, James, who was dressed in black and silver robes. He was sitting there next to his new bride, Lily, a long white dress flowing from her._

_"Six long years," Sirius said, "Six years I had to listen to James Potter fawn over Lily Evans in the corridors of Hogwarts. Three of those years, I had to listen to James Potter ask Lily Evans out, almost daily, and hear Lily answer with a resounding "NO!" or other colorful words._

_Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Amelia Bones and Frank and Alice Longbottom laughed._

_Lily chuckled along with them and blushed, her cheeks matching her hair._

_"James and I had a falling out at the end of our sixth year," Sirius said, frowning, "And on the first day of term for seventh year, I walked onto the Hogwarts Express, looking to maybe try to rekindle our friendship. I look for James, and I find him in one of the carriages… holding hands and snogging Lily Evans!"_

_James whooped and the guests laughed. Lily smacked James' shoulder._

_"He still hasn't told me the story of what happened that summer," Sirius said._

_"And I never will!" James said, with a wink._

_"I guess what I am trying to say is," Sirius said, then looked at Amelia and grinned, "Never give up on what you want. You'll get it in the end."_

_Sirius bowed slightly at the newlyweds and sat down as the guests clapped._

_Twenty minutes later, the dance floor of the ballroom at Potter Manor was occupied with wedding guests dancing to instrumental music. Sirius was engaged in a slow dance with Amelia Bones, her head resting on his shoulder._

_In the pocket of his robes, a silver ring was resting in a maroon box… itching to be let out. He knew the moment was coming… James had given his blessings to let him do it during the wedding reception. But he didn't know when he should._

_Amelia looked up at Sirius and she seemed to be thinking of something._

_"Sirius, I need to talk to you about something," she said._

_"Okay," Sirius said, his thoughts happy over the question he was going to ask soon._

_"I'm being accepted into an apprentice role of sorts in the Ministry of Magic," Amelia said, "Working with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."_

_"Congratulations," Sirius said, "Good job for you."_

_Amelia nodded then sighed. "I don't know if I want to take it."_

_"Of course you should take it," Sirius said, "Why wouldn't you?"_

_Amelia frowned. "I'm not sure the Ministry would like - associations I could be involved with."_

_"What?" Sirius asked, extremely confused._

_"Edgar talked to me a few days ago, Sirius," Amelia said, and he thought her saw her eyes get moist, "He wanted to invite me into the Order. And he told me you, the Marauders and Lily were a part of it."_

_Sirius felt his throat go dry. Albus Dumbledore had asked him, Lily and his three friends to be a part of it a few months back. But it was supposed to be a secret, even from Amelia._

_"He told me the Ministry can't know about it, Sirius," Amelia said, "And he said… he couldn't say much because of the Secret Keeper Charm, but it makes me think there is going to be insiders from the Order in the Ministry trying to get information."_

_Sirius nodded. He would soon get into the Auror Headquarters, graduating from the Corp, and he would be an insider with the Order._

_"If I took this job, Sirius," Amelia said, "The job you think I should take. I can't be associated with anything in the Order."_

_Sirius' eyes widened. He then realized what she was saying._

_"I can't make you do anything, Amy," Sirius said._

_"I know," he said, nodding, "I know, and – I'm sorry. I have to take this job. It's good for me."_

_"It is," Sirius nodded._

_"But… if I gain this job, I lose something else," she said, then Sirius saw tears in her eyes, "If I take this job, I can't be with you, Sirius. It would get me in trouble, it would get you in trouble, and possibly the Order if it got out."_

_Sirius felt his heart go into his throat. The ring in his pocket seemed to be burning._

_"Amelia," he said, "What if – what if we tried?"_

_"Sirius," Amelia said, a sob escaping her throat, "We can't try –"_

_Sirius took a hand from around her waist, and forced it into his pocket, pulling out the maroon box._

_"Marry me, Amy," Sirius said. "This is not how I wanted to ask you, but please…"_

_Tears were pouring down Amelia's face. She moved her arms from around his neck._

_"I'm sorry, Sirius," she said, "I can't –"_

_She let the tears fall and walked away from him. Sirius stood there in the middle of the dance floor, feet from where the newlyweds were dancing, and let the tears fall._

* * *

Sirius sniffled and looked up. He saw Tom behind the bar, and he raised his hand to signal him.

"To-go bag," he said, trying to fight the tears.

Tom nodded and a paper sack flew across the room to the table. Sirius hurriedly put his food into the sack as well as the bottle. He looked at the placement card, took it and pocketed it in his robes. He stood up and headed for the Floo Network.

He couldn't think about this now… he had a note to a godson to write.

* * *

**And you might find out about that note later… next chapter is another interlude… mostly centered around Hermione.**

**I loved this chapter so much. I really want to get into Sirius and Amelia's relationship, as well as the Weasleys' reactions and relationship when it comes to Harry. Both were done well in this chapter.**

**More to come!**


	38. Interlude II: Hermione Granger

**Chapter 38  
The Innocent Can Never Last  
(Interlude II: Hermione Granger)**

**Author's Note: Even though this is an interlude focused on Hermione, some parts of the chapter will not be in Hermione's PoV. I've told myself not to use PoV markers, but this one will… because they switch so often. The first section of this chapter is dedicated to one of my most dedicated readers on FFN, **_**heronlove, **_**who voiced their concerns about a topic that I emphasized in this chapter.**

**Also, this chapter is the first one that might warrant the M rating. Individual chapter warning below.**

**Warning: Mild discussion of natural body development; possibly adult content. Reader discretion is advised.  
**

* * *

_Summer has come and passed  
The innocent can never last  
wake me up when September ends_

"Wake Me Up When September Ends" – Green Day

* * *

**(Hermione's PoV)**

_September 9__th__, 1991_

Hermione Granger sat at farthest end of the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, on the morning of the start of the second week of the term. Her History of Magic book was propped up in front of her. She was sure Professor Binns was going to lecture on Emeric the Evil today, and while she was good at note-taking, the ghostly teacher talked so fast sometimes! So she was currently writing down parts of her notes about Emeric that she was sure he might discuss, and if he talked about important things she didn't have, she could add those too.

"You're working on homework already?" Ron asked her, as he and Neville sat on either side of her. "History of Magic? There was no homework Wednesday… Binns just talked and talked."

"I'm working on notes if you must know," Hermione said. "So I can get a head-start."

"Excellent," Ron said, "Can I borrow them?"

Hermione scowled, as she usually did when he asked her to let him borrow her work.

She liked the boy – he was friendly enough, and his brothers, the twins, were right jokers. She knew they were making fun of him when they called her his girlfriend. But she hardly cared about their terms for her; they were innocent… definitely better terms than those that Harry had hinted about on the Hogwarts Express. She just didn't know exactly what _those _terms were yet.

She could tell he needed friends like her, and Neville and Harry. She had sensed that when Ron's sister, Ginny, had started her education a year earlier than she should have, that Ron would be jealous.

Even though Hermione was an only child, she had cousins and friends back home – those who could not, under any circumstance, know she was a witch – who was a part of a middle-child syndrome as the books talked about. She helped them with their dramas of not being the first child, the spoiled child, nor the baby of the family, who was even more spoiled. And Ron had so many siblings, spoiling a child probably was unheard of for them. She knew he might become jealous of or irritated by his sister because of circumstances she could not control. Hermione knew Ron would have trouble seeing this. She liked being his friend – even if just helping him feel not so left out.

"Where's Harry and Ginny?" Hermione asked.

"Harry waited in the Common Room for Ginny," Neville said, spreading butter on a piece of toast, "he said he expected her to come down soon."

"No, he said he _knew _she was going to come down soon," Ron corrected him.

"Oh yeah," Neville said, shrugging, "that did seem kind of odd."

Hermione let her book fall to the table with a soft _thud. _She looked at her friends, her mind reeling. Something wasn't right…

"He said he knew she was coming down?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," Ron said.

"Just like _she_ knew that _he_was coming down on Saturday morning?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," Ron repeated, shrugging.

"You don't find that odd?" Hermione asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Hermione," Ron said, shaking his head, "Harry and Ginny were up every day, early in the morning, for weeks this past summer to go jogging. Maybe it is like a sixth-sense to them now."

Hermione frowned. She was too smart to believe in such things as a sixth-sense. She looked at Neville.

"And you don't find this odd either?" she asked.

"Ron has a point, Hermione," Neville said, shrugging.

Neville waved a hand in the air, and Hermione looked up. Harry and Ginny were walking toward them. As they sat down, Hermione looked at both of them… and she saw something odd.

_Is something wrong with their eyes? _She asked herself.

"Harry?" she asked, concerned.

Harry looked at Ginny, then blinked and looked back at Hermione.

"Good morning," he said, "Sorry, distracted. Say something?"

"Are you okay?" she asked, "You look… dizzy."

Ginny's eyes widened and she pulled the jug of orange juice toward her. She seemed to focus on it.

"I'm… fine, Hermione," Harry said, "Has the post come yet?"

"Er… no," Hermione said, frowning. "No, not yet."

She picked up her book and looked back at it. But the words seemed to fade over as her mind went over what she had witnessed. Harry and Ginny's eyes had seemed clouded over. She ran her mind through the books she had read over the summer, searching for anything to follow the symptoms. She listed the symptoms to herself:

_Dizziness, signs of confusion, distraction, immediate change of subject…_

Hermione's eyes widened. She had read something in one of the more advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts books she had bought in her third trip to Diagon Alley in August. The sound of flapping wings overhead distracted her and she looked up as owls brought in the morning post.

"There's the post, Harry!" Ginny said.

Suddenly, a large, elongated box-like package landed in front of Harry, and he grinned. This was followed by an owl dropping a letter in front of him.

"Excellent!" Ron said, "Your broom's here. Wait till you see it, Hermione, Neville!"

Hermione nodded. Her mind went back to the book. The number three came to her mind.

"Letter's from Sirius," Harry said, as he opened the scroll, "Wonder what that's about?"

Hermione watched Harry as his eyes darted back and forth reading the letter. His expression changed from happy, to startled to worried. Hermione's mind reeled. Three… power of three? No… three… spells? Three… curses! Her eyes widened.

_The Unforgivable Curses! Clouded eyes was a symptom of the… the Imperius Curse. The Imperius curse controlled a person!_

She was almost sure of it. She had to check. And if she found a Professor along the way…"I… gotta go," Hermione said, as she hurriedly packed her things, "Library! See you in Defense!"

"But you haven't eaten a bite!" Ron said, "Breakfast is important!"

"I'll have a big lunch!" Hermione said, as she hurried off toward the doors of the Great Hall. She walked into the Great Hall, and was about to go up the stone staircase when she saw Professor McGonagall walking down them. Perfect!

"Professor!" Hermione said, "Can I speak to you? It is urgent!"

"We will be progressing onto new objects to Transfigure today, Miss Granger," McGonagall said, "Not to worry."

"That isn't what I'm asking about," Hermione said, "I have a – a concern. About a student. Maybe two…"

"Yes?" McGonagall asked, looking concerned.

"Harry and Ginny," Hermione said, "You remember how Ginny was jinxed. I thought it was possible it was meant for Harry."

"The Headmaster has made it his own mission to find out what happened, Miss Granger," McGonagall said, "You have nothing to be concerned about."

"But we do!" Hermione said, "I-I think Harry – and Ginny maybe – might be under the Imperius Curse!"

McGonagall raised her eyebrows, looking alarmed. "Are you sure, Miss Granger?"

"The symptoms," Hermione said, nodding, "I read about them. Harry and Ginny were looking dazed and distracted."

Hermione expected her Head of House to be even more concerned. To Hermione's amazement and shock, however, she only shook her head.

"I assure you, Miss Granger," McGonagall said, "They are not under the Imperius Curse. This is an after-effect of the potions they took on Saturday. It has lasting effects. I will talk to them however, and check them over, if it is your concern. But I do not wish you to be concerned. It is perfectly normal for them."

"I – err – are you sure?" Hermione asked.

"Positively," McGonagall said.

"O-okay, Professor," Hermione said.

"I'll see you in class, Miss Granger," McGonagall said.

Hermione nodded and walked off up the stairs. McGonagall may have asked her not to be concerned… but this was something she was going to investigate! Of course… Imperius Curse was just one guess. The Imperius Curse wouldn't let them know when the other would come down the stairs. As for that… well, Hermione didn't believe in foresight. But she would get to the bottom of it, whatever it was!

She headed off to the library, hoping she had enough time before her class started. She definitely didn't want to be late!

* * *

**(Ginny's PoV)**

_September 19__th__, 1991_

__Ginny woke on the third Thursday of the month to the sounds of giggling. Very familiar giggling. She rolled her eyes annoyed. It was much too early for this! She opened her curtains slightly and peeked out them. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil were putting pink streamers and assorted balloons around the dormitory.

"Exactly what are you doing?" Ginny whispered.

"Hush, Weasley!" Lavender hissed, "It is supposed to be a surprise."

"Hermione's birthday's today," Parvati whispered, "The first Hogwarts birthday for the first years. We want it to be memorable."

"What do those balloons do?" Ginny asked, eyeing the bulbous floating things suspiciously.

"Nothing!" Lavender whispered, "Just balloons. We're not that mean."

"We're not mean at all!" Parvati scowled, "Oh, Lav, she's up!"

Ginny rolled her eyes as Lavender and Parvati hurried to their beds and dove through the curtains. Ginny sighed… thankfully her bed was next to Hermione, and not next to the "gossip girls". Still… she could hear Lavender and Parvati gossip quite a bit. So much that Ginny knew Lavender was currently crushing on Oliver Wood, and Parvati was scandalized because she thought Katie was good for Oliver. Parvati was currently crushing on nobody... Lavender thought this in itself was scandalous.

The curtains around Hermione's bed opened and Ginny saw her best friend brushing her eyes sleepily as she stood up. She looked around and raised her eyebrows.

"Oh!" she said, giggling.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Lavender and Parvati said, jumping out of their beds.

Ginny sighed. Eleven year old girls were a pain. Especially loud ones.

"Happy birthday, Hermione," Ginny said, and laid back down on her bed, hoping for a sign from her mind-link that Harry was awake.

His voice was much more soothing than Lavender and Parvati's. How he could stand dancing with _her _at the Yule Ball last timeline, she didn't know. Course eleven-year old Lavender wasn't much better than sixteen year old "Lav-Lav" either. The words "Won-Won!" still gave her nightmares.

"Thanks, girls," Hermione said, "Ooh, presents!"

"Yeah, they come straight onto your trunk," Lavender said, "Usually from your parents. No having to wait for them from the owls. More private that way. Neat, huh!"

Ginny frowned. Harry seemed to still be asleep.

"Oh," Hermione said, giggling, "Thanks, Mum and Dad."

"What did they get you?" Parvati asked.

"Basket of sugarless sweets, like every year," Hermione said, "They always worry about my teeth. And this year… aw… Mum made a birthday cake for me, and took a picture of it with her and Dad by it. Let's me think of home. Before this year I always celebrated my birthday at home."

"Muggle pictures are weird!" Lavender said, "They don't move! I mean – that sounded rude, sorry."

"It's okay," Hermione said, "I thought wizarding pictures were weird when I saw them at first too."

"You got a gift bag, Hermione," Parvati said.

Ginny heard the rustling of paper.

"Oh – oh dear," Hermione said, giving an embarrassed giggle.

Ginny raised her eyebrows. Okay, she was curious now. She peeked out and saw Hermione raising something from the bag.

"I should have known, Mum," Hermione said.

"Hermione!" Parvati said, "Is that – a training bra?"

Ginny blushed. Oh, the elusive training bra. Ginny remembered last timeline, when she had gotten hers during the summer from her Mum. She was glad she didn't need to face this at school.

_Ginny? _Harry's voice rang out, _You there?_

_Yeah, Harry. Er… not a good time._

_Why?_

"Yeah," Hermione said, "I've been noticing – err – things lately. So I wrote my Mum last week, and I should have known she'd get me some for my birthday."

_Er… Ginny. _Harry asked. _Some what?_

Ginny blushed. She didn't want to say…

"Well, it is a nice present," Lavender said, "Shows you you're growing up, training bras do."

_Oh, _Harry said. He sounded very embarrassed, _Oh dear, I shouldn't listen to this! I didn't want to know Hermione got a training bra!_

Ginny giggled mentally.

"You're lucky," Parvati said, "I'm worried I'm going to be flat-chested . Like… nothing!"

_I did not want to hear that, _Harry said, _I'm closing my mind-link now. I'll bring Hermione's book down soon for her. Try not to say anything to her though. I'm not talking about it being a surprise either…_

Ginny frowned. She knew what he was talking about.

_'Kay. Love you. See you soon._

_Love you too._

Ginny peered through her curtains, then blushed. Hermione's bare back was turned, as she sat on the other side of her bed. Apparently, she was going to test out her new gift. Ginny shut the curtains and sighed.

Oh yes, she knew what Harry was talking about. It had been a week and a half since Harry had received a small note saying that he and Ginny were expected for a short meeting in McGonagall's office. When they arrived, she asked them if they were using telepathy that day, the second Monday of the month, during breakfast. Harry and Ginny nodded and said they had when they first arrived. McGonagall told them then that Hermione seemed to have noticed them. She was worried about them being dizzy and confused. Harry and Ginny then made a promise to McGonagall, and each other, they'd be more careful until they wanted Hermione to know about their secret. Hermione's gift from Harry would be the first stepping-stone to that…

She opened her curtains and crawled down to her trunk and took out her outfit for the day.

* * *

**(Hermione's PoV – a few minutes later)**

Hermione adjusted her robe top, pushing her new bra back under it, and groaned, as she made her way down the girls' staircase toward the Common Room. This was going to take some time to get used to. Still… her mother had given her a long letter about it. She immersed herself in this letter, which was quite informative. Unfortunately there were no "growing up" books at Hogwarts – _this_, she mused, _was a clear problem for a school where students' bodies were changing constantly_. She would have to remember to get these books during the Christmas holidays.

When she arrived, she found Ginny sitting by the fireplace with Harry, Ron and Neville.

"Happy birthday, Hermione!" Harry, Ron and Neville said in unison when they saw her.

"Thanks, boys," Hermione said.

Harry stood up, and pulled out something that was wrapped in pieces of parchment from his knapsack.

"For you," Harry said,, "From me. I hope you don't mind me getting something for your birthday."

"Oh!" Hermione said, blushing, "Er… no, I don't mind."

She smiled and unwrapped the parchment. She grinned when she saw that it was a book.

"The Art of Occlumency," she said, reading the title.

She looked up at Harry.

"Ginny and I read this over the summer," Harry said. "Occlumency protects your mind from outside forces. A defense against – you know – mind-reading. Dangerous thing in the wizarding world. I brought it to school, and I don't have any more use for it. Me and Ginny are practicing Occlumency. We thought you might like to read it and perhaps practice. And –"

He looked at Ron and Neville.

"I thought you two might like to as well," he said.

"More studying?" Ron asked, raising his eyebrows.

"See it as mind exercises," Ginny said, "When we're tired from strength exercises, this is much more soothing."

"You and Ginny studied this?" Hermione asked.

"It was just me at first," Harry said, "Then she decided to be nosy."

Ginny stuck out her tongue at him.

"She was interested," Harry said, "And I am giving it to you, since you like books. And the three of you can use it."

Hermione raised her eyebrows as she looked at the book. Mind-reading… she looked up at Harry and smiled, all while wondering why he and Ginny would want to keep people out of their mind. She put the book in her knapsack. This was definitely something she'd read up on.

"Thanks, Harry," she said, "Means a lot to me."

"Er… sorry I didn't think about getting you a gift, Hermione," Ron said, "Maybe Christmas and – and next year?"

Hermione nodded. "Thanks, Ron. I-I don't mind. Let's go get some breakfast before class."

"Ugh… spending your birthday in class," Ron said.

"Oh, come now, Ron," Ginny said, "That's probably her best present of the day, homework!"

Hermione rolled her eyes, but joined in with her friends chuckling. They turned and hurried out of the Common Room, en route to the Great Hall.

* * *

_September 30__th__, 1991_

The last day of the month fell on a Monday. Transfiguration, the last class of the day, was just finishing up. Hermione was eager for class to finish. That morning, she had what her mother liked to call a "eureka moment!".

Ever since her birthday, she had been reading the Occlumency book, as well as other books, trying to get to the bottom of the mystery that seemed to surround Harry and Ginny. The Occlumency book was wonderful, and it was very advanced. Mind exercises were a wonderful idea to add to the strength exercises.

Hermione and her friends had yet to start on either of these types of exercises, but they decided they would begin the following Saturday, the first Saturday of October. Hermione had yet to put together a decent schedule for the exercises, and she decided that Saturday would focus on strength exercises, since there was nothing to do those days except flying lessons, which was rumored to only go on for another month or so.

Her "eureka moment" that morning had to do with a book she hadn't thought of all month. But it was understandable why she hadn't thought of it. It wasn't really a book people normally might have thought you'd get good information some.

"Wednesday, there will be an exam on everything we learned this month," McGonagall said.

Most of the students groaned. Hermione smiled privately.

"So study up, everyone," McGonagall said, "Class dismissed."

Hermione packed her things into her knapsack and hurried out of class.

"Want to explore the castle with us, Hermione?" Ron asked, "Harry and Ginny think they know of a way to get into the kitchens!"

"Can't, Ron, sorry," Hermione said, "I need to go to the Library. Have fun. Try not to get caught."

Normally, Hermione would have probably asked why they were headed to the kitchens before dinner, but she was very distracted.

She waved goodbye and hurried off to the library. Her thoughts traveled as she tried to remember the author of the book she was wanting, and hoping it would be at the library. Madam Pince would know. Less than ten minutes later, she was at the library – to Hermione, it was like a second nature to find this place while distracted. She grinned inwardly at the thought and walked over to the desk where Pince was sitting.

"Yes?" Madam Pince said

Hermione privately thought her voice sounded like a mixture of Professor Binns' drawling voice, and Professor McGonagall's strict voice, and she tried not to giggle at the thought – that would be most impolite!

"Are there any fairytale books here?" she asked.

"Of course," Madam Pince said, "Who are you looking for?"

"I – err – forgot the author," Hermione said, frowning.

"Well," Pince said, with a sigh, "The most common three are Beedle The Bard, Grimm (a mix of magical and Muggle, though only Muggleborn like yourselves read it, really) and Bartemius F. Able."

"Able!" Hermione said, grinning, "That's the one!"

Pince smiled and pointed her wand in the air. A moment later, a large book landed delicately and softly in the librarian's outstretched hand. She handed it to Hermione.

"Excellent choice, Miss Granger," she said, "You know… some people believe Able's stories are true. Kind of like Beedle's. But both are so outlandish! I hope this is not research, just amusement? You are too smart to fill your head with fluff like this and truly believe it."

"Yes, ma'am," Hermione said.

"Due back on Halloween," Madam Pince said, handing a small slip of parchment to Hermione, "Don't be late, Miss Granger."

"Of course not, ma'am," Hermione said, signing the parchment.

She smiled to herself and opened the book to the table of contents, looking for the particular story. She smiled and pointed her finger to it:

_Tuck and Grace – A Bonding Tale_

Hermione nodded. _Bonding. _This was definitely what she was searching for. She smiled to herself and walked out of the library. Suddenly, she bumped something and fell backward onto the ground. She looked up and saw Draco, Crabbe and Goyle standing there, looking at her.

"Watch where you're going, Mudblood!" Draco said, nastily.

Crabbe and Goyle guffawed. Draco smirked and walked around her and down the hall, his two cronies in his footsteps.

Hermione felt her eyes mist over as she stood up and picked up her things.

_Mudblood._

Hermione frowned. What a horrible thing to say. What a horrible…

Hermione's eyes widened. Her mind went back to that day on the Hogwarts Express.

_"Get away from me," Pansy Parkinson growled, "I can smell your kind a mile away."_

_"You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and Longbottom and –"_

_Draco raised his eyebrows as he looked at Hermione._

_"And someone like her," he scoffed, "and it'll rub off on you."_

_"__They see Muggleborn as an insult to the wizarding world," Harry explained, "There is one particular word – an insult to Muggleborn. Nobody respectable wants to say it."_

Hermione her eyes get wetter.

_Insult. Mudblood._

"What a horrible name," Hermione sniffled.

She felt the tears fall as she ran off down the corridor toward the seventh floor. She then hurried to the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Dear girl, what's wrong?" The Fat Lady asked.

"Blood rose," Hermione said.

_Mudblood._

The portrait opened and Hermione hurried inside. She ran up the stairs toward her dormitory, and let her newly acquired book and her knapsack fall onto the bed, as she fell with it. She held her pillow against her.

She wanted to know that word ever since that day… how could it sound so… so dirty?

_Mudblood._

It made her sound dirty.

She sniffled and felt a sob come from her throat as she buried her head in her pillow, and let the tears fall.

_Mudblood._

* * *

__**This chapter was about themes. Innocence, discovery, and loss of innocence, as the title suggests "The Innocent Can Never Last". All sections in this chapter have to do with one of those.**

**Mudblood: At the start of the chapter, she said Fred and George's titles for her were innocent. Draco's is not. Innocence, loss of innocence.**

**Getting her first training bra, growing up, could be seen as loss of innocence.**

**Trying to figure out the mystery of Harry and Ginny, gift of Occlumency book… discovery.**

**I love Hermione as a character. My favorite character in the books. I hope you really liked this interlude with her. I will definitely have more interludes like this if I ever find I need a nice time-skip that is a bit too long.**

**This and the last interlude centered around "Wake Me Up When September Ends", owing to the fact that these two chapters were skipping through the month of September in scenes at a time.**


	39. The Woes Of Hermione Granger

**Chapter 39  
The Woes of Hermione Granger**

**Author's Note: This chapter is more-or-less a follow up chapter to the last section of Hermione's interlude. Enjoy.**

* * *

_October 1__st__, 1991_

Harry was worried.

Hermione hadn't shown up to dinner the night before, nor was she in the library or the Gryffindor Common Room all evening, her usual haunts for the few hours before her normal bedtime. Ginny had told him that when she went up to the dormitory the previous evening, as a request from Harry, that Hermione was safe, asleep in her bed, a book lying beside her. Ginny had figured that Hermione's trip to the library must have been a very successful one, and she had probably immersed herself in books, and she had forgotten about dinner. Harry had taken this as an acceptable excuse – Hermione had been known to skip meals in order to study, and with an exam in Transfiguration on the horizon, it was not unusual behavior.

However, now he, Ginny, Ron and Neville were sitting in the Great Hall at breakfast and the spot between Ron and Neville, usually where Hermione sat, was empty. There was less than half-an-hour to go before Charms started, and Hermione hadn't shown up for breakfast.

_This isn't like her, Ginny, _he said, _The only time she disappeared for hours around this part of the last timeline was Halloween, because Ron had insulted her. The last time we saw her, she just said she didn't want to come down to the kitchens with us, and she looked distracted. Something's wrong._

_I don't know, Harry,_

Ginny said, _I'm sure she'll be in class. We can ask her then._

"Maybe she had breakfast early?" Neville suggested, when Harry voiced his concerns to him and Ron.

"She was asleep," Ginny said, "Her curtains were closed, and they're only closed when she's asleep or getting dressed."

"She probably overslept," Ron said, "I'm sure we'll find her bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in Charms class – perhaps a bit hungry as well, but this isn't the first time she missed breakfast to study for something. I'll smuggle up a piece of toast or something for her, eh?"

Harry nodded and drank the last gulp of his orange juice. He shouldered his knapsack, stood up and headed for the doors of the Great Hall. Neither Ginny, Neville or Ron complained about this, and just followed him, even though Ron had a good quarter of his plate of bacon and eggs left.

Hermione hadn't arrived in the Charms classroom yet when Harry, Ginny, Ron and Neville arrived, so they waited out in the corridor for her, as the Ravenclaws and their fellow Gryffindor students arrived.

Then, with three minutes left to go till class, Hermione walked down the corridor, almost at a snail's pace. When she approached, Harry noticed her eyes looked slightly puffy and red.

_She's been crying, _he said to Ginny.

"Hermione?" he asked.

"Hmm?" she said, sounding very distracted, "Oh. Good morning. Shouldn't we go inside?"

"You – you didn't show up at breakfast," Harry said.

"Oh, I – err – slept in," Hermione said, frowning.

"Everyone needs a good lie-in," Ron said, shrugging, "Here, I smuggled you up a piece of toast."

Hermione nodded and took the napkin and toast from Ron, barely saying anything but "thanks" to him. She gobbled it up quickly and walked into the classroom and didn't say another word. Ron and Neville shrugged when Harry looked at them, and they followed her in. Harry looked at Ginny, who looked just as worried as he did now.

_Something is wrong with her, _Ginny said.

_Told you._

_Do you… think she knows about our Soul-Bond? I didn't get a very good look at that book. But I swear I saw Bartemius F. Able's name on it. Isn't that the author who wrote about Soul-Bonds in a fairytale?_

_I'm not sure if that is it. If she was upset with you and I about this, she wouldn't have avoided Ron and Neville, would she?_

Ginny didn't answer. She only frowned and walked into the classroom. When Harry and Ginny took their normal seats next to Ron and Hermione, he noticed that Hermione was staring at her desk and nothing else.

"Hermione," Harry whispered, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said.

"Did something happen at the library yesterday?" Harry asked; he decided this was the most innocent question to his suspicions… if she answered positively, it might mean she had found something about the Soul-Bond.

"No!" she said, forcefully, then looked afraid, "I… I'll talk about it later, okay?"

Harry looked at Ginny, Ron and Neville and they all shrugged. Professor Flitwick took his usual roll-call and when Hermione's name was called, she only nodded silently. Professor Flitwick didn't notice, however, and continued on with the rest of the names.

"Now," Flitwick said, when he finished up. "this past week, you have all been reading and reviewing the chapter on the Basic Unlocking Charm. I trust you've all answered the questions that were requested of you on Thursday, correct?"

Harry nodded with the rest of the class; Hermione's usual energetic nod was very timid today… it reminded him of Neville.

"Splendid!" Flitwick said. "Today, you will all be practicing the Basic Unlocking Charm. Everyone in here should know the incantation for the Charm. Let's practice it together... without wands, please! _Alohomora!"_

"Alohomora!" the students chanted once.

"Very good," Flitwick said.

He then waved his wand above his head and a number of small boxes that resembled jewelry cases floated over his head in four rows, each landing on the desks in the two rows on either side of the classroom.

"These boxes in front of you have a simple Locking Charm placed on them," he said. "Your assignment today is to open the boxes. How? Well, unlocking them, of course, using _Alohomora. _Now, even though this spell is basic, and something you might use many times a week, it is not simple unless you put your mind to it! You must focus and concentrate in order to open your box. Now, if you successfully open your box, you will earn a reward – two rewards! The first is the box itself. You can keep it and store whatever you wish inside, as long as it fits! There are Charms to expand the small space, but unfortunately those are too advanced and won't be taught to you for a few years."

He let this sink in for a moment.

"The other reward," he continued, "is a small slip of parchment, giving you a clue to one of the next spells we will be working on coming up on the week of Halloween! This will give you ample time to research and practice the spell. Because the first three people who can successfully do the spell when we practice it will be excused from the exam coming up in your first class in November. Those three students will immediately receive an 'Outstanding' on their exams, because the exams will be about these spells you will learn this month!"

Many of the students looked at their boxes eagerly, ready for the task ahead.

"Over the next couple of weeks," Flitwick said, "You will bring these boxes into class, because while you will need to know how to unlock these boxes, you will also want to learn how to seal them so that only you can open them up! That Charm is even more difficult than the Basic Unlocking Charm, because one of the words in the incantation is your own unique word you will choose. This is so whatever you like is private to yourself. Exciting?"

Many of the students nodded.

"Excellent!" Flitwick said, "But you cannot learn that spell, unless you know how to Unlock your boxes first. So… begin please, and remember, _Alohomora!"_

The classroom was filled with the sounds of students saying the incantation as they pointed their wands at the boxes. Harry, of course, knew the spell and could easily do it, so he wasn't concentrating too hard on it. He was more focused on what Hermione was doing, and it seemed he wasn't the only one.

Hermione tapped her box and quietly said the incantation. However, when she tried to open the box, it wouldn't budge.

"Hermione, it didn't open!" Ron said, sounding very surprised.

"I know that," Hermione said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"But… but you –" Ron stammered, then lowered his voice, "you opened that door on the third floor last month. If that dog was guarding something, the door was probably a lot harder to open than this box."

Neville had heard this story the day after the event and was extremely happy he had not gone with them, so he was not surprised when Ron said this.

"I'm aware of that," Hermione said.

"I don't understand," Ron said, sighing; he pointed his wand at his box and said, _"_Alohomora!"

Unsurprisingly, the box didn't open.

"Hmm," he said, "Okay, maybe these boxes _are _harder to open."

"Of course not," Hermione said, "Obviously whatever that dog is guarding is meant to be protected. So it should be harder to open. This just holds a secret to a incantation we'll be learning soon."

"Then why -?" Ron asked.

"She's distracted, Ron," Harry said, and noticed Ginny nodding eagerly in agreement, "Professor Flitwick said you had to focus on this spell. She's not focused today. Hermione…"

"I said I'll talk about it _later_," Hermione hissed; she sighed and looked at her box, "I don't want to talk about it in front of everyone who could hear. It isn't something that should be said out loud, _remember_?"

Harry looked at Ginny, who frowned.

_She wants us to remember something? _she asked, _But… if it shouldn't be said out loud..._

_Maybe she does know about the Soul-Bond. We're definitely going to have some explaining to do._

"Okay," Harry said, to Hermione, "Later then. Sorry."

Hermione sighed. "No, I'm sorry, Harry. I shouldn't be angry at you."

"I understand if you're upset," Harry said.

"So you do realize what I'm talking about?" Hermione asked.

Harry looked at Ginny, who shrugged. He then nodded to Hermione. She frowned and returned her gaze to her box.

"Exactly what are we discussing here?" Ron asked, confused.

"She said we'll talk about it later, Ron," Harry said, "Work on your box before Flitwick notices."

Ron glared in apparent anger. Then his expression went soft and he nodded, and turned back to his

_This isn't exactly something I want Ron to know about yet, Harry! _Ginny said, _I'm still getting used to the fact he'll know by Christmas holidays._

_Hermione isn't supposed to know until she can master Occlumency, Ginny. __How do you think I feel about it? Especially with an unpredictable Legilimens, who has already admitted to illegally using his power on a student once, walking around this castle._

_Oh… yeah… right. _Pause._ Harry… why didn't we do anything about Snape that day? We could have turned him in to the Ministry for it. Gotten him in trouble or something. I mean… okay he's done nothing to us since then. We're doing well in Potions simply due to him ignoring us, forget the fact that we know everything he's teaching, but…_

_Questions would have been asked, Ginny. Dumbledore may be fooled with thinking we're Natural Occlumens, but not everyone will. It isn't a known gift to Bond-mates, and the Weasleys don't have a history of that trait, do you?_

_No… good point._

Harry sighed and tapped his box with his wand, saying "Alohomora!"

The box opened by itself.

"Oh, excellent, Mr. Potter!" Flitwick said, walking over to him, "Very well done, ten points to Gryffindor! Now… keep that incantation inside a secret! If you know it by Halloween and can perform it, you'll get that bigger reward."

"Yes, Professor," Harry said, smiling.

As Flitwick walked away, Ron and Hermione looked at Harry. He shrugged and chuckled.

"What's the incantation?" Ron asked.

"Open your box and find out," Harry said, grinning.

Ron harrumphed and focused on his box. Hermione frowned and continued trying to open her box.

_Show-off, _Ginny said, though she grinned mentally.

Harry grinned as he picked up the small slip of parchment and looked at it. It read:

_The Levitation Charm – Wingardium Leviosa_

Harry's mind traveled back to the first timeline when the class was learning this spell. He remembered how Ron was doing the spell wrong, and how Hermione had annoyed him with trying to teach him how to do it. Of course, they weren't really friends yet at that moment, unlike now. Still… Ron was known to get angry if he got embarrassed like that.

The incident in that timeline had led into the events of Hermione hiding away in the bathroom, and having to be rescued from the troll by Harry and Ron. The result was that the three of them began a friendship that would last the ages. They were good friends now, however, so Harry wasn't really worried about that…

_Still, _he mused, _Fate is a fickle friend._

He watched Ron trying to force open his box with his hands instead of his wand, and he hoped very much that his best mate would be able to master the spell by Halloween.

* * *

Hermione's seemingly depressed attitude lasted all the way through Herbology. She had not been paying full attention to the Sicilian Sunflower she had to label and work on, which proved to have embarrassing results.

The Sicilian Sunflower, unlike the normal garden-style sunflower, had what resembled a face where the seeds usually grew from. All throughout class, Hermione kept prodding the plant the wrong way, when looking at the different parts to diagram, and it angrily spat seeds at her. The seeds of the Sicilian Sunflower were a joke-shop specialty in the wizarding world, because they resembled the popular snack of regular sunflower seeds, but when the shells were spat and hit the ground with force, they erupted with what resembled paint from paint-ball pellets.

Suffice it to say, Hermione's face, arms and robe top were covered in yellow and green paint by the end of class. She marched out of class in anger, and Harry, Ginny, Ron and Neville followed her.

"Hermione!" Harry said, as Hermione started walking quickly, not back to the castle for lunch, but toward the lake, "Wait up!"

They were finally able to catch up to her near the nearest shore of the lake.

"Go away!" Hermione growled, when she heard them.

"Hermione, stop," Harry said.

Hermione growled again and turned around. Her eyes were red again and watery. When she realized they could see her crying, she collapsed to the ground on her knees and sobbed.

"Here, I can help you with that paint," Harry said, kneeling down next to her.

He twisted his hand, and his wand appeared between his fingers. He pointed it at her.

"Evanesco," he said.

Hermione's eyebrows raised, and she looked at her hands and robes as the paint disappeared.

"Harry," she said, "How – that's a Grade Five Charm! How did you do that?"

_Nice going, Harry, _Ginny said, annoyed.

_Oops..._

"Practice?" Harry suggested.

Hermione frowned and lifted her knees to her chest. She buried her head and Harry heard her resume crying. Harry looked up at Ginny, Ron and Neville and they all sat down with him and Hermione.

"Hermione, can we talk about it?" Harry asked.

Hermione shrugged and looked up at Harry, wiping her eyes.

"I – we should have told you," Harry said, "I'm sorry."

"You were right not to tell me," Hermione said, her face contorted in disgust.

"You and Ron and Neville have the right to know," Harry said.

"What?" Hermione asked, looking up at him in confusion, "I thought they did know."

Harry looked at Ginny, who looked shocked.

"You – but I thought they knew," Hermione said.

"Er…" Harry said, confused, "I did?"

"That day on the Hogwarts Express," Hermione said, "You said good people like Ron and Neville don't talk about it. Neville said he shouldn't talk about it."

Harry's eyes widened. This was _not _about the Soul-Bond.

_Oh, _he said to Ginny, _Oh no… Hermione…_

_What did you tell her on the train, Harry?_

"H-how did you find out?" Harry asked.

Hermione looked at her knees and sniffled loudly. She wiped her eyes again.

"Last night," Hermione said, "I was – I was coming out of the library after checking out a book. A book of fairytales. Really, it's nothing. And… I was so happy - you know how I am when I come from the library." She smiled lightly, then frowned again, "I… wasn't watching where I was going, and I knocked into Draco Malfoy and fell backward onto the ground."

Harry narrowed his eyes. He should have known this had to do with Malfoy.

"What happened?" Ron asked, "Did he hurt you? I swear I'll –"

"He called me –" she said, sighed, "He called me a Mudblood."

Neville yelped in shock and Ron growled in anger. Ginny's emotions were so strong he could feel them in his mind: he was surprised she wasn't in tears herself.

"That's why I didn't come to dinner last night," Hermione said, "Or why I wasn't in the Common Room. I went up to my dorm, and – cried myself to sleep."

"Harry, where's your map?" Ron asked, "I'm going to go find him!"

"No, Ron," Harry said, "This is my fault."

"Yours?" Ron and Hermione both asked.

"Harry," Hermione said, "This isn't your fault."

"It is," Harry said. "If I – if I had just told you that word on the train, Hermione, you would have been prepared for it. You wouldn't be acting like this. You were scared and – Hermione, I know it is a horrible word."

"It makes me sound dirty," Hermione said.

"You're not," Harry said. "You're the smartest witch of our year, aren't you?"

"You and Ginny are pretty smart too, Harry," Hermione said, "Too brave and friendly too or you would be in Ravenclaw, no doubt."

_Just perfect, _Ginny scoffed in Harry's mind, _We're taking away her title. I feel really bad, Harry._

"Still," Harry said, "There isn't a spell you can't do… well… when you put your mind to it."

"We would have been in detention for a week if you hadn't opened that door in the forbidden corridor," Ron said, then frowned. "Wait… not a good example – it led us to the giant three-headed dog."

Hermione chuckled tearfully. She wiped her eyes and looked at Harry.

"Harry, what did you think I was talking about?" she asked.

_Uh-oh. _Ginny said._  
_

"What?" Harry asked, hoping it sounded innocent and confused.

"You said you should have told me, Ron and Neville," Hermione said, "What did you think I was talking about? I – in Charms you said you understood if I was angry. What did you mean?"

"I – can't tell you yet," Harry said, frowning.

"Are you dating my sister?" Ron asked.

"Ron!" Ginny growled, "I'm ten!"

_Sort of, _Harry grinned mentally.

Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Sorry!" Ron said, hastily, "But – he said he should have told me, Hermione and Neville. Not you… obviously it has to do with you."

"He's right," Neville said.

Hermione nodded and looked at Harry.

"It – it is kind of why we were in Dumbledore's office after the Opening Feast," Harry said, cautiously, "But – Hermione, remember that Occlumency book I gave you for your birthday?"

Hermione nodded.

"I talked about mind-reading," Harry said.

Hermione nodded again.

"There is one of those mind-readers," Harry said, "in this school."

"They're a Legilimens, right?" Hermione asked, "I saw that term in the book."

"Exactly," Harry said. "This Legilimens in this school – well – if you, Ron and Neville don't know Occlumency, he could read your mind. If we told you what was going on, it would be dangerous if he found out. It isn't exactly something the whole world should know about. Well – certain people anyway."

"Is this Legili-whatever the one who jinxed your broom?" Ron asked.

"We don't know," Harry lied; he didn't want to tell them about Pansy yet, "This is why Ginny and I want to teach you three Occlumency. So we can tell you what is going on. Ron, your parents know, and soon your whole family will know. They're going to have to learn Occlumency too."

Ron nodded. "I'll promise to work on it."

"Me too," Hermione said, and Neville nodded.

"But I'm not happy you're keeping secrets from me," Ron said, frowning, "Best mate and - well, I'm your brother, Ginny!"

"I'm aware of that," Ginny said.

"Believe me," Harry said, "We wanted to tell you. All three of you."

_Well… not Neville exactly, _Ginny said, _but he should know since Luna knows._

_Right._

"It has something to do with your eyes, doesn't it?" Hermione asked.

Harry looked at Ginny, annoyed.

"Sorry," she said.

Harry sighed, then looked back at Hermione. "We're not being controlled by anyone, Hermione. Believe me."

"McGonagall knows, doesn't she?" Hermione asked, "I kind of told her that, and… that would be the only way you knew about that, if she told you."

"You were right to be concerned," Harry said, "But it isn't bad. We promise. And yes, she knows."

Ginny nodded. "You'll know it as soon as we can be sure somebody can't take it away from you."

Hermione nodded.

"Now… you're probably really hungry," Harry said, and Hermione nodded again and chuckled in embarrassment. "Come on."

Hermione smiled and stood up.

"Thanks, Harry," she said, as the five friends walked back toward the castle, "I know I shouldn't be too upset about all of this. Nobody – err – respectable thinks of me like – like the way Malfoy does."

"Just ignore him," Harry said.

"That goes for you too, Ron," Ginny said, "I mean it."

"Yes, Mum," Ron said, rolling his eyes, "Ow!"

Ginny had just slapped him on the back of the head. Ron scowled and was silent all the way up to the Great Hall.

_Harry, _Ginny said, as they all sat down at the Gryffindor table a couple minutes later, _Exactly what are we going to tell Hermione, Neville and Ron when they learn Occlumency? Everything or just about the Soul-Bond?_

_We agreed to tell them everything, Ginny._

_I know, but… are they ready for everything?_

_We need them to be. Especially if things get unpredictable in the future. I've been really thinking about this. I know we have it planned for the Second War to be over before it begins, but even if Voldemort is destroyed in four years, we may still have to deal with his followers. Hermione, Ron, and Neville need to be well-trained before that, Ginny. I'm not taking any chances with my best friends._

_Yeah… I agree. How long do you think it will take for them to learn Occlumency?_

_If we work on it during free periods during the week, and do strength exercises during the weekend, then hopefully by Christmas holidays._

_Are you sure? You have Quidditch practice at least two times a week. And Saturday more than often._

Harry knew Ginny was right. Ever since he had been made the Gryffindor Seeker, Oliver had his sights set on the Quidditch Cup, and he had been assigning training at least two times a week, and two of the three weeks in the past month, the practice had been on Saturdays for a good three or four hours in the afternoon.

Unfortunately, because Hermione had decided strength exercises were better to do on Saturdays, due to homework during the week, and dedicating Sunday to homework as well as relaxation, it was going to be pretty strenuous if he had to do Quidditch practice on top of their strength exercises.

_I'm sure, Ginny, _he finally said_, nothing is more important than this._

Ginny nodded silently and smiled. Harry looked across the table at Hermione, Ron and Neville, all of whom were looking at him and Ginny. He smiled innocently and they immediately started to fill their plates with food.

_Soon_, he thought to himself, _soon they'll know everything.  
_  
He just hoped they reacted to it as well as Sirius had.

-  
**So as I said, this chapter was a follow-up to the last scene in the previous chapter, but it also was the beginning of the storyline of Hermione, Ron and Neville finding out about Harry and Ginny's secrets. However, this storyline will last for a few chapters, maybe up to Christmas or beyond. I already have good plans for the Christmas holiday!**

**Coming up… mind and strength exercises, maybe a Quidditch practice… and oh, yes… Halloween!**

**Hope you liked this chapter!**


	40. Invasion Of Privacy

**Chapter 40  
Invasion of Privacy**

**Author's Note: Warning! Another possible M-rating for a portion of this chapter… just to show the grittiness of Occlumency exercises that include Legilimency use.**

* * *

Throughout the first week of October, Harry and Ginny tried to figure out the perfect place for them and their friends to work on mind and strength exercises. They had both agreed that they couldn't resort to simple jogging up and down the long driveway for their strength exercises. Push-ups, sit-ups and exercises like that were on their agenda.

At first they had decided on the Quidditch Pitch, but it turned out that the Pitch was being scheduled for use every Saturday, their designated 'strength day', by all four house teams for practices. During the week when they would do mind exercises was okay, but it was mostly free only during lunch and free periods between classes. While this lasted a good hour-and-a-half, the trip there and back to the castle would take up about half their time, and there wouldn't be enough time to relax their minds enough to even start training for it. So this option was out.

Harry had also put up the option of the small grove of trees where their oak tree was, but Ginny immediately shot this down. This was her and Harry's private spot for the next seven years, and she didn't want Ron to know about it for as long as possible.

Another option, mostly for the mind exercises, was Harry's dormitory, but Ginny had decided against this as well. She and Hermione would very likely be caught and would get in terrible trouble.

And then, on the following Monday evening, nearly a week after their promise to Ron, Hermione and Neville to train them in Occlumency in order to let them know their secrets, Ginny had what Hermione would call a "eureka moment!"

Harry and Ginny were spending some much-needed private time under the oak tree, between dinner and curfew. Ginny was currently laying in Harry's lap, her head resting under his chin. She sat up so forcefully, the tip of her head smacked into Harry's chin.

"Of course!" she said, "Why didn't I think of it before?"

Harry rubbed his chin and looked at her expectantly. She rolled her eyes.

"Sorry," she giggled, and kissed his chin then lips lightly; she then laid back down against his chest. "Harry, the Room of Requirement!"

"Uh-huh," Harry said, stupidly; he was still a bit dazed, both from the impact and her kiss.

"Oh, you prat," she said, sighing, "I didn't knock that much sense out of you – think about it! The Room of Requirement is perfect for this. On Saturdays, we can ask it to be a gymnasium or a weight room. Right? Or - "

"A dueling chamber," Harry said, picturing the underground dueling chamber hidden under the shed behind Potter Manor, "We can teach Ron, Hermione and Neville how to duel too."

"Sure," Ginny said, "And during the mind exercises, we can have comfortable couches or chairs, because Ron, Hermione and Neville will have to be very comfortable to work on Occlumency."

"It is a good idea," Harry said, nodding, "And I've been meaning to check up on the diadem anyway."

Ginny nodded. Then she went very quiet.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, after a full minute, as he brushed her hair with his hand.

Ginny sat up again, carefully this time, and looked back at him.

"Harry," she said, frowning, "I think we're forgetting something about Occlumency."

"Oh?" Harry asked.

"It is best to train it defending against Legilimency, right?" Ginny asked, and Harry nodded. "Well… while they might be willing to believe we can do Legilimency… Harry, we're going to have to _use_Legilimency on them. You know what that means, don't you?"

Harry felt his stomach go into his throat. He hadn't thought about that at all. He and Ginny would have to use Legilimency against their friends… which meant snooping into their most private experiences.

"They're not going to like that," Harry said, frowning.

"We'll – we'll have to explain it to them," Ginny said, nodding, "And tell them the alternative way of doing Occlumency. Give them the option to choose, you know."

Harry nodded as he thought about it. The alternative – the softer way of teaching Occlumency – was almost like meditation. The process simply required you to lay down in a comfortable spot – a bed or a couch – and picture past memories. Once you concentrated on this, you then visualized on some type of barrier. Then you would try to put those barriers around the memories. It was slower, but more private instead of trying to force the barriers into your mind while Legilimens are trying to poke and prod at it. The latter of the two options was usually quick – weeks instead of months or years – but you had to risk that your most private moments would be invaded.

"Tomorrow after Potions," Harry finally said, "we'll take them to the Room of Requirement. We'll say we found it while walking along the corridors or something. We'll then explain to them the whole process, and let them decide."

Ginny nodded and laid back down against his chest. "You're better at Legilimency then I am. If one of them decides to go that route, and the others don't, you can teach them that way, and I'll do the alternative. I was more comfortable with the alternative anyway."

"I remember," Harry said, "You didn't do well at all first with the defense against Legilimency. Some of those memories I poked through when training you –"

He shuddered in horror.

"The whole possession and Chamber of Secrets ordeal?" Ginny asked, frowning and nodding.

"I was thinking," Harry said, grinning, "more along the lines of the memory of you snogging Michael Corner in Madam Puddifoot's."

"Prat!" Ginny scowled, lightly hitting her head into Harry's chest.

"Ow!" Harry groaned, "Hey! It was as painful for me as it was for you having to deal with Legilimency. I'd rather like to think your relationships with Michael and Dean were study groups and chess matches."

Ginny snickered. "Oh, and that kiss with Cho under the mistletoe was really just a thirty minute chess match?"

"Very funny," Harry said, rolling his eyes, "I believe I told you that most of that half-hour was trying to keep her from crying. I thought I was horrible at kissing."

"Well," Ginny said, "You're not horrible."

She turned and looked at him.

"Average," Harry said, smiling.

Ginny grinned and leaned in toward him and kissed him. He returned the kiss and they didn't part for almost a minute.

"Better than average in my opinion," she said, breathlessly.

"Your opinion is all that counts," Harry said.

Ginny smiled and laid back down against him once again.

* * *

"Mental, Snape is!" Ron said, "How was I supposed to know the Vomit-Reducing Potion needed rat pee or it would 'render the potion useless'?"

"It was right there in your textbook, Ron," Hermione said, "And it is _bile, _not _pee."_

"Isn't that the same thing?" Ron asked.

Hermione opened her mouth to respond, then closed it. She shrugged and said, "You know… you're right, actually."

"You sound surprised to find out I know that," Ron muttered, "Still… who would want to add rat bile into something you're supposed to drink? That would induce vomit, not reduce it, you'd think?"

"Well, I suppose that is why you have to add the pomegranate juice last," Hermione said, "It is supposed to add flavor and counteract against the tart taste of the bile. Hmm… I'll have to remember that for the ingredient essay."

"How do you know the bile has a tart taste to it?" Ron asked, disgusted.

Hermione narrowed her eyes in Ron's direction, while Harry, Ginny and Neville snickered. The five friends were walking up the Grand Staircase after Potions. Earlier in the day, Harry and Ginny had told the others about a secret room they had found while walking down the seventh floor corridor.

"Harry, are you sure there's a room for us to practice in up here?" Hermione asked, as they reached the seventh floor, "I only recall seeing our tower and the Owlery in this direction."

"Yes, Hermione," Harry said, "We saw it with our own eyes."

"But you said it was a bathroom!" Hermione said, "I don't recall a bathroom up here. Besides… Ginny, didn't you say that Harry really had to go to the bathroom, and he couldn't wait to go down one floor?"

Harry narrowed his eyes at Ginny, as she smiled and nodded.

_I'll remember that, Mrs. Potter! _he said.

"I'm not sure it is just a bathroom," Ginny said, ignoring Harry, "I mean – the room wasn't there before. Maybe it shows up when you really need something or –"

"Require it?" Harry guessed.

Ginny rolled her eyes.

"But I've _never _heard of a room like that," Hermione said, "_Hogwarts, a History _says nothing about it!"

"Maybe the author of that book didn't know everything about the castle," Harry said.

"Sure," Neville said, "Did the book tell you anything about the castle summoning someone in the Great Hall before Ginny arrived?"

Hermione pouted thoughtfully. "Well… no, but – this room just sounds so – dark!"

"I'm sure it has plenty of lights, Hermione," Ron chortled.

Hermione glared at him. "I meant evil! Dark Arts, you know?"

"It isn't evil," Ginny said, "It gave Harry a place to pee when he really had to go, didn't it?"

Harry glared at Ginny as Ron and Neville snickered.

"I guess so," Hermione said, unable to hold back a giggle, "Okay. It does sound very interesting. Where is it?"

"There," Harry said, pointing at a wall next to the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy.

"That's a wall, mate," Ron said.

"Well, sure," Harry said, "Right now it is. Stay right here. Make sure nobody sees it. It is a secret. If no one else knows, we can have the room to ourselves."

Harry walked to the wall and started pacing back and forth in front of it. He was aware Ron was watching him in amusement, while Neville and Hermione looked confused.

_"I need a room," _he thought inwardly,_ "where a small group of people can study Occlumency and other mind exercises and relax without nobody knowing we're there." _

He repeated this three times and heard Ron and Neville yelp in surprise. He looked up. The large, familiar brass doors, the only part of the room that stayed the same every time, appeared on the wall.

"Holy cricket!" Hermione gasped, walking forward to examine the door.

Harry turned the doorknob and pushed it open. The room was about the size of the Gryffindor Common Room. It had a fireplace on the backside of the room with two couches and a couple of chairs in front of it. A large king-sized bed lay a few feet off to the right. On the left, there was a bookcase with a few books in them, a desk with chair, a cozy recliner and a reading lamp. Hermione immediately went over to the bookcase.

"There's more books on Occlumency and Legilimency here!" she said, "And other mind exercises – meditation, yoga –" She giggled. "Kama Sutra. Oh dear…"

_Ooh, I call dibs on that book! _Ginny said, and Harry grinned.

"So… wait," Hermione said, turning around, "You pace in front of the wall out there, and think about what you want?"

Harry nodded.

"So basically," Ron said, amused, "you're saying you found this room by pacing back and forth thinking you really needed to go pee."

As Ginny crossed the room over to the fireplace, Harry swore he heard her giggle softly.

"Read those books later, Hermione," Harry said, "Take a spot by the fireplace for now."

"Why is there a bed?" Neville asked, as he passed the bed on the way to the couches.

"Beds and couches are the most comfortable for relaxing," Harry said, "Which is needed for Occlumency."

"Wicked!" Ron said, his voice shuddering, as he relaxed on a chair, "This thing vibrates."

"It is a massage chair!" Hermione said, "That would really help!"

"Okay," Harry said, taking a spot on the love-seat with Ginny, "There is two ways to practice Occlumency. Both have their pros and cons. One is quicker than the other."

"The quicker the better!" Ron said, and Neville nodded.

"I'm not sure you'll be happy with that way once you hear what you're going to have to go through, mate," Harry said.

Ron raised his eyebrows. Hermione actually looked rather eager.

"First the slow route," Harry said, "That is the one Ginny will be teaching you if not all of you want to do the other route. During these exercises, you'll be laying on the couch or the bed, and picturing memories in your head. The most private memories you can think of because that is what Legilimens will be after. When you picture a single memory, you then concentrate on a barrier. Think about a wall or something to put around these memories and keep others out. Then you put the two together. It is harder than you think. And the slower route is slow because no one is really forcing you to do anything."

"And the quick route?" Hermione asked.

Harry looked at Ginny and she nodded. He sighed and looked back at the other three.

"The quick route," Harry said, "You're being forced to learn it through attacks in your mind."

"Attacks?" Ron asked, and Neville looked scared.

"Ginny and I," Harry said, "We've also been practicing Legilimency. Legilimens prod and poke through your minds looking at memories – as I said, they search for the private memories."

"So," Hermione said, softly, "The quick route is you using Legilimency to go through our heads… while we try to put the barriers up and block you?"

"Yeah," Harry said, nodding, "That is why I told you… you might not like it."

"You two can see our memories?" Neville asked, in a very small voice.

"We'd never use it without permission, Neville," Ginny said.

"I… think I'll take the slow route," Neville said.

"Okay," Harry said, then looked at Ron and Hermione.

"Well," Hermione said, "I… guess I can try the fast route. And if it is too much to handle, I can go to the slow route."

Ron nodded. "I agree with Hermione."

Harry felt his throat tighten. Truthfully, he had hoped all three would take the slow route. He hated the thought of using Legilimency on Ron and Hermione. But he swore to himself he wouldn't make them choose one or the other.

He cleared his throat. "Ginny?"

"You and Ron and Hermione can use the couches and chairs," Ginny said, "I think Neville will be more comfortable on the bed. Right, Neville?"

"If you say so," Neville said, then looked at Harry. "Sorry, mate. It's just… what you described… well… not my cup of tea."

Harry nodded. He knew Neville wouldn't want him to see stuff like him visiting his parents in St. Mungo's or memories like that.

"I completely understand," he said.

Neville smile and he followed Ginny across the room. Harry spun his wrist and felt his wand between his fingers. He hated to do it this way right off the bat. But he needed to know if they were ready for it.

"Who wants to go first?" he asked.

Hermione raised her hand.

"This isn't a class, Hermione," Ron said, snickering.

Hermione rolled her eyes and looked at Harry.

"Prepare yourself," Harry said, then not even a split-second later, pointed his wand at Hermione, "Legilimens!"

Suddenly, he was in Hermione's mind. Memories were moving past him. It was like a television… like he was only catching glimpses, before switching channel after channel with a remote. Then he began to see whole memories….

_She was sitting on the stool in front of the students in the Great Hall… "I can see you'd do well in Ravenclaw," the Sorting Hat stated, "but you have much desire to join a certain red-headed boy… and I already know where he will be… oh yes, I can see your desires, your need to get to know him, your feelings for him, but don't worry, I won't tell him. Welcome, Hermione Granger, to _GRYFFINDOR!_"_

_Another memory… She was standing on Platform 9 ¾, the Hogwarts Express in front of her, as kids and their parents passed her. She hugged her father. "If you want to leave right now, Hermione," Richard Granger said, "you don't have to do this. There is a school in Oxford that is perfect for students your age and up for the next few years! Smart children like you. And you would be home every night. And weekends."_

_"I must go, Daddy!" Hermione said, as tears streamed down her face, "This is what I want! I want to be a witch!"_

_Yet another memory. She was younger… standing in the bathroom of her house, wearing only a towel. The sound of water coming from a faucet could be heard. She was disrobing herself and climbing into the bathtub as the water washed over her..._

Harry blinked. He did not want to see that, and he could feel Hermione's panic. He wrenched himself out of her mind.

"Sorry!" he gasped, "I didn't mean to see that!"

Hermione gasped and blinked. He thought it he could see tears in her eyes, and it pained him.

"I couldn't –" she stammered, "I couldn't even – I couldn't stop you!"

"I know, Hermione," Harry said, "I'm sorry. I had to do that because that is exactly what Legilimens do. They give you no chance to block yourself. Skilled Occlumens know to protect their minds beforehand so somebody can't get in their mind before that happens."

_Harry? _Ginny asked, _Is she all right?_

_Yeah, I… I saw… I saw her getting into a bath… she might have been eight or nine. I didn't want to see her like that!_

_Oh, Harry. I know… I'm sorry._

"Hermione," Harry said, "If you want to do it the slow way… sometimes I can't control what I see. I didn't mean to see you –"

"It's okay, Harry," Hermione said, "I want to learn this way. Please?"

"Er… what did you see?" Ron asked, his eyes darting between Harry and Hermione.

"Ron, I told you that Legilimency has a knack of showing private sections of your memory," Harry said, "Things you wouldn't want anyone to see."

"Okay," Ron said, slowly, making it sound like two long words.

Hermione sighed and closed her eyes. "He saw me… taking a bath."

Ron raised his eyebrows, looking at Harry in shock and disgust.

"It doesn't matter," Hermione said, "I understand. Ron, I felt him back out immediately. He wasn't trying to see it."

Ron frowned. "Maybe… maybe I will do what Neville's doing… for now."

He stood up and walked across the room. Harry watched as Ginny looked up at Ron. Ron said something to her and she nodded and he sat on the bed next to Neville. Ginny looked over at Harry.

_What happened? _she asked, _You see something in his head?_

_He didn't let me do it. Hermione told him what I saw in her head, and he decided to go over there._

_Oh… damn. What about Hermione?_

Harry looked at Hermione, who was looking at her crossed hands in her lap.

"You want to do the slow way, Hermione?" he asked.

She looked at him and shook her head. "I'm fine… I know you didn't mean it. I really want to learn this. I'd… I'd be angry with myself if didn't."

"Okay," Harry said.

_She's fine, _Harry said._._

_Are you sure you are, Harry? You could never control what you saw, you know. I'm sure you saw me like that once or twice. Of course… I'm sure you liked it those times…_

_That was you though! I love you… and Hermione's different, Ginny. She's… she's like my sister. But she wants to try again. I swore I wouldn't force them to change their minds._

"Harry," Hermione said, quietly, and Harry looked up at her, "Did you – did you hear what the Sorting Hat said to me? About –"

Her eyes moved past him and over toward the other side of the room. Harry knew she was looking at Ron.

"Yeah," Harry said.

"So," Hermione said, her cheeks pink with blush, "You know that it saw that I – that I kind of… you know…"

"Fancy him?" Harry whispered.

"Don't tell him," Hermione said, her eyes glancing over toward Ron again. "His brothers tease him so much about that. Besides…" She blushed and looked back at Harry, "I'm much too young for that."

"I won't tell him," Harry said, "But I want you to promise me something."

"Um… okay," she said.

"If you still feel that way about him," Harry said, "in… a few years… tell him."

"I don't know, Harry," Hermione said, her eyes glancing at Ron again. "He might – he might not –"

She frowned and looked at her hands.

"Oh," Harry said, smiling, "Well, you never know, Hermione. You might find out he fancies you."

Hermione blushed and her lips twitched upward. She giggled and nodded.

"I promise," she said, "When I'm ready… in a few years…"

Harry smiled. He didn't like to play Cupid, but he remembered, in the last timeline the drama his best friends had to experience over the years before they finally admitted to each other how they felt. He didn't want to have to deal with Viktor Krum and "Lav-Lav" again if he could stop it.

"Okay," she said, "So… do you want to try again?"

"Um… sure," Hermione said, nervously.

"I'll let you concentrate this time," Harry said, "As long as you need."

Hermione nodded. She closed her eyes and didn't say anything for a couple of minutes. Then she raised her hand to signal him. He pointed his wand at her.

"Legilimens!" he said.

He was back in her mind…

_She was walking up the steps of the Grand Staircase, Ron by her side. Percy Weasley was leading the group of first years, telling them about the Staircase, and how the steps liked to move. One of the portrait inhabitants, a young blonde girl, was batting her eyelashes as Ron passed right by her portrait. "I think she fancies you, Ron," Hermione giggled. Ron backed away from the portrait, and his hand caught Hermione's own. He looked down at it, released hers, and blushed furiously. Hermione smiled and looked at her hand, then his. Ron looked upwards at the next level of stairs, unaware that she was blushing and smiling._

_A finger was perusing a page. The words "Tuck and Grace: A Bonding Tale" showed up. Hermione smiled, ran out of the library and bumped into something._

_"Watch where you're going, Mudblood!"_

_"No!" Hermione's voice rang out, in a rather loud echo..._

... and Harry was forced out of Hermione's mind! He gasped and felt slightly dizzy before he recovered. He looked up at Hermione. She blinked and looked at Harry.

"I pushed you out!" she said, grinning.

"Very good," Harry said, "But I still saw all of one memory, and most of another."

"I know," Hermione said, sighing, "I'm working on it."

"You did good for your second try," Harry said, "Brilliant even."

Harry's mind went back to what he saw. The words… "Tuck and Grace: A Bonding Tale." Bonding…

"Hermione," he said, "That book I saw."

"It was the fairytale I got from the library," Hermione said, "By Bartemius F. Able."

"Have you… read that story?" he asked slowly.

"Yeah," Hermione said, "It's kind of cute. It's about a boy and a girl in their teens. And they find each other one day, but it was as if they were searching their whole lives for each other. And they were able to…"

Hermione frowned and looked at Harry. Her eyes then glanced across the room. Harry looked as well, and saw Ginny, saying something to Ron and Neville as they laid down on the bed. He turned back to Hermione.

"Able to what, Hermione?" he asked, quickly.

"They were able to… speak telepathically," she said, her eyes moving back to him, "Through their minds… nobody else could hear them when they did that."

"Neat gift," Harry said, trying to keep calm.

"Yeah," Hermione said, smiling, "Sounds really neat. Er… what time is it? Almost time for dinner?"

Harry glanced into a corner of the room. _I need a clock._

A grandfather clock materialized out of thin air. The clock read four-thirty, one hour until dinner usually began.

"Oh," Hermione said, looking at it, "We have time."

"No, we're done for today," Harry said, "We'll try again on Thursday. But… when you go to bed tonight, try to envision walls around your memories. Before too long, I won't be able to get in at all."

"Harry," Hermione said, frowning, "If you think I'm mad because you saw me in my bathroom in a memory… I'm not. I read about this in that book you gave me. Legilimency is usually used on people who have all kinds of memories to look for. The most common is… intimate – you know –" she blushed —"kissing and stuff like that. But I'm just twelve, aren't I? I have no experiences like that. My most private moments are stuff like baths. So… there was a chance you'd see something like that, right?"

"I know," Harry said, "I'm just…"

"Embarrassed?" Hermione suggested.

Harry nodded. Hermione smiled and looked at Ginny, then looked back at him.

"I know you like her, Harry," she said, "Ginny… it is easy to see. You and I are just friends, and meant to be friends. So of course you'd be embarrassed to see something like that when it comes to me."

Harry nodded.

"I'll give you some advice, Harry," Hermione said, grinning, "If you don't want to see that… keep an eye out for bathrooms and a bedroom with sky-blue paint, and my dorm room which probably looks like yours… you'll know when to stop."

"I want to stop before I start, Hermione," Harry said, "Those memories are yours. Your parents… those… little moments when it comes to Ron. That…"

He hesitated. He knew she hated talking about it.

"The thing with Draco?" Hermione asked, "Really, I'm over it, Harry. I can talk about it. And I know you would hate seeing this stuff, but if it helps me, I'll do it. Besides… it is better you doing it instead of that other Legilimens you were talking about, right? At least you're nice about it. I imagine some mind-readers are creepy."

Harry nodded. "Thanks, Hermione. That means a lot."

"What are friends for?" Hermione asked.

Harry smiled. Hermione stood up and went over to Ginny, Ron and Neville and told them the exercise was over for now. Harry sighed and looked at the fireplace, which had been roaring since they arrived.

_Harry? _Ginny's voice rang through his mind, _Are you okay?_

_Yeah,_ Harry said, staring at one of the burning logs, _I just really hate Occlumency lessons._

* * *

__**Well… when I started this chapter, only a small scene was going to be dedicated to Occlumency lessons for Hermione, Ron and Neville, but things branched out. So next chapter will be Halloween! I promise!**

**What did you think of this chapter? I'm very curious about your opinions. I really wanted to show the harshness of Legilimency and what it could do, so I had that one particular scene. What did you think of Ron's emotions?**

**Also, I know a lot of the readers of this story are Ron/Hermione shippers. So from you, I want to know what you thought of this chapter in particular. It was a big emphasis on that shipping, which I love!**


	41. Halloween

**Chapter 41  
Halloween**

**Author's Note: This story has reached over 100K Hits! Thank you all! As a reward, this is a very long chapter. I didn't want to split it up!**

**Disclaimer: Recognizable sections of this chapter come directly from Chapter 10 of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling. I do not take claim for these, only my own additions.**

* * *

__  
As the month of October progressed and began to come to a close, fall was very slowly turning into winter. It would slowly tread this path until the early days of December. The weather started to cool in the early evenings as light breezes brushed over the grounds of Hogwarts, whipping the grass along with it; from high above, it resembled waves as if the Grounds were a part of the Hogwarts Lake. Most of the leaves on the trees surrounding Hogwarts were a pleasant orange, yellow or red color, and when the sun shone just right, it seemed like the Forbidden Forest had been set aflame. The leaves of Harry and Ginny's oak tree were all three colors, a majestic sight to see, especially when they were sitting against its trunk, as they rarely did nowadays, due to lessons, mind and strength exercises, Quidditch practice and homework.

For Harry, Ginny and their friends, things progressed as well.

The Occlumency lessons were going rather well, at least for Hermione. In the latest lesson, on the last Friday of the month of October, she had been able to throw Harry out of her head before he was able to get through the first memory. While some moments he had ventured into were really private, Hermione had actually, in a sense, welcomed this kind of attack, because it made her fight it off more. It was a lesson technique Hermione had coined as 'baiting'. She asked Harry to focus on these deep private memories, because while he wanted to avoid them, so did she. When she had first asked him about this, they agreed that he only focus on something like this once per lesson. Then it progressed, and over time, Hermione had gotten much stronger because of it.

As for Ron and Neville, Ginny knew she would have to use Legilimens on them occasionally to test their barriers. While she never searched for really private things, she would poke around for some memories. This most recent expedition into their minds, which also happened the previous Friday, she had searched for something in common between the two: for Ron, it was when Percy had given him Scabbers. For Neville, it was when he had received Trevor. The walls she encountered were not very strong, and she could push through them, but she was happy to report that they were progressing well. Ron had even hinted that soon he might try Harry's Legilimency attacks to defend himself that way. Hermione's progress seemed to really encourage him.

Ginny's idea of requesting a gym in the Room of Requirement turned out to be brilliant. The room had done quite well for their request. A half-mile track bordered the outside of the room. In the middle were protective mats for push-ups and sit-ups, and a thick metal stationary rings for pull-ups. A twenty foot rope had been fastened into the ceiling for them to climb up: Harry, Ginny, and Ron had been able to make it to the top so far, while Hermione and Neville, who were less athletic, were getting to the middle before backing down, not out of fright but muscle cramps and exhaustion.

Also, earlier in the month, Harry had checked on the diadem Horcrux, and had actually moved it from its spot, He put it in the room they used for Occlumency Lessons so it would be close. He had requested a safe, which had been hidden behind the large bookshelf, and he put a Locking Charm on it, to where only he or Ginny could open it.

As for classes…. Transfiguration had progressed past wood-to-metal transformations, and gone into metal to wood, which was more difficult. On the last Monday of October, they were transfiguring spoons into chopsticks. Hermione, Harry and Ginny had been the only three to successfully transfigure theirs by the end of the class, though Ron had progressed to making his spoon wooden instead of metal. The shape had been his only problem. In Charms, the five friends had all opened their boxes in the span of a week, which was the common progression for the class, and were all working together on the Locking Charms and the Levitation Charms. Because most of the class had a good idea of what they would do on Halloween, this had become almost a race to figure out who could do it the quickest. Harry knew Flitwick didn't mind this in the least, and it was probably his objective… to make the spell exciting to work with. Harry couldn't figure out why this was different than the last timeline, but it was just one of those things you shouldn't question, he figured.

Defense Against the Dark Arts and History of Magic had not improved, though neither had it fallen to lower standards. Professor Quirrel had resorted to the students doing book readings and essays, and the lectures had lessened. Professor Binns was working in the opposite way: he expected notes from his lectures, and had two exams in the month of October, one on the last Monday of the month.

Potions was almost monotone in its schedule. Each week they would read about a potion in their book and copy down questions and answer them. The following class, they had to prepare their ingredients and do a short essay on those ingredients. Then on each Friday, they would brew the potions they had been learning about. Snape continuous act of ignoring Harry and Ginny seemed to cease on the previous Friday, when he hovered for a good five minutes over their progress of the potion they had been making, which was apparently a substitute for water for gardening, and would improve growth of certain herbs, fruits and vegetables. Of course, Harry and Ginny couldn't prove Snape was hovering. At times he would look at Ron and Hermione's potion, or Neville's, whose partner was Blaise Zabini (Snape ordered them to work together).

In the most recent Herbology class, Hagrid had asked Professor Sprout if the first years could assist him with his pumpkins for the Halloween Feast, and he taught them how to use the best fertilizer to grow the pumpkins extra-large. The fertilizer in question: dragon dung. In result, it had the students smelling all the way to their dorms after class, until they took showers.

On October 28th, the last Monday of the month. Transfiguration had ended a quarter of an hour ago, and Harry and Ginny were on their way to the Quidditch Pitch for Harry's last practice before the first Quidditch match of the term. On the first day of November, Gryffindor would be playing against Slytherin. Ginny, who had not watched a practice yet, decided to go that afternoon. Ron had said he might go watch practice, but when Harry asked him about how his Levitation Charm was progressing, and reminded him of the reward of excusal from the exam a week from Tuesday, Ron had decided to stay inside to work on it.

"I'll keep an eye on Bludgers for you," Ginny said, when they arrived just inside the walls of the stadium, "have a nice practice."

She kissed him on the cheek and walked off toward the stairs leading to the seats. Harry walked towards the locker rooms, where Fred and George were standing outside it.

"There's our favorite Seeker," Fred said.

"We have a bone to pick with you, O Marauder's Son," George said.

"Name it," Harry said.

"Did we," Fred said, "or did we not –"

"- see you receive a kiss on the cheek from our dear sister just now?" George finished.

_Psh! _Ginny scoffed, _Eavesdroppers!_

"Oh – I – err – yeah, a good luck gesture," Harry said, "Her first time watching me practice. Surprised me."

"Good luck gesture, he says, George," Fred said.

"A surprise he says, Fred," George said, "Do you believe him?"

"Well," Fred said, "Considering that Wood and Bell are having a pre-practice ritual –"

"Snogging," George said to Harry, clearing up any confusion.

"- inside the locker room," Fred continued, "I'd say this ritual between Harry and our sister is –"

"Cute?" George suggested, "Sickeningly adorable?"

"Excellent term usage," Fred said, "I was going to say innocent. Anything more and we might have to clobber him."

"Definite use of a Beater's Bat," George said.

"Aye," Fred said, "And Bludger."

"Oliver and Katie are snogging in there?" Harry decided to ask before their discussion turned into more violent terms.

"Why do you think we're out here?" Fred asked.

"We wished to give them privacy," George said.

"They kicked you out," Harry said.

"They kicked us out," Fred and George said in unison.

Harry sighed. "Kids these days. They get together younger and younger."

"Hmm," Fred said, "Is that your way of implying something with our sister?"

"No," Harry said, "I wouldn't be that cryptic." The added for good measure, "And I'm eleven."

He smiled innocently and walked off past them.

"Think he's telling the truth?" Fred asked.

"He _is _eleven," George said.

"It is probably the truth," Fred said.

As he made his way down the short corridor toward the locker room, Harry cleared his throat rather loudly. When he walked in, Oliver and Katie were sitting on one of the benches, looking rather red-faced.

"Pre-practice ritual?" Harry asked, grinning.

Katie's red face turned even redder and Oliver said, "Weasley twins have already corrupted you, haven't they?"

Harry shrugged and walked over to his locker. He heard more footsteps coming and turned to see Alicia and Angelina walking in, already dressed in their Quidditch gear. They looked at Katie and Oliver, then to Harry.

"Pre-practice ritual?" Angelina guessed.

Harry snickered and nodded.

"WEASLEYS!" Oliver growled, as Katie joined her fellow Chasers, blushing madly.

"Sorry, Oliver," Fred and George said in unison, as they walked over to their lockers as well.

"All right, team," Oliver said, "This is our last practice before our game on Friday. I know Halloween is the day before, and you will all be gorging yourself at the Feast. I expect you all to use that energy for the match on Friday afternoon! Potter… Madam Hooch is going to be out there to charm a volley of – err – oh yes, golf balls into the sky and I expect you to catch them. They're the closest thing in size to resembling a Snitch. We'd use a practice Snitch, but apparently Slytherin's Seeker caught it too harshly during their practice Saturday and crushed it."

"Is that possible?" Harry asked.

"Big bloke, he is, Harry," Angelina said.

"That reminds me, Potter," Oliver said, "Work with the golf balls for an hour or so, then the rest of practice, I want you to work on diving toward the ground and pulling up – Wronski Feint type defense and stuff. I don't want a repeat of the final match last term – I'm sure you heard all about it."

"I'll work on it, Wood," Harry said.

"Excellent," Oliver said, "The rest of you know your drills. Get your gear and get out onto the Pitch."

"Oliver," Fred said, as he, George, Harry and Oliver walked out toward the Pitch a few minutes later, "Thought I'd warn you. We have a visitor watching us."

"Slytherin spy?" Oliver asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Our sister," Fred said, "Apparently she came down to watch Harry practice."

"Probably a ritual in the making," George joked, "But we're not sure."

Oliver looked at Harry and raised his eyebrows.

"And Katie's parents said _she _was too young for relationships," he muttered, his eyes moving toward Katie as she and her fellow Chasers walked by giggling about something.

Harry quickly walked ahead of everyone to keep them from seeing the blush rising in his cheeks.

* * *

_October 31__st__, 1991_

Thursday. Halloween. All-Hallows'-Eve. To most of the students of Hogwarts, it was live bats, pumpkins, Peeves appearing in front of those most distracted and going "BOO!" and, of course, the glorious Halloween Feast in the Great Hall that evening to look forward to.

For Harry, it was the date marking the night his parents were killed… and for him and Ginny, it was their first wedding anniversary, which they would be trying their best to celebrate as they should have been if the events of May 2nd, 2001 hadn't taken place.

Harry had woken up at six-o-clock and was pleased to find that the Common Room was empty. Everyone in the tower was either asleep or had gone to the Great Hall for an early breakfast. The previous evening, Harry and Ginny had scheduled a planned rendezvous in front of the cozy fireplace, in hopes they could have some private time before breakfast and the first class of the day, which was Charms, the one Harry was looking forward to most, but at the same time, nervous about.

Harry smiled when he saw Ginny walk across the Common Room toward him. She joined him on the couch, dropping her knapsack next to his, and he wrapped an arm around her. His Auror-trained senses were alert for any students coming down the stairs.

"Mm," Ginny whispered, after she kissed him, "Happy first anniversary, love."

"You too," Harry said.

Ginny smiled and laid her head against Harry's shoulder.

"You're worried about something, aren't you?" Ginny asked, looking up at him, "About what might happen today?"

"Why do you say that?" Harry asked.

"Because you're tense again," Ginny said. "I wasn't lying when I said that you do not make a good pillow when you're tense. Plus… Harry, you've told me the story of what happened in the last timeline on this day. You think I haven't noticed that you've been encouraging Ron to work on his Levitation Charm so often lately."

"It has just been bugging me for the past few weeks," Harry said. "I'm worried something is going to go wrong this time. So many things are different this time around. It is unpredictable… and don't you dare get into that 'good adventure' rubbish, I swear to Merlin."

Ginny snickered. "You're as paranoid as Mad-Eye these days."

"Side-effect of foreknowledge," Harry said, with a smirk.

"Must have passed me up then," Ginny said.

A light tapping sound was heard somewhere behind them, and Harry and Ginny turned and looked for the culprit. An owl was perched on the window-sill, a scroll in its talon. His big yellow eyes were staring at them.

"For us, you reckon?" Ginny asked, "It is early though."

Harry shrugged and walked over the window, and opened it. The owl lifted its talon and Harry took the scroll from it. The owl then flew off.

"No response needed," Harry said, as he walked back over to the couch.

"Or it is from someone who knows you can use Hedwig," Ginny reasoned.

Harry unrolled the scroll; there were two pieces of parchments rolled together. Harry took the top one and found that the post was from Sirius. He started to read it:

_Harry and Ginny, _

_Happy Halloween!_

I know this letter will come to you very early today, but I don't want anyone who doesn't need to see it to witness you reading it, so I hope you are alone. And if you are… play safe, kids. I do recall you telling me you were married on the most recent Halloween of the last timeline, so I do wish the both of you a happy first anniversary (you don't know how weird it is for me to say that!). As much as I might say have a nice day celebrating it, don't do anything I wouldn't do… at least at your age… body, not mind! There… fulfilled my god-fatherly duties to you for this month.

_Anyway, remember how I told you last month that I had a month to go until I could be reinstated for an Auror? Well, the Healer was nearly a month off going the wrong way. Apparently, because of an innocent cold I had suffered the original week of my last check-up, I was asked to wait a couple more weeks before getting cleared. The Healer had thought I was suffering some very late effects of Azkaban. Common cold, and it keeps me away from a good job for almost a month. Figures. But no harm done. As of last Sunday afternoon, you are now reading the post of newly reinstated Auror Sirius Black. _

_In case you're curious, no I have not been any more successful with Amelia than I was last time I wrote about her to you. In fact, I was even less successful. She was supposed to meet me personally to give me back my badge and reinstate me, but it turned out she was busy, and Alastor Moody did the honors. Don't worry too much about this, though. As I said during my best man speech at James and Lily's wedding so long ago, "don't give up on what you want. You'll get it in the end." Worked for both of you, didn't it? And I expect it will work again for your "mission" in this timeline. And I hope it will work for me too. _

_My reason for writing this letter, however, is this request. I have been working on some plans for the Christmas holiday. But I need your permission to do this, because… I want to hold a Christmas party at Potter Manor for our closest family and friends. Either on Christmas Eve or Boxing Day. Nothing too big… on the second parchment I'm sending you, there is a small guest list for the party. Trust me, I was very careful planning out the guests. I realize that two things must happen before any guest can be there. One, they must be given the Secret – in other words we have to trust them completely, and two, their names must be entered into the Charmed guest list, and only the two of you have permission to do that – this you can do when you come back from break. If we go through with this party, I promise you, the basement will be off limits to guests, and we will put spells around it. I don't expect you to give me a quick answer on this. You should think about it, because whoever we invite will be a part of the Secret of the location of Potter Manor. But I do want a reply letter no later than the first of December. Also, do not worry about the explanation of how we're able to use Potter Manor without you being seventeen (for those who shouldn't know). I have that covered, you can count on me._

_Before I forget, Harry, I do remember you saying you have a Quidditch match coming up! Tomorrow, eh? Good luck, and I wish I could be there. I'm sure your father will be, in a way. He wouldn't miss your first match, kid._

_Once, again… Happy Halloween. Be safe, but not TOO safe._

_Sirius_

_P.S.: Don't worry about me today, kid. Remus and I are going to visit your parents' graves in Godric's Hollow, and then we're celebrating Halloween like everyone else. I'd hate to think you're worrying about me too much to enjoy the day._

Harry took the other piece of parchment and handed the letter to Ginny. While she read the letter, he looked at the guest list, which included the Weasley Family, Remus Lupin, Andromeda and Nymphadora Tonks and Amelia Bones. Below the list a note read:

_Told you it was a small list. However, I am leaving room open for you. I know you have made a few friends at school who you might trust enough to invite to your house. If they can make it, let me know. _

"A Christmas party?" Ginny asked, when she finished the letter, "At Potter Manor?"

"It is kind of risky," Harry said, "But that is why Sirius wanted us to think about this first."

"Good thing we have a month to decide," Ginny said.

"Yeah," Harry said.

Harry knew November was going to be a long month. He had yet to make any solid plans on his trip into the Chamber of Secrets yet, and he knew it wasn't going to be very simple at all, especially if he wanted to go through with all of his plans.

"Short guest list," Ginny said, as she looked at the second piece of parchment, "I'm not sure if my whole family will want to be there. Of course… the way Mum's acting, she'll want to be there to watch me. She won't be able to tell me not to go, now that she knows it is my – our house – and that I can just teleport there when you arrive. She can't stop that."

Harry nodded. He remembered one of Sirius' last letters. In it, he had described a conversation with Mr. Weasley about how Mrs. Weasley's attitude toward him might be rather shocking during Christmas holidays and Sirius' best advice was to just go with it as best he could.

"Of course," Ginny continued, "I could just not invite her if she keeps treating you and I like this."

"That's a bit unfair, Ginny," Harry said.

"I don't care, Harry," Ginny said, "So Sirius says we can invite our own friends too?"

Harry smiled lightly; he recognized the abrupt change of conversation of course.

"I think he means Hermione and Neville," Harry said, "And probably Luna."

Ginny nodded. "It was nice of him to wish us a happy first anniversary. Probably knows it is difficult for us to celebrate and wanted to help even with just words."

"Are you okay celebrating our anniversary," Harry asked, "I kind of expected this to be a bit hard on you, because I'm sure if everything was different, we'd be celebrating today much differently."

"I'm fine, Harry," Ginny said, "Thanks for your concern. But we're having private time like this, and a feast to celebrate with this evening. What could be better?"

"Okay, I was just worried," Harry said, "Just so you know, I'm happy you're here to celebrate it with me. I probably couldn't go through this without you – you as your older self, I mean."

"Me too," Ginny said, "Though my relief is kind of selfish. It took me years to convince you I was the one for you. I would not have wanted to do it again."

"I was quite stupid in those days," Harry said.

"No arguments there," Ginny said, with a smirk.

Harry glared at Ginny and she giggled and kissed him again.

* * *

As it had in the last timeline, the events that day were already familiar from the start. The delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafted through the Great Hall and corridors, teasing students and Professors alike of the Feast that evening.

But for Harry, that was where the familiarity stopped. When he arrived at Charms with his friends, he saw what resembled small diaries sitting on each of the desks, where, in the last timeline, feathers had been placed.

"I thought we were levitating things today," Ron said, frowning, "Flitwick wants us to start diaries?"

"Pretty obvious, isn't it?" Hermione asked, "We're levitating these today."

"Rather weighty," Neville said, "it will make it harder to levitate."

Harry picked up his diary and examined it. It was smaller and lighter than a regular text-book, but it was indeed much heavier than a feather.

_This is really odd, Ginny, _Harry said, _Where's the feathers?_

Before Ginny could respond, Professor Flitwick entered the classroom and began to take roll-call. Most of the students were answering to their name eagerly. When he was finished, he stood in the center of the classroom on a small stack of books instead of near his desk.

"Wonderful!" Flitwick said, "First, I will say to you all, Happy Halloween! Now, does everyone have a diary in front of them? Yes? Good! As I am sure you are all aware of, today we will finally be practicing the Levitation Charm. If you've studied up on this Charm in your books, you will know that the Levitation Charm is the ability to make things fly. First of all, for five points to your house… what does the Standard Book of Spells say the wand movement is for this Charm?"

Most of the class raised their hand.

"Ooh… let's see… Mr. Weasley?" Flitwick asked.

"Er… swish-and-flick, I think it said," Ron said, "with your… wrist, not arm."

"Correct!" Flitwick said, "Swish and Flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too — never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest. I'm sure you all know the Charm, as you all did very well opening that jewelry box earlier this month. Now, as you can all see, we are using diaries today to levitate. Normally, we would start out with feathers, given their weight and mass is very light. But if you have studied up on this Charm already, that would be simple for you. But the diary is more challenging. You need a good challenge, because the first three people who can levitate their diaries at least ten feet above their heads, will, as you know, be excused from the exam that will take place next Tuesday, and will receive an immediate 'Outstanding!' I will be standing here watching all of you. I've put up alarm charms over each of your desks, so we can tell when your diary reaches the correct height. So… with that in mind… begin!"

Most of the class immediately began to move their wrists and say the incantations.

_What do you think? _Ginny asked, as she pointed her wand at the diary, _Let two people get the free pass, and then race each other for the third?_

_Probably fair_, Harry said, _Okay… deal._

Ginny pointed her wand at the diary, and started practicing the incantation, allowing the diary to hover a couple inches then lower. Most of the class was beginning to levitate their diaries, though very few were getting them even a couple feet in the air.

"As you can see," Flitwick said, "It takes a lot of concentration to lift a diary. But keep at it. Nobody close yet, it will be a tight race, I think. Come on, Mr. Potter, swish-and-flick."

Harry, who had been watching Ron and Hermione working on theirs (Hermione's diary hovering and lowering at a point between four and five feet at the moment, Ron's at two feet in the air) pointed his wand at the diary, and said the incantation. His diary began to hover a couple of feet.

"Oh, very good, Mr. Longbottom!" Flitwick said.

Harry looked over his shoulder. Neville's diary was even higher in the air than Hermione's, at seven feet. This was unexpected, but Harry knew that Neville had been studying this for quite a few hours in the past week. Harry had seen him hovering his quills and pieces of parchment as they lay on his bed in the dorm. Harry heard a small thud towards Ron and Hermione's desks, and thinking Ron's diary had fallen, he looked over. He found, much to his surprise, that Hermione's had landed on the desk instead. Had she already done it? But Flitwick would have said something…

"Try again, Miss Granger!" Flitwick said, "You were doing very well!"

Hermione nodded and resumed her incantation. Ron was squinting, deep in concentration as his lifted higher.

BUZZ! One of the alarm charms in the class rang out.

"Mr. Longbottom's the first to get his!" Flitwick said, "And a tight race for a few students – both Patils, Miss Perks and Mr. Weasley!"

Harry looked up at Neville, who was grinning and looked quite exhausted, albeit pleased with himself. When he caught Harry looking at him, he blushed.

"Come on," Harry heard Ron mutter, "Come on. Don't lower… go higher."

Harry looked up at Ron's diary, and saw it raise faster and -

"Congratulations, Padma!" Flitwick said, "One more to go!"

_What do you think? _Ginny asked, _Race or let Ron and Hermione try._

_Slow race… Ron's almost there too._

Ginny nodded. She and Harry both pointed their wands at their diaries and levitated them into the air. Slowly they raised up into the air, going a foot every ten seconds.

"Miss Weasley and Mr. Potter finally getting it!" Flitwick said, "And it looks like they're racing for it! Four of the Gryffindors are!"

Harry knew "Gryffindors" meant himself, Ginny, Ron and Hermione. He pointed his wand higher, guiding the diary up… up… then out of the corner of his eye, he saw another diary raising higher, belonging to…

BUZZ!

"Miss Weasley's done it!" Flitwick said, "The youngest Charmer is the third! Well, done all of you. The rest of you, please continue until you've reached ten feet."

Three consecutive buzzes were heard above Harry, Ron and Hermione's desks.

"Well done!" Flitwick said, "Don't be disappointed, you were very close."

_Hmm, _Ginny said, _I was kind of hoping Ron or Hermione would get it. But we agreed to race._

I just hope there isn't any hard feelings between a couple of people.

To Harry's immense relief, there wasn't any hard feelings at all.

"So close!" Ron moaned, as he, Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Neville walked down the Grand Staircase, en route to the Grounds and greenhouses.

"That was a nice burst of energy there, Ginny," Hermione said.

"What happened to yours, Hermione?" Harry asked, "You were the closest other than Neville at one point."

"Yeah, good job, Neville," Ginny said, and Ron, Hermione and Harry nodded, as Neville grinned.

"Well, I was kind of looking forward to this exam coming up on Tuesday," Hermione said, "So my heart really wasn't in it. I… well… I was hoping one of you three would get it instead."

Harry thought he saw Hermione look more at Ron, then him and Ginny.

"So good job, Ginny," Hermione said.

Ginny smiled.

_See, Harry, _she said, _You had nothing to worry about. They're still friends._

Harry smiled and gave a small nod only Ginny could notice. However, he still wasn't sure. There was still quite a few hours to go for Halloween.

* * *

Harry grew more nervous as the day went on. So much that it was becoming noticeable.

"You okay, mate?" Ron asked, as he, Harry, Ginny and Neville walked into the Great Hall that evening, "You look a bit peaky."

As it had the last time, the Great Hall was decorated with hundreds of live bats flying around the ceiling, orange pumpkins replaced the floating candles, and models of skeletons of black cats adorned the tables, which had been decorated with orange and black tablecloths, black plates, and silver goblets.

"Just hungry and excited for the feast," Harry said, then realized something; "Er… where's Hermione?"

"Bathroom," Neville said, "First floor, I think. She said that as we were coming down the Grand Staircase, remember?"

Harry's throat tightened, and he could barely say "Oh… right."

_Ginny? _Harry said, _What if the troll comes?_

_Er… I'll go find her now!_

_Hurry, if I remember right, it happens very soon._

"I'm sure she doesn't want to miss the feast," Ginny said, "I'll go find her."

Before Ron and Neville could say anything, Ginny turned and hurried out of the Great Hall.

"Girls," Ron muttered, "Always have to go to the bathroom together."

Harry nodded and sat down at the table. Harry hoped the feast wouldn't begin too soon, and that Hermione and Ginny would return. He kept his mind-link open, and tried to sense if Ginny's emotions had turned to fright or surprise or something similar.

"Happy Halloween students and staff!" Professor Dumbledore said from the Head Table, "I'm sure we are all excited for the feast. So without further ado… let the feast begin!"

Many varieties of Halloween-festive food appeared on the table. The models of cats and skeletons began to hum what sounded like "Double, Double, Toil and Trouble". Harry lifted the jug of pumpkin juice with shaky hands. That song was not something he wanted to hear right now…

_Ginny? _Harry said, _Where are you?_

_Going down the first floor corridor toward the bathroom, Harry _Ginny said_, No sign of Hermione yet, but don't worry._

_Not possible, love._

_I see the bathroom. I'm going in… yeah, she's still in the stall. Hang on._

Harry started filling his plate with food just so he could have something to do while he waited.

_Oh… damn._

_What? _Harry said, his fork dropping on the plate with a clutter; Ron and Neville looked at him with odd expressions.

_Remember in Potions today, how we had to work with some of the ingredients and cut them up. Hermione said one of the ingredients, some type of onion… the juice touched her skin. The juice affects – err – the bladder. It is finally doing its work._

Harry sighed. _This has to happen today of all days?_

_Sorry! Don't worry, I'm with her, okay? I won't let her out of my -_

Silence.

_Ginny? _Harry said, _Are you okay?_

_Er… yeah. Thought I heard something._

Harry's eyes widened. Before he could ask if it could be a troll, the Great Hall doors opened and he groaned as Professor Quirrel came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face.

"TROLL IN THE DUNGEONS!" he bellowed, "TROLL – IN THE – DUNGEONS!"

All sounds ceased, except for Quirrel's panting.

"Thought you ought to know," he said, shrugging.

He collapsed to ground in a dead faint.

_Cue screaming, _he thought, _in three… two…_

The hall erupted in terror and screams from the students, beside him Ron and Neville looked pale and had joined in. Harry, however, was trying to reach Ginny.

_Ginny, Troll's in the castle! _He said, urgently, _I'll be there as soon as I can. Teleport if I can.  
_  
_Damn… And just as Hermione was finishing up. I'll try to distract her. Hurry._

Large purple and black firecrackers erupted from Dumbledore's wand.

"Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"_  
_  
"Harry," Ron whispered to Harry as they, along with Neville, followed Percy toward the Grand Staircase. "We need to find my sister and Hermione now! Do you – do you think they're still in the bathroom?"

"Yeah," Harry said; he groaned inwardly… teleporting was out of the question; "Come on! They don't know!"

What seemed like forever was about three minutes, before the Gryffindors were nearing the first floor. Harry and Ron lagged back and made sure they were at the end of the group.

"Now!" Harry hissed, as he pulled Ron toward the first floor.

They ran off down the corridor, not hearing footsteps behind them until it was almost too late. Harry turned and saw Neville there.

"What's going on?" Neville's voice asked behind them.

"Neville, go back with the students," Ron said.

"If you think Hermione and Ginny are still in the bathroom," Neville said, "I'm going with you."

Before Harry could argue, he heard a screaming sound close by.

"Oh no!" Neville breathed.

"Ginny?" Ron called out, "Hermione!"

_Ginny! _Harry said.

_Troll's here! Swinging his club and everything. Hermione dragged me into a cubicle before I could do anything. Hurry!_

"Come on!" Harry said.

The three boys hurried down the corridor, and turned a corner.

"There!" Harry said, pointing to the door labeled 'Witches'.

A loud roar echoed through the corridor.

"That came from the bathroom!" Neville said, "What do we do?"

"I'm going in!" Ron said, "Hermione and my sister's in there!"

Harry grinned as Ron ran forward, and he and Neville followed him into the bathroom.

Then they saw it. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite gray, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.

The bathroom looked like a tornado had entered it. Debris from cubicles and toilets were scattered, water was raising in spouts from destroyed toilets. And Hermione and Ginny were crouched in a corner. Ginny's wand was pointed at the troll, and Harry recognized the stance as a defensive one, and knew she might have been trying to use a Protego Charm against the troll to defend Hermione.

_Finally! _Ginny said, _Get him! I tried a few spells, but his skin is so tough!_

"Oy, pea-brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the chamber, and he threw a metal pipe at it.

The troll didn't even seem to notice the pipe hitting its shoulder, but it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout toward Ron instead. Then Harry realized what he needed to do.

_Confundus! _Harry said silently, pointing his wand at the troll.

The troll roared and shook his head, as if in pain. Harry decided to use this to his advantage.

"I have a plan!" Harry said, "Ginny, Hermione, stay there! Neville, distract it! Ron, Levitation Charm on the club when I say so!"

"Neville's better at the Charm!" Ron said.

"Just do it!" he said, pointing his wand at the troll, "Conjunctivitus!"

The spell hit the troll right between the eyes. It roared in pain and dropped the club, then rubbed its eyes with its massive hands.

"Now, Ron!" Harry said, "Neville, use debris!"

"Wingardium Leviosa!" Ron said, pointing his wand at the club. It levitated into the air, gaining height as it reached the ceiling.

Neville threw a toilet lid toward the troll's belly. It made impact. The troll thrashed around teetering dangerously toward Neville. Neville screamed and ducked, diving toward Ginny and Hermione. Harry then saw Ginny point her wand at the troll, and all of a sudden the troll froze. Harry grinned. He knew she had used the Impediment Jinx, stopping the troll in its tracks for a few moments.

"It's confused!" Harry said, "Now, Ron!"

The club was now hovering over the troll's head. Ron moved his wand slightly, and the club dropped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner's head. The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble.

Neville got to his feet. He was shaking and out of breath, but he helped Ginny and Hermione get to their feet. Ron was standing there with his wand still raised, staring at what he had done.

It was Hermione who spoke first. "Is it — dead?"

"I don't think so," said Harry, "I think it's just been knocked out."

"Nice one, Ron!" Ginny said, grinning.

"Ye-yeah," Ron said, his eyes still on the troll, "Thanks."

"Well done, Ron," Hermione said, smiling in admiration, "And Harry, Neville… you saved us."

A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the three of them look up. A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on the floor, clutching his heart.

Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at all of them.

"What on earth were you thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice. Harry looked at Ron, who was still standing with his wand in the air. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"

"Please, Professor McGonagall — they were looking for me," Hermione said.

"And me," Ginny said, "We both needed to use the loo before the feast. We didn't know – _that – _would come in here. Harry, Ron and Neville came in and it was a good thing they did. They saved us."

Snape raised his eyebrows as he looked at Harry.

"You were lucky you weren't killed!" McGonagall said, to the three boys, "You should have told the staff about Miss Weasley and Miss Granger being away from the Great Hall."

"We had no time," Harry said, "We knew where they were, and the Great Hall was crowded between us and the Head Table. We did what any Gryffindors would do.

"Well, I still say you were lucky," Professor McGonagall said, though she looked rather proud, "but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll and lived to tell the tale. Five points each to the three of you boys… for sheer dumb luck! Go to your Common Room… all of you. Dinner is being served up there."

Harry, Ginny and the others hurried out of the bathroom and they didn't talk until they reached the seventh floor corridor, Harry and Ginny leading the other three. Suddenly, Harry heard Ron yelp. He turned around and almost laughed. Hermione was hugging him.

"I – well – Hermione – what?" Ron stammered.

"I - err- I wanted to do that since you levitated that club," Hermione said, backing up and blushing, "It was loads heavier than a diary!"

"I'm not sure I could have lifted it," Neville said.

"I – well – I didn't want the troll to hurt you, Hermione," Ron said, then blushed, "Or – or you, Ginny. So I – you know – focused."

Harry looked at Ginny, who grinned at him. Hermione was still blushing red, and Ron was looking at her in confusion, though Harry could see a bit of reddish color in his cheeks too.

"Well," Neville said, clearing his throat; Harry had forgotten he was there for a moment, "Come on. Food is waiting."

The four others agreed with him and they resumed their trek toward the Fat Lady's portrait

"You know," Ron said, sounding very pleased with himself, "We should have gotten more than fifteen points for that… you think?"

* * *

**Whew! Long chapter! I didn't want to split it up at all! I know this was one chapter you've been waiting for, and I hope it exceeds expectations! I definitely wanted Halloween to be different this time.**

**Oh, and yes, the changes from the book to movie scenes instead were deliberate. I love those better.**

**As for the next chapter… well, it may not be up for a couple days or more. I need to go over my notes and work through them and figure out what I want to do next. Quidditch match of course… but after that, I don't have too many big plans until Christmas Holiday. So… we'll see. I hope to get a chapter up by the end of the week though! Depends on how busy I am in real life!**


	42. Gryffindor Vs Slytherin, Year 1

**Chapter 42  
Gryffindor Vs. Slytherin, Year 1**

**Author's Note: PoV switches might be confusing this chapter, so I am going to label them.**

**Q&A Time: Pointing out a – err – sort of mistake I did last chapter.**

**Q: Why did Sirius not invite Ted Tonks as well as Andromeda and Dora?**

**A: (slaps forehead) I forgot about Ted! Oops... I'll deal with that when it comes.**

**Disclaimer: Recognizable sections of this chapter come directly from Chapter 11 of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling. I do not take claim for these, only my own additions.**

**Edit: Had to re-upload. A few mistakes...**

* * *

**(Harry's PoV)  
**_  
_By the following morning, the news that Harry and his friends had confronted and defeated the troll had reached the whole school… though they hadn't said a word about it at all.

"The five of us didn't arrived at the Gryffindor Tower until almost half-an-hour after everyone else," Hermione said, when Harry voiced this to his friends as they were heading down into the dungeons on their way to Potions, "The Common Room was packed with students, and Gryffindor had gained fifteen points when everyone was supposed to be in the tower. Of course everyone was going to find out."

"And then there is the fact that five first years stopped a fully-grown mountain troll," Neville said. "McGonagall was right about that, you know. Of course everyone is talking about it."

"Hey, Harry," Hermione said, "I noticed you used an Eye-Gouging Hex on the troll. That is a Grade Four spell at least!"

"Oh… yeah," Harry said, "I – err – read up on it a few days ago, and it was the first thing that came to my mind. I was surpris1ed it worked."

"Maybe it was kind of like accidental magic," Ginny said, "You know – spells working when you're afraid or excited or something?"

"Yeah… I guess so," Hermione said, slowly.

_You're going to have to watch it with those spells, Harry, _Ginny said, as they entered the Potions Classroom and took their usual seats, _Don't worry, though. So am I… I'm surprised she didn't say anything about my Shield Charm._

_We'll tell them soon. I think we'll be right on schedule with telling them around Christmas Break. Has Ron said anything about getting my help with Occlumency lessons?_

Before Ginny could respond, Snape walked in to the classroom. He was walking rather slowly, and with a noticeable limp as he made his way to the front of the classroom.

"He's limping," Ron hissed to Harry and the others, "What happened to him?"

_So many things are clear this go-round, _Harry said, _Obviously Quirrel went to head for Fluffy, and Snape stopped him, got injured in the process. Then as they were coming back, McGonagall found them and they heard the commotion on the first floor._

"Silence," Snape hissed in his cold drawl, "Yes, as you can already tell, I was injured last night trying to rid the castle of that filthy troll. Very unfortunate, but Madam Pomfrey assures me that I am just fine. Thank you for your concern."

He didn't sound very thankful.

"Now," he continued, "I am sure you know what you are doing today. I trust all of you prepared your ingredients yesterday and are ready to put together the potion. This particular potion will take most of the class to prepare, so I trust you will all begin now. Also… as we are all aware, the first Quidditch match of the season takes place this afternoon – between your two houses, as I understand. I am sure you are all excited, however, I do not wish to hear discussion about the match. The only discussion I want to hear is between yourself and your partners when it comes to making this potion. If you have forgotten how to prepare this potion –" he sneered and looked toward Neville's direction, "—the instructions are behind me on the blackboard."

He pointed his wand over his shoulder, and the instructions for the Potpourri Potion appeared on the blackboard.

"I trust you all are wearing your protective gloves," he continued. "I would not want you to have the unfortunate side-effects some of the ingredients can have on you… as I am sure one or two of you are already aware."

Snape glanced in Hermione's direction. Hermione's cheeks went red with embarrassment, Ron scowled silently, and snickers came from the other side of the classroom where Malfoy was sitting.

"You may begin," Snape continued, "Now…"

Harry knew that Ginny had been looking forward to this all week. The Potpourri Potion was one of her favorites, and she had used it at Potter Manor many times. A few drops of this potion in a protective bowl and it would give off a wide array of delightful scents in the surrounding area for days and weeks once activated.

The potion required two cauldrons for preparations, because the first half of the potion required a foul-smelling beginning to the potion that took an hour or more to work on. This half would be placed in one cauldron. The other cauldron had the sweet-smelling potion, that would take nearly two-hours to stew, but would override the foul stench of the other once combined with it. If the potion was a failure, however, it would give off an odor in the vicinity that smelled like Stinksap, dung or what a skunk left after an attack. The spells to clear either smell out of the vicinity were complicated, so, suffice it to say, you didn't want to mess up.

Unfortunately for the first year Gryffindors and Slytherins, and Professor Snape, there were a few failures in the class. By the end of class, horrible stenches were coming from the cauldrons of Vincent Crabbe and Millicent Bulstrode, as well as Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas. At the end of class, Snape was foul-tempered, as he applied bubble-heard charms to everyone, and worked on clearing the odor, while the students turned in their potions.

Surprisingly, Neville, who had been paired with Parvati Patil today, had actually done as well as Harry and Ginny, and Ron and Hermione had.

"It is one of Gran's favorite potions," he explained on their way to the Great Hall for the usual early lunch that they were used to on Fridays, "I watched her brew it many times. Easier to work with, with partners, I must say."

"It is a wonderful potion," Hermione said, grinning, "Useful for houses."

"Too bad some of the ingredients are so potent," Ron chortled.

Hermione, who must have figured this was a jab to her about the onion juice seeping into her skin the previous day, scowled lightly. Ron looked rather confused.

"It is one of Mum's favorites," Ginny said, quelling any arguments between the two, "I helped her a few times with it, so I was happy we were assigned it this week."

"You can always tell when she brews that potion," Ron said, "Every room in the house smells different for a month. Some of the ingredients are expensive, so she doesn't make it every month."

"Hey Potty and company!" Draco Malfoy's voice drawled, as soon as Harry and his friends made their way out of the dungeons.

Harry turned around. Draco, Crabbe and Goyle were standing there.

"I hear you confronted that troll last night," Draco said.

"That's what everyone in school says anyway," Harry said, shrugging.

"Well, I'm sure they'd like to hear the real story, wouldn't they?" Draco said, "Funny how everyone thinks you took down the troll – five first years? Please… Snape said he got himself injured taking on that troll. I bet he rescued the five of you when you decided to play heroes, didn't he?"

"Good theory," Ginny said. "But… I wonder how you would explain the fifteen points to Gryffindor then. If Snape saved us, don't you think he would have taken points away from us instead?"

"Pfft," Draco scoffed, "Obviously Dumbledore or McGonagall's playing you as Professor's Pet. I heard she was there too. Probably believed some sob-story you told, little Weasley. I'm sure the troll made you cry for your Mummy."

Harry felt anger boiling his insides, then he felt his mind grow calm.

_Calm down, Harry, _Ginny said, _Let it go._

Harry counted down from five in his head.

"Maybe we should just let you confront the next troll that comes in, Malfoy," Ginny said. "I wonder if you'd fight it or 'cry for your Mummy'."

Draco narrowed his eyes. He shook his head and harrumphed.

"Not worth my time, Weasley," Draco said, "Better watch yourself on the Pitch today, Potter. Higgins has been boasting about how he'd like to ruin you before you even had a chance to do anything. You think you stand a chance today, when a seventeen year old couldn't even outlast Higgins last term, eh? Right… maybe I'll come to the Hospital Wing to see how you're doing after the match. Give my regards to your soon-to-be-departed broomstick."

A smirk crossed his lips, and he walked past Harry and into the Great Hall, Crabbe and Goyle in his footsteps.

"Ignore him, Harry," Hermione said.

"We'll see who is smiling after today's match," Ron said.

"He did bring up something curious, though," Neville said. "How did Snape injure his leg? The troll was unconscious, and I heard Quirrel was left to take it from the school. Snape said he was doing that. What is he hiding?"

"Who knows with Snape," Ron said, shrugging, "Of course he would want the credit for the troll. He probably tripped over his own two feet on his way to the bathroom with McGonagall and Quirrel."

"He did seem to be favoring his leg last night too," Hermione said. "In the bathroom, I mean. I didn't bring it up, because – like you said, Ron – I thought he hurt himself trying to find the troll. But that doesn't seem possible, does it?"

_Hmm, I thought Hermione would have thought about Fluffy, _Harry said, as he followed his friends into the Great Hall.

_Should we give them a hint, Harry? _

_Nah. This is their adventure, I wouldn't want to take it away from them. Last time, we thought it was Snape all year. I'll let them keep thinking that until we can tell them what is really going on._

_If we tell them we're from the future before anything happens with Quirrel, you mean._

_Exactly._

* * *

Afternoon classes ended at two-o-clock, and the Gryffindor-Slytherin match would take place at half-past-three. Harry recalled seeing a note from Wood on the message board in the Common Room saying he expected the team to be at the Pitch by a quarter-to-three for some pre-match drills. So after Transfiguration ended, Harry put away his knapsack and retrieved his broom from his dormitory.

Neville and Ron had to do the rest of their Astronomy homework that was due that evening, and Hermione wanted an early start on her metal-to-rock Transfiguration essay that McGonagall had set that day. Ginny had nothing she needed to do yet, so she opted to go with Harry and watch the drills.

"Harry, you've been gripping my hand rather hard the whole journey to the Pitch, you know," Ginny said, twenty minutes later, as they stood alone outside the stadium.

Harry looked down at his and Ginny's entwined fingers, which were rather red, and he loosened his grip a bit.

"Sorry," he muttered, "Distracted."

"No, you're worried," Ginny said. "What is it? Are you worried about Higgins?"

"No, I took him on easily last time," Harry said. "I'm worried about Quirrel jinxing my broom. Last time, Hermione knocked into him, while going toward Snape to distract him, whom she thought was behind it. What if something goes wrong this time? What if she doesn't knock into him? Things could go wrong very easily."

"Then I'll do something about Quirrel," Ginny said. "I'll go with Hermione or something. I won't let anything happen to you, don't worry."_  
_  
Harry nodded. He looked around for anyone coming towards their way, then leaned toward Ginny and kissed her softly.

"Mm," Ginny said, "Pre-match ritual?"

"I could get used to that before every match," Harry said, grinning.

"Me too," Ginny said. "Good luck. Don't worry about Quirrel."

Harry smiled as Ginny squeezed his hand. He let go, backed up and walked onto the Pitch, and over to the locker rooms. The rest of the team was already there; Harry could hear Wood giving commands for the pre-match drills.

"— want to introduce a new strategy this year when it comes to the way the Beaters and Chasers work," he said, "So during the drills, Fred, George, I want you to work on some blocking while Angelina and Alicia toss the Quaffle back and forth while going across the Pitch. Anything to distract them, but make sure it is legal! Katie, you need some work when it comes to scoring on the rings, so you'll work with me. Ah – Potter, there you are! You've been doing quite well with the golf balls, but I want to make sure you have that Wronski Feint defense down. We can't risk that today. Work on speed while diving… if you can get some agility during the game, Higgins might not want to use the Wronski Feint. Of course… if you catch the Snitch ten, fifteen minutes into the match, we might not have to worry about it! Aye?"

"Aye!" Harry said, and the rest of the team followed in response.

"Get on your brooms and do those drills," Oliver said, "We don't have very long before the Slytherin team gets into the sky, and I will not do drills with them in the air, nor with the students watching us – don't want to give way the strategy."

Harry quickly changed into his gear, and by the time he was in the air, the rest of the team was practicing their drills. Harry could see Ginny sitting in the Gryffindor section, waving at him. He waved back then quickly dropped into the dive he had been practicing on.

When Wood called everyone in for the pre-match preparations with twenty minutes to go until the match, he was happy, but nervous as well.

"Katie," Oliver said, and Harry could tell he was clutching her hand rather tightly, "Nice work on the two outside rings, but the middle ring is key. Fake and throw when you have to – best way to score an unexpected ring."

"Don't worry about me," Katie said.

She then kissed Oliver's cheek. Fred and George snickered when Oliver cleared his throat.

"Weasleys, nice blocking up there," Oliver said, "Do that to the other Chasers when one of ours is near, and you might give us room for plenty of interceptions."

Fred and George saluted.

"Harry," Oliver said, "My newest best friend. You have the fastest broom in the world right now. Higgins has a Cleansweep, and while he has strength, unpredictability and his Wronski Feint, you have speed and agility, and a very nice arm reach and pull. Don't let Higgins fool you when it comes to his signature plays, and you'll have the Snitch in your hand at the end of the game."

"Sounds good," Harry said.

"Okay, men," he said.

"And women," said Katie.

"And women," Wood agreed, blushing, "This is it."

"The big one," said Fred Weasley.

"The one we've all been waiting for," said George.

"We know Oliver's speech by heart," Fred told Harry, "we were on the team last year."

"Shut up, you two," said Wood. "This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it."

He glared at them all as if to say, "Or else."

"It is almost time," Oliver said, "Team huddle!"

The team stood and moved in together.

"Cup is ours this year," Wood said, "Team chant on three. One… two… three."

"GO! GO! GRYFFINDOR!" the team chanted.

* * *

**(Ginny's PoV)**

"— Pucey, Bletchley, Higgins and Captain Marcus Flint!" Lee Jordan's voice echoed throughout the Pitch from the announcer's box.

Ginny booed right along with Ron, Hermione, Neville and the rest of the Gryffindors, while cheers were heard from the Slytherin seats.

"Great conditions for this match!" Ron said, "A bit chilly, and a little breezy, but clear skies all around!"

"Sure it is a bit chilly down here, Ron," Hermione said, "But up there it has to be a lot colder. I can't imagine what Harry will be feeling."

"Thrill, excitement, and probably nervous," Ginny said.

"Probably an accurate guess," Hermione said.

Ginny grinned privately: it wasn't a guess. She could feel Harry's emotions through their link.

_Harry? Can you hear me? _she asked.

_Yeah, Ginny. We're near the Pitch. Hurry up, Wood's telling us to get on brooms._

_Just wanted to make sure you're okay._

_I'm fine, Ginny, don't worry._

_Okay. Ron, Hermione, Neville and I are in the front row of the Gryffindor seats, if you want to look for us. Good luck. I love you._

_I love you too._

"And the Gryffindor team!" Lee announced much louder than he did the Slytherins, "POTTER, WEASLEY, WEASLEY, BELL, SPINNET, JOHNSON AND GRYFFINDOR CAPTAIN, OLIVER WOOD!"

Ginny grinned as she watched the seven scarlet-clad Gryffindors fly into the air and circle the Pitch. She immediately saw Harry at the front, followed closely by Fred and George.

"There he is!" Ginny said, clapping, pointing to Harry.

"The Teams meet in the middle of the field!" Lee said, "Captains Wood and Flint staring daggers at each other. I notice the new Chaser Katie Bell on Oliver's right. Those two have been dating as of this past –"

"JORDAN!" McGongall's voice echoed throughout the stadium.

"Just a bit of player introduction, Professor," Lee said, "Oh, and there is Madam Hooch bringing out the game balls! She asks the captains to shake hands, they do - she expects a nice clean game – from the Slytherins, of course. Oh… yes, and the Gryffindors, I suppose. She releases the Bludgers – violent, those are! And there's the Golden Snitch! Higgins and new Gryffindor Seeker Harry Potter – youngest Seeker in – well – forever – keeping their eyes on that Snitch. Good for them, because I can't see it!"

Hooch blew her whistle, and the sound could be heard around the stadium.

"Hooch throws the Quaffle in the air!" Lee said, "And the match begins! And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor — what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too —"

"JORDAN!" McGonagall yelled.

"Sorry, Professor," Lee said, "Anyway, "And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet,— back to Johnson and — no, the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes — Flint flying like an eagle up there — he's going to sc— no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and the Gryffindors take the Quaffle — that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and — OUCH — that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger — Quaffle taken by the Slytherins — that's Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal posts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger — sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which — nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes — she's really flying — dodges a speeding Bludger — the goal posts are ahead — come on, now, Angelina — Keeper Bletchley dives — misses — GRYFFINDORS SCORE!"

Ginny and the rest of the Gryffindors cheered.

"Budge up, budge up there," a deep familiar voice said, "Move along now."

"Hey, Hagrid!" Neville said.

Ginny, Ron and Hermione waved to Hagrid, but kept their eyes on the match.

"Bin watchin' from me hut," said Hagrid, patting a large pair of binoculars around his neck, "But it isn't the same as bein' in the crowd. No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?"

"Nope," said Ron. "Harry hasn't had much to do yet."

"Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'," said Hagrid, raising his binoculars and peering skyward at the speck that was Harry."

"We can only hope," Ginny said, her eyes on Harry, who was watching the game play out below him.

Ginny looked across the Pitch and saw Snape and Quirrel there. She wondered if Quirrel would try something in the stands, or if he would move away from them and go under the bleachers to try it out. Ginny only hoped she could find him before it was too late… or better yet… that it never happened at all.

"Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying, "Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the — wait a moment — was that the Snitch?"

"Where?" Hermione asked.

"Near the Head Box," Ginny said, eying the golden glint that shone feet from where Lee and the Professors were sitting.

"You can see it?" Ron asked, amazed.

"I told you, Ron," Ginny said, "I want to be a Chaser or a Seeker. I have to know where to find the Snitch for the latter."

Ginny watched as Harry flew across the Pitch, and saw Higgins coming from the other direction.

"Hurry," Ginny muttered, "Come on, Harry."

"Oh no, what is Flint doing?" Ron growled.

"Is he trying for the Snitch too?" Hermione asked, "That's illegal!"

"He's going for Harry!" Neville said.

Ginny's knuckles were white as she held onto the bar in front of her.

Flint flew in front of Harry, and Ginny could tell that Harry had brushed into him.

"FOUL!" Ginny cried out, right along with Ron and most of the Gryffindors.

Madam Hooch echoed this, yelling at Flint and gave a free shot for Gryffindor.

"Where's the Snitch?" Ron asked.

"Don't see it," Ginny said, searching around the Pitch.

"Harry doesn't see it either," Hermione said, "He's just flying around."

"But Higgins looks just as confused," Neville said, "Close one though."

"Damn Flint," Ginny growled.

"Oh, come now, Ginny," Hagrid said, "No need fer language."

Ginny ignored Hagrid and listened to Lee Jordan's ranting.

"So," he was saying, "after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating —"

"Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall.

"I mean," Lee amended, "after that open and revolting foul…"

"Jordan," McGonagall roared, " I'm warning you—"

"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinnet, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession."

Ginny looked at Harry – and that was when she saw it. His broom had given a nasty lurch in the air. She looked toward the Head Box…

_Quirrel was no longer in the stands._

Lee was still commentating.

"Oh, come on, Chasers, get that Quaffle!" Ron growled.

"Slytherin in possession — Flint with the Quaffle — passes Spinnet — passes Bell — hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose — only joking, Professor — Slytherins score — aww—"

"Dunno what Harry thinks he's doing," Hagrid mumbled. He stared through his binoculars. "If I didn' know better, I'd say he'd lost control of his broom… but he can't have…"

"I think he did, Hagrid!" Ginny said.

Hagrid was stammering. Hermione took the binoculars and "Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?" Seamus whispered.

"Can't have," Hagrid said, his voice shaking. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful Dark magic — no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand."

At these words, Hermione seized Hagrid's binoculars, but instead of looking up at Harry, she started looking frantically at the crowd.

"What are you doing?" moaned Ron, gray-faced.

"I knew it," Hermione gasped, "Snape — look."

Ron grabbed the binoculars. Ginny looked back at the Head Box. She could barely see Snape. He had his eyes fixed on Harry and was muttering nonstop under his breath.. Ginny recognized it as him doing a counter-jinx, but before she could say something, Hermione spoke up.

"He's doing something — jinxing the broom," said Hermione.

"What should we do?" Ron asked.

"Leave it to me," Hermione said.

Hermione ran off, and Ginny followed her.

"Ginny!" Ron growled.

"I'm going too!" she said, "Hermione shouldn't be alone!"

Ron just stood there, open-mouthed, right along with Hagrid and Neville. Ginny raced after Hermione as they made their way around the stands. Hermione was heading for Snape, of course, but Ginny – she wanted to know where Quirrel was. She wondered if she should tell Hermione about Quirrel. Would she believe her, when Hermione had clearly seen Snape doing something? Ginny shook her head. She had no proof.

A couple minutes later, they were at the Head Box… and that was when Ginny saw Quirrel. He was at the bottom row of the stands. As Hermione ran off toward Snape, Ginny turned to Quirrel, and turned her wrist. She felt her wand slip into her fingers. She put a Disillusionment Charm on herself and pointed her wand at Quirrel.

"Chiroptera Virusi Michina," she whispered.

Quirrel howled in pain and clutched his nose, as he fell to the ground. She could see small bats attacking his face and she grinned. Another successful Bat-Bogey Hex. She looked up in the sky and noticed that Harry had regained control of his broom.

_Got him, Harry, _she said, as she backed away from the stands and lifted the Disillusionment Charm.

_Whew! Close one! Thanks, love._

_Go get that Snitch… now!_

_Yes, love._

"There you are, Ginny!" Hermione said, "You missed it! I put that Blue-Bell Charm on Snape's robes, and he hopped up and down, trying to rid himself of the flames. Harry regained control of his broom! It worked! I was right!"

"Yeah, great," Ginny said, sighing.

"Ginny, I was thinking about something," Hermione said, as they started off back to their stands, "Do you think Snape is a Legilimens?"

Ginny raised her eyebrows and looked at Hermione.

"Why do you ask?" she asked.

"Ginny, he jinxed Harry's broom!" Hermione said, "I bet he jinxed your broom too during the first round of Flying Lessons! If he's a Legilimens, maybe he realizes you and Harry know Occlumency and are trying to do something about the two of you!"

"I… dunno, Hermione," Ginny said, "We can't start blaming someone without real proof."

"Proof… yeah," Hermione said, then gasped, "Holy Cricket! Proof!"

"What now?" Ginny asked.

"Snape was limping!" Hermione said, "What if – Ginny, what if he was trying to get past Fluffy when the troll came in… Snape could have let the troll in! Ron told me that Quirrel said it was in the dungeons! Where Snape works and lives! It fits! He is behind it all! I – we need to find out what that dog is guarding!"

Before Ginny could say anything, she heard a very loud cheering, roaring sound coming from the Gryffindor Stands. Hermione's eyes widened and she pulled Ginny toward the opening. Harry was standing on the ground, holding the Snitch in the air.

"HARRY POTTER HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH!" Lee Jordan yelled, "WHAT A DIVE! BETTER THAN HIGGINS! GRYFFINDOR WINS!"

"We won!" Hermione cheered.

"We missed the ending," Ginny said, "Damn Quir – I-I mean damn Snape!"

"I'm sure Ron and Harry will tell us all about it," Hermione said, "And we can tell them about my theory! Come on, let's go get Ron and Neville and wait for Harry! We won!"

Ginny sighed as she followed Hermione toward the Gryffindor stands, wondering if she and Harry should just tell Hermione, Ron and Neville about Quirrel instead of leading them on about Snape. Of course she could understand Harry's want for a sense of adventure. But… she just wondered if this would help or hinder everything in the near future. Things had become so unpredictable as of late… how much more could things twist and turn?

* * *

**End of chapter! So I kept the first Quidditch match of the season in canon with the book, and I decided to have it in Ginny's PoV during the match. It turned out pretty well. Hope you liked the chapter!**

**Spell-explanation:**

**Chiroptera Virusi Michina - my incantation for Bat-Bogey Hex**

**Chiroptera - Latin for Bat**

**Virus - Latin for Slime (Closest thing to Bogey or booger I could find)**

**Michina - Latin for nostril  
**


	43. Questions and Suspicions

**Chapter 43  
Questions and Suspicions**

**Author's Note: A couple people have been questioning some of the key plot elements and stuff in this story. I'd like to discuss a bit of this so everyone knows:**

**Learning Occlumency too quickly: They have lessons at least two or three times a week and part of it is rather forceful stuff, and Hermione's eager to learn and a quick learner. As of this chapter, Ron is also eager to learn it and move on to the faster route. Yes, I have plans that will let them know Occlumency sooner rather than much later, but it is important to the plot. If I wanted them to wait to learn it, or go slow, they'd have classes once a week or something, and they'd all do the slow route. I've taken things up a notch for the plot.**

**Exercise: I scoff at those who say Ron is lazy… he's athletic, a Quidditch player, loves to fly a broom. Please… if they did exercise, Ron would go for it. Hermione and Neville joined them because it was something their friends were doing.**

**Hermione: She doesn't know everything about the Soul-Bond… only things she learned from a fairytale. There are very few Soul-Bond books in the world and they are all rare and expensive (Harry's two books were originally 100 galleons for Flamel's and 50 for the other book, and the prices got knocked down a lot because of the store owner's favors for Ragnok.) so of course she hasn't read them yet! She recognizes symptoms, but her mind went to the thoughts of Imperius Curse… not to the Soul-Bond. She's getting suspicious, yes, but she doesn't have enough information and she's not going to outright say it yet. She'd be embarrassed if she was wrong.**

**Ginny's actions against the troll: She knew what this event did for Harry, Ron and Hermione's friendship (yes, they were friends, but she wanted this to be for them), so all she did was a Shield Spell on the Troll to protect Hermione. One reviewer asked, and I quote "****why didn't Ginny just knock the troll out and came back to the bathroom to wait?" She didn't know where the troll was, and when it finally came to her and Hermione, she wasn't going to defeat it… Hermione thinks she's ten!**

**All of these things can be explained by the plot… and how it is going. Yes, I know people complain about the plot… and I'd answer all questions if I can… but I do wish that those people would realize I am the author of this story, I know where it is going, and I'd be VERY happy to explain all plot holes and my reasoning behind them at the END of the story… I'll dedicate a whole update to it after the story. But most of those answers will be explained by then anyway!**

**To the rest of you who love this story, and just want to read it. I apologize for the extremely long Author's Note, and I thank you for the wondrous praise this story is getting. Makes me so happy. Thank you! This should be the only lengthy author's note of this story. Sorry to those who just want to read the story and not my notes. Believe me, I want to write it, not stuff like this.**

**Disclaimer: Recognizable sections of this chapter come directly from Chapter 11 of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling. I do not take claim for these, only my own additions.**

* * *

Twenty minutes after the match, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Neville were in Hagrid's hut, and Hagrid was serving tea to everyone, including Fang the boarhound who was begging and drooling on Ron. "— and when he started to put it out, your broom stopped jolting around!" Hermione was explaining, "So it had to be Snape! He jinxed your broom, Harry!"**  
**_  
_"Rubbish," said Hagrid, as he sat down with his own cup, "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?"

"Why did he try to get past that three-headed dog last night?" Hermione asked. "He was limping when we saw him after Harry, Ron and Neville saved me and Ginny from the troll."

"How d'you know abou' Fluffy?" Hagrid spluttered, part of his tea soaking his long beard.

"Fluffy?" Ron and Neville asked.

"He has a name?" Hermione asked, her expression torn between amusement and shock.

"Of course he does!" Hagrid said, "I named him after I bought him from a Greek chap in the pub last year – and I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the –"

"Yes?" Harry and Ginny asked.

"Now, don't ask me anymore," said Hagrid gruffly. "That's top secret, that is."

"But Snape's trying to _steal _it," Hermione said.

"Rubbish," said Hagrid again. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort."

"Then why did he just try and kill Harry?" Ron asked.

"I doubt that is what happened," Hagrid said, "Flint collided with him… probably an after-effect."

"Then how do you explain Ginny's jinxed broom in September?" Hermione asked, "Two jinxed brooms in less than two months?"

"I – well – Dumbledore said he would work on that," Hagrid said.

"So we should tell him about Snape!" Ron said.

"Dumbledore trusts Professor Snape," Hagrid said, "And he should – Snape wouldn't have done that."

"Of course!" Hermione said, "Harry, remember after our first Potions class in September? Snape took you and Ginny to Dumbledore's office, and Dumbledore asked Snape to stay behind, when you two left. I wonder what that was about."

"He could have been angry at Snape," Neville said.

"Right," Ron said, "And you say he trusts Snape, Hagrid."

"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" said Hagrid hotly. "Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now, listen to me, all three of yeh — yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel —"

"Nicolas Flamel?" Hermione, Ron and Neville asked.

Hagrid looked furious with himself.

* * *

Half-an-hour later, the five friends were lounging in front of the fireplace in the Mind exercise room in the Room of Requirement. Well… four of the friends were lounging.

Hermione was pacing back and forth.

"Nicolas Flamel," she said, "I swear I've heard of him before!"

Harry could tell Ginny looked very amused.

_Yes, dear? _Harry asked.

_We're going to have to tell them about Nicholas sooner or later. When they find out about the Soul-Bond, they'll figure out who Nicholas is._

_I know… but this is very fun to watch._

"So… the dog is guarding something," Hermione said. "Whatever it is – it links to Nicholas Flamel, and Snape wants it."

"It has to be pretty valuable," Neville said, "Say! Whatever Fluffy is guarding… it had to be in Gringotts before! Maybe Dumbledore took it from Gringotts and put it here to guard it!"

"Only he doesn't know Snape is after it," she said, as she stopped pacing and sat down in the empty massage chair. "Should we tell him?"

"He wouldn't believe us, would he?" Ron asked, "Hagrid says Dumbledore trusts Snape. Snape's been here for a few years. Probably biding his time until this thing between Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel came along."

"Wonder if it has anything to do with you two?" Neville asked, motioning to Harry and Ginny, "First he tries to get you suspended or expelled after the very first Potions class. Then he tries to jinx you Ginny, and now he tried to jinx Harry. I say he's after you two."

Hermione and Ron looked at Harry and Ginny, with questioning eyes.

"Do you two know what is going on?" Hermione asked.

"No," Harry lied, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Why do you ask?" Ginny asked.

"You told us that we could find out something," Hermione said, "After we learned Occlumency. Snape is the Legilimens you were talking about, right, Harry?"

Harry nodded. That much was true.

"So... you said that whatever you're going to tell us," Hermione said, "Had something to do with that very first night, after the Opening Feast, and you talked to Dumbledore. A couple days later, Snape tries to get you in trouble, Dumbledore doesn't believe him, and asks him to stay behind to talk to him. About what, I wonder?"

"She's right," Neville said, and Ron nodded.

"Did Dumbledore tell you something because you two know Occlumency?" Ron asked.

"Nice theories, guys," Harry said, "But we can't tell you anything until you three learn Occlumency."

"He's right," Hermione said, "I wouldn't want him to tell us without us knowing how to protect our minds. Snape could take the information from us."

"And after another failed attempt today," Ron said, "Snape's going to be a right foul git soon. I guarantee it."

"Right," Hermione said, "So we should watch him carefully from now on."

"Without giving him reason to suspect we're doing it," Neville said, nodding.

"Harry," Ron said, "Next Occlumency lesson, I'm going to work with you. If Snape is trying to do something to you two, who says he won't come after us next. I want to know Occlumency right quick."

"Yeah," Neville said, nodding, "But – I – well, I was doing pretty well with Ginny's teaching. So I'm fine…"

"All right," Harry said.

"Now that that's settled," Hermione said, "I'm going to the library to check up on Nicolas Flamel. Any takers?"

Neville raised a hand, and after a moment, so did Ron. They looked at Harry and Ginny.

"I – err – have a star-chart to work on before tonight," Harry said.

"Me too," Ginny said.

"You said you were caught up, Ginny," Ron said.

"So I lied," Ginny said, shrugging, "I wanted to watch Harry do his pre-match drills. Besides… I missed the last part of the match, and Harry hasn't told me about it."

"Have fun," Hermione teased.

Ron raised his eyebrows in confusion toward Hermione, then looked at Harry and Ginny. Before he could say anything, however, Hermione dragged him and Neville across the room and out the door.

"Is this a good idea?" Harry asked, looking at Ginny, "Keeping them out of the loop for now?"

"If we told them about Quirrel," Ginny said, "They would ask us why we think that. Quirrel was at the bottom of the stands, far away from Snape. Hermione stopped Snape as soon as I stopped Quirrel. She thinks Snape did it, and she thinks she has good evidence. Besides, they have some good proof on their side… Snape being a Legilimens. Snape's interest in us, and we just so happen to be the two students whose brooms got jinxed? I know Pansy jinxed mine, but these coincidences work in Hermione, Ron and Neville's favor. If we want to tell them about Quirrel, they'll want proof… proof we can't give them right now."

Harry nodded. She was right, of course. He just hated to blatantly lie to his friends about this. It tore his heart in two to lie to someone like Ron and Hermione, the two best friends he could ever hope for. The thought of the look on their faces when he explained everything – he could imagine their shock, anger and sadness toward him – telling him how they thought they were supposed to be his best friends. It was very hard to think about.

* * *

As November moved on, things in Hogwarts moved right along with it.

Harry and Ginny began to notice things when it came to their three friends. While Hermione's potions and work in the class was usually always great, now Ron and Neville's work began to improve. They had confided to Harry and Ginny that they were trying their best in the class so they wouldn't end up in detention, which would make them easy targets for Snape to do something to them.

Also, their three friends seemed to be spending a lot more time inside the castle than in the Common Room or outside during free hours away from class. Of course, the weather had turned very chilly, with winter approaching quickly now, so not very many people were spending time on the grounds, except for when they had class out there or Quidditch practice. During random times of the day, Harry and Ginny would catch their friends either heading off to the library together, or vanishing somewhere then coming back looking rather relieved.

It was only when Hermione happened to be late to Occlumency lessons two weeks after the Quidditch match did Harry and Ginny discover what they were doing.

"Sorry I'm late," Hermione said, "Had to stop off at the third floor – err – bathroom, you know."

"Third floor?" Ginny asked, "When there is a bathroom on the sixth or near our dormitory?"

Hermione went rather pink and Ron and Neville glared at her.

"What's going on?" Harry asked.

Hermione, Ron and Neville shook their heads and looked at their hands.

"So… Occlumency lessons then," Ron said, "I'm sure I could block you this time, Harry –"

"Neville," Harry said, "What is going on?"

"I – well – err –" Neville stammered, then sighed and looked at Ron and Hermione, "We should tell them."

"You know they don't suspect him," Ron said, and Hermione nodded, "Even when we have proof!"

"Loads of it," Hermione said, "Now if we can just find out what he's after. I know I've read about Nicolas somewhere."

"Hermione," Ginny said, "Were you wanting to visit Fluffy again?"

Hermione blushed. "Er… I wanted to give him… dog biscuits?"

Harry looked at Ginny, and she shook her head.

"Okay!" Hermione growled, "Whenever we have a chance, one of the three of us goes and checks the third floor corridor to see if Fluffy's okay."

"We never open the door," Ron said, "We just listen for growling."

"Yeah, that is all," Neville said, "Believe me. I have no wish to meet Fluffy."

"You two should help, you know," Ron said, looking at Harry and Ginny. "He did jinx the two of you. And he's been lingering over your work a lot. We've been watching him to make sure he doesn't sabotage it or something. One wrong ingredient in a potion, and –"

Ron crossed a finger across his throat.

"Now, Ron," Hermione said, "I disagree with you there. If something happened to Harry and Ginny, Snape would probably get kicked out of Hogwarts and he wouldn't be able to look for whatever he's searching for… I'm sure they're fine for now."

"Yeah… okay," Ron said, then looked at Harry and Ginny, "Just please don't get a detention with him anytime soon. Okay… so how about we begin our lessons, eh?"

Harry looked at Ginny, who shrugged and nodded.

"Come on, Neville," she said, standing up.

Neville and Ginny walked across the room. Harry twisted his hand and his wand appeared in his hand.

"Who wants to go first?" he asked.

Ron raised his hand. Harry smiled. Ever since he had "graduated" into the faster route two weeks prior, Ron and had been just as eager as Hermione to learn. Of course, Hermione was still better than Ron in the bigger picture. Hermione could throw Harry out of her memories in less than a minute, but she had yet to outright block him because her barriers were not building up as well. Ron's barriers, however, were already building – experience he gained from his slow route of learning, and he had stopped Harry from looking at one or two memories Harry suspected were pretty private, though Harry could usually just go around them on to other memories, as if he had driven past a detour or something.

"Prepare yourself," Harry said.

Ron nodded and closed his eyes. Hermione was not paying attention to either of them. She was already trying to focus herself. Harry pointed his wand at Ron and said "Legilimens!"

Harry was soon in Ron's mind, passing different memories as they zoomed by quicker than he could enter them. Harry smiled inwardly… this was part of the defense: don't think of memories, too long and the Legilimens can't take them from you. Then… one slowed down…

_Ron was standing in front of his chair in Courtroom Ten, giving his statement during Pettigrew's trial. Harry could feel his fear for Pettigrew, but his desire to see the man locked up behind bars._

_Another memory… Ron was looking out the window of his attic bedroom. Harry and Ginny were in the distance, jogging together. Ginny took hold of Harry's hand and Ron frowned and turned away from the window…_

Harry tried to reach another memory, but he felt his mind being pushed away from it. He thought Ron was fighting him off, but it was another detour. He tried to poke and prod against the memory, attacking the barriers, hoping this would teach Ron to keep the barrier up. He thought he could hear portions of the memory…

_"Aye, the final Weasley!" The Sorting Hat said, "Now, now, don't let your sister's early arrival to my school let you down –" the voice became distorted, "—keep it up and you'll be just as a great as Potter!" – more distortion, the voice sounded like static, "- friends along the way, and there are a lot of good future friends in _GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry felt a shock in his mind as the memory ended. He cried out in pain and backed out of Ron's mind.

"Whoa!" Harry gasped, looking at Ron, whose eyes were slowly opening, "Nice barrier."

"You found my new barriers, eh?" Ron asked. "I wanted something else besides a brick wall, and then I realized – hey, wards are stronger than walls, so I envisioned a ward. Kind of like a bubble, you know?"

"That is why I felt a shock," Harry said, nodding, "Very good. But I was able to get through and hear bits of the memory. But you're doing well. Keep that up. Hermione?"

Hermione blinked and opened her eyes. She smiled and nodded.

"I'm ready," Hermione said, "I've been working on a possible defense against you. Just a theory."

"Well, surprise me," Harry said, raising his wand toward her, "Legilimens!"

Harry entered her mind. All around him, memories seem to speed past him. He could hear a few words from some of them…

_"— points to Gryffindor!" Flitwick's voice said._

_"— was sure he'd be in that book!" Hermione said._

"- _coming, Ginny!" Hermione said, "Damn onion juice, I should have – what was that?"_

The memory became clearer.

_Hermione was stepping out of the cubicle in the bathroom, when the floor began to vibrate. Ginny was standing there with wide eyes as she slowly looked around toward the door. Hermione heard a low growl, and the troll walked into the bathroom, its beady eyes on Hermione and Ginny._

_"A troll!" Hermione gasped, "Run!"_

_Hermione tried to run forward, but Ginny pulled her back toward a cubicle. The troll roared, and Ginny and Hermione ducked just in time as the large bat the troll carried swung over the doors and walls of the cubicles. Hermione and Ginny crawled away from the cubicle and toward the wall._

_"Harry, where are you, damn it!" Ginny growled._

_Ginny's wand appeared in her hand and she pointed it toward the troll._

_"PROTEGO!"_

But it wasn't Ginny's voice that Harry heard. It was Hermione's. Suddenly, Harry was being pushed out of Hermione's memories, and everything was going blurry. He started to see new memories… memories that didn't have Hermione in them….

_He and Ginny were in Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore was there, and so were Mr. and Mrs. Weasley…_

_"Arthur, Molly," he said, "Have you ever witnessed something between Harry and Ginny where they were, perhaps, in the same room or in the vicinity of each other, but were not talking to each other at that moment in time."_

_"There have been moments," Mrs. Weasley said, "Yes. I wondered if they were arguing about something."_

_The memory switched…_

_Ginny was kissing him. and the Burrow was in the distance. Ginny backed up._

_"Whoa!" Ginny said, breathlessly, "Did you feel that? Like warmth…?"_

_"Yeah," Harry said._

_"That has never happened," Ginny said, "Wonder what it was."_

_Another memory... Water splashed all around Harry… he thought he might have been in the lake… but no, this was clear water, and he could see Ginny… she looked older… her twenty year old self._

Harry growled and pushed himself out of his own mind. He blinked and gasped for air, and he could hear Hermione gasping for air. Harry's eyes widened in fear as he looked at Hermione. Had she seen what he saw? Did she see the memory of him and Ginny's older selves as they were in the Time Pool? Hermione blinked and shook her head, as if trying to clear her ears of water. Harry felt his throat tighten. This was not a good sign.

"We're done for now," Harry said, quickly, "Nice – nice defense, Hermione."

"What?" Ron asked, "We're done already?"

"Just the Legilimens attacks," Harry said, "Just for today. Go work with Ginny."

Ron frowned and stood up. He walked around the couch and across the room. Harry slowly looked back at Hermione who was staring at him.

"Harry," she said, and she sounded frightened, "I saw – I saw - did I see inside your head?"

Harry didn't dare answer.

"But that's impossible," Hermione said, "I saw… you and Ginny were swimming, but you looked… older. Was it -?"

"A dream," Harry said, quickly, "A dream I've been having. That is what you saw."

"Oh," Hermione said, blushing. "I also saw you and Ginny… kiss. Another dream?"

Harry frowned and shrugged.

"I won't tell Ron," Hermione said. "I mean it."

"It was just a random thing," Harry said.

Hermione nodded, then frowned. "And that… moment in Dumbledore's office. He was asking about… something. Something to do with you and Ginny."

She frowned and shook her head.

"Don't tell me," she said, "Not yet. Later, like you promised."

Harry nodded. Hermione sighed and stood up. She walked past Harry and he heard the doors open and close.

_What's going on, Harry, _Ginny asked.

_Hermione was able to defend herself and she saw some of my memories. She saw… Ginny, she saw us in the Time Pool, as our older selves._

_What did you tell her?_

_I told her it was a dream, but…_

_You don't know if she believed you?_

_Yeah…_

_Harry? What are we going to do?_

_I don't know… if I thought she was ready for us to tell her… just her. I'd do it. But… she's not ready._

_She will be. They all will be, Harry… soon._

Harry nodded as he stared at the fireplace. Hermione had raced out of the room before he could ask her anything. She didn't want him to tell her… not yet.

Harry felt his throat tighten. He knew Hermione was extremely capable of learning these things on her own. He just hoped she wouldn't figure them out just yet.

* * *

**Woo! Exciting! So things are progressing. Again this Occlumency lesson was originally just going to be a small part of the chapter, but I decided to focus on it because it had a big scene, so I made it part of the focus of the chapter, instead a one page thing. Next, things progress closer and closer to Christmas… but Harry has one major thing he needs to do before then!**

Hermione's "Protego" was a defense in her mind, not a spell she has mastered for real... she just made her mind put up a shield, and her barrier was a "shield spell" type, so it was her way of producing it.

**Hope you liked this chapter! More to come!**


	44. Into The Chamber

**Chapter 44  
Into The Chamber**

**Author's Note: It seems I made a dumb mistake concerning the past couple of chapters… Hermione saying Fluffy's name during the Quidditch match, then being surprised about the name later. Silly, dumb mistake. Sorry.**

**Disclaimer: Recognizable sections of this chapter come directly from Chapters 16 and 17 of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" by J.K. Rowling. I do not take claim for these, only my own additions.**

* * *

_Thursday, November 28__th__, 1991_

Harry and Ginny were currently sitting in the mind exercise room in the Room of Requirement. They were alone, and had come in earlier that day for one reason. They had a couple things to discuss and needed to do so in private, without Ron, Hermione and Neville hearing them. Earlier that morning, Sirius had sent a letter addressed to them both. Like the letters he had sent them over the past few weeks, this too was only to be opened in private.

They were sitting on the love-seat in front of the fireplace, and were now reading Sirius' letter…

_Harry and Ginny,_

_Do not be alarmed with the contents of this letter. I have made sure that every protection possible has been put on the owl I used to send you this letter. It will only be read by your eyes, I guarantee it._

_Everything is set up on my end for the Christmas Party, except for the remaining guests. As you may have noticed, Nymphadora's (don't tell her I said her full name) father was not on the list before. That was because he thought he might be busy on the day before or after Christmas, so he didn't want to accept an invitation yet. But he wrote to me a few days ago and said everything was set. The only other guests needed to be invited are the ones on your end. I'm sure you'll talk to them about it soon if you haven't already._

_So… if you agree, the party will be at 5PM on Christmas Eve at Potter Manor. I have the details all set. I have not told anyone the location yet, but I've been hinting about trying to get a place together for when I become your legal guardian, Harry. That location, of course, is Potter Manor. To everyone who doesn't know your secrets, I will tell them that James and Lily wrote me a letter shortly before their deaths saying that if they were to die sometime, and Harry lived, I would have permission from them not only to be your guardian, but to use Potter Manor as our home until you were the rightful age to own it yourself._

_I hope to get your response soon about the party and what guests you wish to invite. Once you do, I'll respond with the rest of the details on my end, including how to let everyone know of the location._

_My other reason for writing this letter is the two objects hidden away in your house at the moment. Have you decided what to do about them? I know you've been hinting about doing something before Christmas break, and I was wondering if you have made any decision about that. Let me know soon._

_I will see you both in less than a month._

_As always, up to no good,_

_Sirius Black_

"Party set for Christmas Eve at Potter Manor," Ginny said, "And he is just waiting for us to agree to that?"

"I think he knew we'd agree to it," Harry said, grinning. "This is – what – the third letter this month where he's mentioned the party?"

Ginny nodded. "We're still going to try to invite Neville and Hermione, right?"

"Yeah," Harry said, "But not just for the party. I've been thinking… we know that sometime during Christmas Break, your parents are going to tell your brothers about our Soul-Bond. Well… I don't know about you, but I want to be the first to tell Ron, not your parents."

"He'd probably be offended that we didn't tell him," Ginny said, with a nod, "And that he'd have to hear it from Mum and Dad."

"Christmas Break begins on the 21st," Harry said, "That gives us three weeks to prepare Ron, Hermione and Neville. If everything goes well, we can tell the three of them at the Christmas Party, if Hermione and Neville are able to come."

"We'd have to really work the three of them next month," Ginny said, "They're close… Hermione and Ron are definitely. We're going to have to convince Neville to use the Legilimency defense."

""If we train them on putting their barriers around very important memories," Harry said, "I think we can tell them by Christmas. They won't be able to block everything by then, of course, but if we teach them to focus on guarding those memories of us telling them our secrets, it could be easier for them to learn."

Ginny nodded then looked back at the letter. "And the other part that Sirius mentioned in his letter…"

"The Horcruxes," Harry said.

"He's wanting to know if we can destroy the Horcruxes during Christmas Break," Ginny said, "And for that…"

We need to get into the Chamber of Secrets," Harry said, nodding.

"Have you given any thought to that lately?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah," Harry said, "I've come up with a plan. I need a day where nobody will see me going into Myrtle's bathroom nor anywhere else. I'm going to need to get the Sorting Hat from Dumbledore's office."

"But… how?" Ginny asked, "During meal-times?"

"No," Harry said, "the Ravenclaw vs. Hufflepuff Quidditch match takes place a week from Saturday."

"Dumbledore might go to the match," Ginny said, her eyebrows raising.

"Depending on the length of the match," Harry said, "I can get into his office, then to Myrtle's bathroom and back before anyone notices."

"Don't you mean the two of us?" Ginny asked, "I'm going to."

"I thought about that, Ginny," Harry said, "I need your help, but not in the Chamber."

"Harry," Ginny said.

"Think, Ginny," Harry said, "What gifts do we have that can be useful during this? Our Soul-Bond…"

"Telepathy," Ginny said, "And – oh!"

"Teleportation," Harry said, nodding, "If I get into Dumbledore's office, while you go to Myrtle's bathroom, I can teleport to you in the bathroom once I get the hat. Then, when I'm in the Chamber…"

"You can teleport to me from there!" Ginny said, then frowned. "You know I'm going to be worried about you going down there."

"I'll be fine," Harry said, "If you go down there with me, I can't teleport out… we'd have to use my broomstick, and I'd also be worrying about you that I might not be able to focus on the Basilisk."

Ginny leaned toward Harry and kissed him softly. Then she backed away and looked at him. "Promise me you won't go down there unless you're sure your coming back."

"I'll set everything up by next Saturday," Harry said, "I promise nothing will happen."

Ginny nodded and leaned into kiss him again, when they heard the door to the room open. Ginny jumped back and they looked toward the door. Ron, Hermione and Neville walked into the room and over to them.

"There they are," Hermione said. "I told you they were probably already here."

"Decide to come up early, you two?" Ron asked, as he sat down rather forcefully into the massage chair.

"I received a letter from Sirius," Harry said, "And wanted to read it in private – in here, you know."

"I only arrived a couple minutes ago," Ginny lied.

"What was the letter about?" Ron asked.

"He said it was private, Ron," Hermione said, sighing.

"It's okay," Harry said, "Sirius and I have been writing letters back and forth over the past couple of months about one thing in particular. We've been thinking about putting together a Christmas Party during break. And Sirius finally decided on Christmas Eve. He's already invited all the Weasleys, so Ginny, you and Ron don't have to worry. But… he wants to know if I want to invite anyone else… and that is where Hermione and Neville, you two come in."

"You want to invite us to a party?" Neville asked.

"Where will it be?" Ron asked.

"Not sure," Harry lied; he didn't want to tell them about Potter Manor just yet, "But Sirius said he would work it out."

"I'd have to write to Mum and Dad," Hermione said, "And see what they will say."

"I could ask Sirius to meet us at King's Cross when we arrive for break," Harry said, "He could talk to your parents about it that day."

"I'll let them know about that," Hermione said. "Christmas Eve, you say? Hmm… they always have Dentist and Doctor parties to go to on Christmas Eve, so I am usually stuck at home with a neighbor watching me, while we watch a Christmas movie marathon."

"There is an added incentive to the party," Harry said. "I was just talking about this with Ginny. If you three are there at the party, our Christmas gift to you would be telling you everything then."

"You – you think we'll be ready by then?" Neville asked.

Harry looked at Ginny and she shrugged. Harry then explained his ideas about using the barriers to block single important memories at a time, only focusing on those.

"That would let us block the memories of you telling us this stuff that you don't want anyone to know about!" Hermione said.

"Blimey," Ron said, "blocking one or two memories is much easier than blocking a whole section at a time."

"Exactly," Harry said, "And if you work on those, they'll be much stronger –"

"And Snape would never get through to those!" Hermione said, nodding, "That might work."

Harry looked at Ginny, and she rolled her eyes. Over the past couple of weeks, Hermione, Ron and Neville were still adamant about Snape's involvement in everything.

"Er…" Neville said, "If we're going to work on blocking single memories… does that mean I'd have to train with you Harry?"

"Training yourself will only go so far," Harry said. "I know Ginny's been working with you with minor Legilimency attacks, but these could be major attacks. You need to know how to shield these memories."

Neville nodded. "Okay. I'll work with you, Harry."

* * *

_December 7__th__, 1991_

First Saturday of December. Two weeks until Christmas Break. While everyone else was excited for the Ravenclaw-Hufflepuff Quidditch match, Harry's mind was on his adventure into the Chamber of Secrets. Over the past week, he had planned everything. He had also decided on alternate plans if the others didn't work. If Dumbledore didn't go to the Quidditch match, Harry would try to get the Sorting Hat, and Sword of Gryffindor along with it, another time, and he would have to resort to just using the Basilisk's fangs.

But on Saturday, he discovered there was one part of the plan he hadn't accounted for: his three friends who knew nothing about his planned adventure.

"What?" Ron asked, incredulously, as the five friends sat in the Great Hall during breakfast that morning, "You're not coming to watch the match today? But this would be the perfect time to let you scout for the next two matches! You could watch their Seekers!"

"Sorry, Ron," Harry said, "Ginny and I have to work on that Potions Essay due Tuesday. We haven't started it and he wants thirty-six inches. Barmy, he is…"

"So… you're not coming either, Ginny?" Ron asked.

"Harry and I are partners in Potions," Ginny said, "We have to work on this together. The library will be empty, so we'll have complete peace and quiet to work on it."

"We don't want to put it off," Harry said, "Who knows what Snape will do if we don't hand it in, you know?"

This alone seemed to convince Ron the most.

"I – well – yeah," Ron said, "You shouldn't put it off. We can tell you what happens in the match anyway."

_Nice idea using their fear of Snape against them for part of the excuse, _Ginny said.

Harry nodded and smiled at both Ron and Ginny's responses.

* * *

_Harry? _Ginny called out,_I'm in the Common Room. Everyone is leaving for the Pitch. You almost ready?_

_Yeah, just a couple of minutes._

Eleven-thirty in the morning. The match would start at noon, and unless the Snitch was caught in the first ten minutes of the match, Harry knew he could have over an hour to do what he needed to do. For the past few minutes he had been watching Dumbledore's name on the Marauder's Map. Currently, he was still in his office, probably sitting at his desk. Harry wondered if he should just give up on getting the Sword of Gryffindor and just use fangs.

Of course, Harry thought, the sword would be much easier to use should Nagini be made into a Horcrux later on...

Harry emptied out the contents of his knapsack on his bed. He then used an Undetectable Extension Charm on it, and put his Nimbus 2000 inside, as well as a towel he had retrieved from one of the bathrooms in the Gryffindor tower. He would transfigure this towel into a rooster, and hoped very much that it would crow when he needed it to. He found Hedwig's empty cage in his trunk and put it in the knapsack as well. He closed the knapsack, folded up his invisibility cloak and put it inside his back pocket for easy access. He then put his wand inside his holster, and made sure the holster was strapped nicely to his wrist.

He then looked back at the map. Dumbledore was on the move… away from his office…

Harry grinned, grabbed the map and raced out of his dormitory, down the steps and toward the Common Room. Ginny was waiting by the portrait hole.

"Dumbledore's moving," Harry said, as he looked back at the map, "he's going down the Grand Staircase."

"So we're sticking to Plan A?" Ginny asked.

Harry nodded. "Come on."

He and Ginny left the Common Room and made their way toward the Grand Staircase, while watching the movements of Dumbledore, Mr. Filch and Mrs. Norris and looking for any other obstructions that would come their way. Fortunately, the Grand Staircase was clear, and Mrs. Norris and Filch were in the Entrance Hall. When they arrived at the second floor, they stopped at a fork, splitting the two directions of the corridor.

"I'll be ready for you in Myrtle's bathroom," Ginny said, "Good luck."

Ginny kissed Harry on the cheek. Harry smiled and hurried off toward the left. When he neared Dumbledore's office, he looked at the map again, checking for the gargoyle's password.

"Licorice Wand," he said to the gargoyle.

The gargoyle jumped aside and the entrance to the office opened. Harry walked halfway up the stairs, then took his Invisibility Cloak out of his pocket and put it on – he didn't want any of the portraits nor Fawkes fibbing to Dumbledore that he had been in there. He then slowly walked up the rest of the stairs and entered the office. The office was very quiet. The portrait inhabitants were sleeping soundly, as was Fawkes. Harry saw the Sorting Hat resting on a shelf, and he slowly walked over to it. He took off his knapsack and opened it, then reached through the cloak for the hat. He quickly grabbed it and the hat made a noise.

"I'll explain later," Harry breathed, as he shut the knapsack, muffling the hat's noises.

He hurried off toward the steps and took off his cloak.

_Ginny, I have the Sorting Hat, _he said.

_One moment…_

Harry then felt warmth throughout his body and his closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was standing in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Ginny was standing near the sinks.

"Phase one complete," Harry said.

Ginny nodded, and her eyes motioned over Harry's shoulder. Harry turned around and almost screamed. Moaning Myrtle was hovering there.

"A boy?" Myrtle asked, "What are you doing in my bathroom?"

"Can't talk now," Harry said, "We have things to do. Sorry."

"Sorry?" Myrtle asked. "Sorry! No you're not. You're like everyone else. Nobody wants to talk to me!"

She let out a great sob and raised into the air, then dived into a cubicle. Harry pulled out his map and looked at it, checking to see if anyone had heard Myrtle's fit and come to check it out. Thankfully, the second floor was empty.

"Okay," Harry said, looking at Ginny, "I want you to take my cloak and map and head for Dumbledore's office. Password is 'licorice wand'. Stay on the steps until I tell you. I can teleport there and put the Sorting Hat back when I'm done."

Ginny nodded and walked over to Harry. She took the map and cloak and looked at him.

"Be safe down there," Ginny said, "If you need me, I am less than a second away."

Harry nodded. Ginny leaned toward him and kissed him softly.

"Good luck," she said.

"Keep an eye on that map and tell me if anything changes," Harry said.

Ginny nodded. She kissed him again, then walked out of the bathroom, vanishing under the cloak as she did so. Harry turned and looked at the sinks a few feet away from him. He slowly walked over to them and closed his eyes, concentrating on his Parseltongue ability.

_"Open_," he said.

The words weren't English, but the hissing sound of Parseltongue. At once the tap glowed with a brilliant white light and began to spin. Next second, the sink began to move; the sink, in fact, sank, right out of sight, leaving a large pipe exposed, a pipe wide enough for a man to slide into.

He took off his knapsack, and dropped it into the pipe. He heard brushing noises as the knapsack slid down the long pipe. Then, without hesitation, he immediately sat down against the edge of the pipe, and slipped into it. The slimy, dark slide with pipes rushing past him on each side were horribly familiar, even though it had been ages since he had been down here last.

Then, after seemed like forever, the pipe leveled out, and he shot out of the end with a wet thud, landing on the damp floor of a dark stone tunnel large enough to stand in. He stood up and twisted his hand around, immediately feeling his wand reach his fingers.

"Lumos," he said, lighting the tip of his wand.

The knapsack was laying there on the ground, on top of the skeletons of long-deceased rats, mice and voles. He grabbed the knapsack and slipped it back around his shoulders. He closed his eyes, trying to remember the way to go, and then he started walking forward down the pipe.

Even with his wand lit, the tunnel was extremely dark. The only thing he could hear was his feet as they slapped against the wet floor of the tunnel.

Soon, he reached the end of the tunnel and arrived at a rocky area. Something was wrong… he was sure this was where he needed to be, but there was something off about it.

_Are you okay, Harry? _Ginny said, and her voice sounded faint even in his mind, _You sound worried._

_Yeah… it's just… different down here. I – oh – there isn't a giant snake skin down here._

_Wasn't the snake hiding for ages before it was released? Maybe it shed its skin sometime after it was released._

_Right… good thinking. I'm fine. I'm almost there. I'll be in the Chamber soon._

_I'm waiting at the steps of Dumbledore's office, like you told me. Nobody's on the map… it is almost noon though. The game should be starting soon. Which means…_

_It could end at any time. Yeah. I'll try to hurry._

_Right. Be careful. Love you._

_Love you too._

Ginny went silent, but Harry could still feel her presence in his mind. He knew she wanted to be there with him, even if she was above in the castle. He smiled at the thought, feeling warmth even though the sewers were cool.

With no cave-in, the next part of the journey was a lot easier than last time. Soon he was in yet another tunnel, and he remembered that this tunnel had many turns. He was right… there were at least half-a-dozen turns before he reached a solid wall. There he found that the wall had two entwined serpents carved into it, their eyes set with great, glinting emeralds.

Harry inhaled and exhaled. He closed his eyes again and focused.

_"Open," _he commanded.

Harry opened his eyes and watched. The serpents parted as the wall cracked open, the halves slid smoothly out of sight, revealing the short pipe that led into the Chamber. He took off his knapsack again and opened it up. He reached into it and pulled out the towel.

"Okay," he said, "Here goes nothing."

Harry set the towel down and pointed his wand at it.

"_Verto in Pullus_!" he said, clearly.

The red towel glowed a brilliant white light as it slowly transformed, taking a new shape. A full minute later, a rooster, as red as the towel, was sitting there in front of Harry. He took Hedwig's cage from his knapsack then put the rooster into the cage. It was a snug fit, but the rooster wouldn't get away from him.

Harry put the knapsack back on and, ignoring the tightness in his throat, he walked into the short pipe and made his way into the Chamber. It was just as he remembered it. Towering stone pillars entwined with more carved serpents rose to support a ceiling lost in darkness, casting long, black shadows through the odd, greenish gloom that filled the place. Dirty green water surrounded either side of a long stone pathway that led to the end of the chamber, where the giant statue of Salazar Slytherin's head sat, carved into a wall.

Harry made his way down the ladder, a difficult quest, because he was holding the cage in one hand as he descended. He walked forward, his wand steady in his free hand, pointing it forward, his ears straining for the possibility that the snake had somehow been released early. But he knew it hadn't. The great statue's mouth was closed, and Harry knew that was where the Basilisk would come from.

Harry reached the end of the walkway, a few short feet from the statue and looked at the giant head. He closed his eyes and focused, hoping he could say the speech needed to bring the Basilisk from its resting spot.

_"Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four," _Harry hissed, opening his eyes as he looked at the statue.

Harry then turned around immediately and closed his eyes. He kept his ears open for any hissing sound. He walked back toward the walkway, allowing space for the Basilisk to emerge.

And that was when he heard the hissing sound.

_"Is it you, Heir of Slytherin?" _the Basilisk's voice, a female tone, said, _"Have you come for me to do Salazar Slytherin's great bidding?"_

Harry raised the cage and shook it. For a brief, horrific second he thought the rooster might not crow. Perhaps the transfiguration hadn't been complete? And then… the rooster clucked and finally crowed, the sound echoing around the chamber. But the rooster's crow wasn't the loudest thing that came. Next, Harry heard the shrieking and screaming of the Basilisk behind him.

_"No… Master… I – I – how could –" the Basilisk said._

And that was all she said. The next thing Harry heard was an enormous thud that shook the entire chamber, causing tremors over the walkway and the water to splash around him. Harry didn't dare move for another few moments, as he listened for any movements, any breathing… but he heard nothing.

He turned around and slowly opened his eyes. He would either be Petrified, or it had worked… but whatever happened next, he had to know. He opened his eyes all the way and looked toward the Basilisk. It has laying, sprawled out on the ground, half off its body still in the statue's gaping mouth. The Basilisk's mouth was open, its long fangs protruding from its jaws.

Harry allowed a moment for relief to set in, then set down the cage then took off the knapsack once again. He opened it and took out the Sorting Hat then put it on his head.

_"Mr. Potter, why did you take me from the Headmaster's office?" _the Sorting Hat asked.

"Search my mind," Harry said, "And you will find your answers."

Harry waited… and waited… for a couple of minutes, he waited, until…

_"You need the Sword of Gryffindor," _The Sorting Hat said, _"Which I possess and only I can give it to the true Gryffindors."_

"_Yes_," Harry said.

_"Well, you have defeated Salazar Slytherin's great serpent," _The Sorting Hat said, _"You are more than I could have seen earlier this year. You were not destined for Slytherin's house, but for other great things."_

"_Thanks for clearing that with me_," Harry said, _"So?"_

"_Remove me from your head, Mr. Potter_," the Sorting Hat said, _"And please do return me where you found me. I was working on a good song for next year's Opening Feast when you took me. I may have to start all over."_

"_Very sorry about that_," Harry said, then took off the hat.

Harry held the hat away from him, and suddenly, something large and shiny fell from it, and hit the stone floor with a loud _CLANG. _Harry looked at the ground. The sword of Godric Gryffindor was laying there, its hilt encrusted with rubies.

"Hello, old friend," Harry said, smiling, as he picked up the sword.

Harry released the rooster from the cage, and let it fly off, knowing it would soon transform back into the towel. He then stuffed the cage and Sorting Hat back into his knapsack.

He then walked over to the Basilisk's corpse and pointed his wand at the jaws.

"Diffindo!" he said.

At once, the fangs, large and small cut away from the jaws and hit the ground with a great clatter. Harry deposited his wand into its holster and put the sword in both hands. With one swift, careful movement, he stabbed the sword into the upper jaw of the snake, where the mucous membrane was located. He was sure this was where the venom was, and that it would encase the sword.

He then put the sword in the knapsack, and gathered up the fangs and put them in as well. He then shouldered the knapsack again.

_Ginny? _Harry said,_I'm done. Basilisk is dead and I have the fangs, and the Sword of Gryffindor too. It is impregnated with venom._

_Brilliant! Come on then! Coast is clear!_

Harry closed his eyes and felt the warm feeling in his mind again. When he opened his eyes, he was standing on the stairs that led into Dumbledore's office. For a moment, he thought he was alone, and he wondered where Ginny was. Then she appeared there with the Invisibility Cloak in her hand. Ginny grinned and wrapped her arms around him in a hug, then kissed him. Harry chuckled and returned the kiss.

"Hi, love," Harry said, when Ginny backed away. "Two more stops and then we're finished. I'll take the cloak. Keep an eye on the map. Make sure the path to the Room of Requirement is clear."

"Okay," Ginny said.

Harry took his knapsack from his shoulders and opened it up. He reached inside, careful not to touch the sword and fangs, and reached around for the Sorting Hat. He found it, took it from the bag and handed the bag to Ginny. He then put the cloak on, and hurried into the office. He returned the hat, then hurried back to Ginny. He then shouldered the bag again, and covered himself and Ginny with the cloak again, and they left the office.

The journey to the Room of Requirement was slow-going. It took twenty minutes, because they had to walk under the cloak, and Ginny kept looking at the map at different times to see if they were alone. Soon, they were inside the mind exercise room, and were walking over to the bookcases. They pushed the bookcases aside, and revealed the safe behind it. Harry opened the safe… and a thought came to his mind.

"We should destroy the diadem now," he said, "It won't like being in this safe with the sword and fangs.

"Nothing stopping us," Ginny said, "It is a good idea."

Harry nodded and handed the knapsack to Ginny. He then took the diadem from the safe and set it down on the floor. While he was doing this, Ginny had taken the sword from the bag.

"Just as beautiful as I remember it," she said, grinning as she looked at the sword.

"And just as deadly," Harry said, smiling.

Ginny nodded and handed the sword to Harry, hilt-first. He held it in both hands and turned to the diadem.

"I'm not sure what the diadem is going to do," Harry said, "The fire destroyed it last time. So stay back. Better take one of the fangs from the bag in case you need to destroy it if I'm incapacitated."

Ginny nodded and rummaged through the knapsack until she found a large fang.

"Kind of proper destroying the diadem here," Harry said. "Where it was destroyed last time, except for a different room."

"Just get it over with," Ginny said.

Harry nodded and gripped the sword in his hands. He lifted it up and waited for a moment to see if the diadem was going to do anything. Then he raced over to the diadem and slashed the sword through the air, cutting it across the diadem. When he heard steel hit metal, he immediately backed away toward Ginny and pulled her far from the diadem. A loud shrieking sound and echoed throughout the room, and a black oily-like substance spurted from the diadem onto the ground. The shrieking stopped and the only sound that was heard was breathing. Harry wasn't sure if it was his, Ginny's or both.

He turned toward the diadem and looked at it. The black oily-like substance was oozing from the diadem, which now looked black and tarnished.

"One Horcrux down," Harry said.

Ginny chuckled, and Harry knew it was from relief.

Harry and Ginny stored the fangs and Sword of Gryffindor into the safe in silence. Harry then picked up the diadem, which was fragile, but still intact. Ginny looked at him questioningly.

"I am going to try to keep every Horcrux," he said to her, "And bring them to the graveyard that night… so I can show Voldemort exactly what he lost. I want to see that look in his eyes when he realized he's lost before he can even begin."

Ginny nodded. Harry put the diadem back in the safe.

"We'll retrieve everything in here before Christmas Break," Harry said, as he closed the safe, "Then we'll store the sword and fangs in Potter Manor."

"Good idea," Ginny said.

"Map?" Harry asked.

Ginny took the map and looked at it. She raised her eyebrows in apparent surprise.

"Students are coming back," she said, "Must have been a quick match."

"We should go then," Harry said, as he shouldered the knapsack, "We have that Potions Essay to get done."

Ginny nodded and kissed Harry on the cheek. He took her hand and they made their way out of the room, their minds filled with the events that had happened in very little time, both relieved that everything had gone to plan.

"Harry?" Ginny asked, as they headed for the Gryffindor tower, "With the Basilisk gone, exactly what are we going to do all second year?"

"I'm sure something will come up," Harry said, "Can't have a great adventure without a little bit of unpredictability."

Ginny raised her eyebrows, then chuckled. "I can see why you hate that quote."

"I'm starting to like it," Harry said, as a grin crossed his face.

* * *

**Whew! Long chapter!**

**Next, Christmas Break begins! It will be very interesting, I promise you! Should last two or three chapters, maybe longer. I hope to get Year 1 done in the next ten chapters or so, but we'll see what happens.**

**Hope you liked this chapter! Basilisk is gone, and one Horcrux is down!**

**Have a question for you: Did anything about the events in this chapter seem too easy, or did it seem to work because of well-thought-out plans?**

**Spell Translation:**

**Verto in Pullus - incantation for "Transform into Rooster"**

**Verto = Latin for Transform **  
**  
in = into**  
**  
Pullus = Latin for chicken (no word for rooster so I had to make-do)**


	45. A Family Affair

**Chapter 45  
A Family Affair**

**Author's Note:**

**Q&A Time concerning the future of this story.**

**Q: Are you doing the first four books than an epilogue, or all seven books?**

**A: If my plans go right, first four books for this story. If I do the sequel I am planning, it will be at least in the fifth year and part of the sixth, but I might do fifth, sixth and seventh. That story will be more about family, friends and romance and less in the "dangerous threats on the horizon" sense.**

* * *

The Scottish highlands, usually plush and green with plant and forest-life were now covered with snow as far as the eye could see. The corridors and compartments aboard the Hogwarts Express were rather cool, and mugs of steaming hot chocolate and butterbeer were a popular sell from the Snack Lady. It was Saturday, December 21st, and most of the students were heading back to London to begin the two-week Christmas Break.

Harry, who had stayed at Hogwarts with Ron, Fred, George and Percy in the last time-line at this moment in time, was sitting in one of the compartments with Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Neville. Hedwig and Pigwidgeon were asleep in their cages above their heads in the luggage racks. Near Hedwig's cage was Harry's carry-on bag, which had an Undetectable Extension Charm on it. Inside were the Basilisk's fangs, the Sword of Gryffindor, and the now-dead Diadem Horcrux. Various Charms were placed on the bag: only Harry and Ginny could open it, and everyone else who was interested in the bag would immediately find something else important to do.

Harry looked around the compartment at his friends. Ginny was next to him, curled in a ball like a kitten, and had been asleep for the past couple of hours. Ron and Neville were also asleep, their heads resting against the glass windows that separated the compartment from the corridor. Hermione was relaxed against the seat, a scroll of parchment resting against her knees, and she was sucking on the end of a quill as she looked at the parchment.

"Doing Christmas break homework already?" Harry asked her.

"Hmm?" Hermione replied, looking up from the parchment and over toward Harry, "Oh, no. I'm trying to figure out different things to do during the break, and what presents I want to buy… stuff like that. There's a few books I want to buy – I am hoping I can find a book on Nicolas Flamel at Flourish and Blott's. They must have something there that isn't in the Hogwarts Library. I am sure the shopkeepers will know something."

She frowned and looked at her parchment, then back at Harry.

"Harry," she said, "Are you sure we're ready to learn those secrets of yours on Tuesday at Sirius' party?"

"Maybe I should ask you that," Harry said.

"I guess I'm ready," Hermione said, "But it sounds like something big."

"It is," Harry said.

"And you're trusting us with this information?" Hermione asked, as her eyes traveled to Ron and Neville, both of whom were snoring.

"Yeah, of course," Harry said, "Why wouldn't I?"

"Well," Hermione said, chewing her lip, "I mean… you've only known me for a few months now. I know we're friends, but… I'm sure there are many other people – adults – who would be better off knowing."

Harry frowned. He wished he could really tell Hermione why he wanted to tell her, Ron and Neville about this information, but he knew he would have to wait until Tuesday.

"There are adults I trust," Harry said, "But they could use this information for themselves. You, Ron and Neville wouldn't. You'd use it to help me and Ginny."

"Help you with what?" Hermione asked.

"That will be explained on Tuesday," Harry said.

Hermione nodded and looked at her parchment. "I hope I can be there, at the party I mean. Not just to hear your explanations though. Wizarding parties must be pretty fun. Especially Christmas parties. And – well – I'll get to meet Ron's family. Ron's brothers and Ginny are really nice, so I'm sure his other two brothers and parents will be just as nice."

"They are," Harry said, "Did you tell your parents about our plans for Sirius to talk to them?"

"Kind of," Hermione said, "I told them I wanted them to meet my friends. I told them about the party, and that they'll learn more about it when I arrive at King's Cross. They hadn't really said anything to me about it. I guess we'll find out soon. Though… I'm not sure how Daddy will react. Mum's been more supportive of the whole 'me being a witch' thing. Daddy – well – you remember that memory you saw of my conversation with him on Platform 9 ¾ in September?"

Harry nodded.

"I think he wanted me to forget this whole thing," Hermione said, frowning, "You know… just be a Muggle. I heard about the school he wanted me to go to. It was supposed to be pretty excellent… but… how could I just be a Muggle, Harry? I can't… I'm sure there are ways to bind my magic or something. But I'd still remember I am truly a witch, even if my memory was taken away. Deep down, I'd still be a witch. I couldn't give that up. Especially… especially since I have good friends now."

Harry smiled. He thought he might have seen Hermione looking more at Ron than him and Neville, when she said this, but that didn't matter to him.

"I talked to Mum and Dad about you, Ron and Neville," Hermione said, "in my letters, I mean. Mum's really happy that I have such good friends… I can tell when she's writing the letters and not Dad. Daddy's still stubborn… but I think he'll be okay once he meets everyone. Of course…"

Hermione frowned and chewed on the end of her quill for a moment, before looking back at Harry.

"How exactly am I going to get to wherever we're going on Christmas Eve?" she asked, "Is it something my parents can take me to?"

"Oh," Harry said; he hadn't thought about that, "Er… Sirius could take you using Side-Along Apparation. If your parents aren't sure about it, he could show them what Apparation is, so they know it wouldn't hurt you."

Hermione nodded. "That might work. I've never Apparated before. Should be fun."

She chuckled nervously and returned to writing stuff on her scroll of parchment. Harry smiled and returned his gaze out the window, watching the snow-covered trees and hills pass by him. Three more days, and his best friends would know everything. The thought made him cheerful, but nervous just the same.

-  
Two hours later, the Hogwarts Express pulled into Platform 9 ¾. When Harry and his friends made their way onto the platform, Sirius met them there.

"Weasleys," Sirius said, as Fred, George and Percy joined them, "Your parents messaged me via the Floo Powder. Your brother, Bill, is arriving from Egypt today,so they wanted to be there when he arrived. They asked that I escort you to the Burrow. In a few minutes, we'll take the Knight Bus to Leaky Cauldron and use the Floo Network from there. There are fireplaces here, but they are usually very busy. Might take us twice the time to catch one than it would to go to the Leaky Cauldron."

Sirius saw Hermione and smiled.

"Ah, Hermione Granger, I presume?" he asked her.

"Yes, sir," Hermione said, politely.

"Call me Sirius," Sirius said, "I believe Harry requested that I talk to your parents about my party?"

"Yeah," Hermione said.

"All right," Sirius said, then looked at Neville, "Hey, Neville. I talked to your grandmother, and everything is set. She's around here somewhere waiting for you. On Christmas Eve, I'll meet you at your house, and take you to the party, eh? Can't tell you where it is yet… a few kinks to work out still, not to worry."

Neville nodded, then caught sight of his grandmother. He said quick goodbyes to everyone and broke away from the pack.

"There's my parents!" Hermione said, pointing to her left, "Harry, Ginny, Ron, I want you to meet them."

"Go ahead," Percy said, "Fred, George and I can get everyone's luggage, and we'll meet near the barriers, eh?"

Everyone agreed, and Harry, Ginny, Ron and Sirius followed Hermione over to her parents.

"Hermione, there you are!" Helen Granger said, "And – ah – these must be your friends?"

Hermione nodded and introduced her friends.

"And this is Harry's godfather," Hermione said.

"Sirius Black," Sirius said, extending a hand.

"Ah, yes," Richard Granger said, as he shook Sirius' hand, "You wanted to talk to me and my wife?"

"Yes," Sirius said, "I've been putting together a Christmas Party that will take place on Tuesday. The location is still being worked out but everything will be ready by Tuesday. I promise it won't be too far from London. A – let's just say – a jump away, eh?"

Harry chortled, thinking of Apparation, and how it was exactly like that..

"My godson has been writing to me and he informs me," Sirius said, "that Hermione told him you'd be rather busy on Christmas Eve?"

"Helen and I are invited to a social party," Richard said, "Usually for our dentist friends, and doctors, you know."

"Well, with your permission," Sirius said, "I would like to invite Hermione to my own party. There will be plenty of adult supervision there. It will just be your normal Christmas party… a social event mixed in with festivities, and a wonderful dinner of course. She'd be back at your house whenever you want her to be there."

"Well," Richard said, looking from Helen, to Hermione to Sirius, "I – err –"

"Sounds wonderful, I think," Helen said, "You know she's usually alone – or always with Mr. Neiman on Christmas Eve. This way, she can be with her friends."

"Can I please go, Daddy?" Hermione asked.

"Adult supervision, you say?" Richard asked Sirius, "Fellow – err – wizards like yourself."

"Only my best friends," Sirius said, "All wonderful people. Ron and Ginny's family, my cousins, and a couple of very good friends. Harry will be there too, as well as Hermione's friend Neville."

"Well, it does sound fun," Richard said, "Would we have to drive her there? We wouldn't want to be late for our own party…"

"Travel will be dealt with, I promise you," Sirius said, "I can give you more of that information on Tuesday evening. I could come by your house around – say – five?"

Richard nodded, then reached in the pocket of his coat he was wearing and took out a small card. He took out a pen and wrote down something on the back of the card.

"My home address is on this card," he said, "And phone number – do you use phones?"

"Er, no, sadly, but Harry might know how," Sirius said.

"O-of course," Richard said, shrugging, "I guess we'll see you on Tuesday then. All right, Hermione? Have your things?"

"Yeah," Hermione said.

"Brilliant," Richard said, then looked at Sirius and Hermione's friends, "A pleasure meeting all of you. I'm sure we'll talk again. Come on, Hermione. Say goodbye to your friends. You'll see them on Tuesday, I expect."

Hermione nodded and turned to Harry and the others. She gave them each a swift hug, though she hugged Ron the longest. Harry noticed Richard looking at them with raised eyebrows.

"Goodbye," Hermione said, before following her parents across the platform.

"Well," Sirius said, "I believe that little lady is rather taken with you, Ron."

"Not you too!" Ron scowled, his face matching his hair.

Sirius winked and Harry and Ginny snickered.

"Right," Sirius said, "Come on, you lot."

* * *

Soon, Harry, Sirius and the five Weasleys were aboard the Knight Bus as it made its way across London toward the Leaky Cauldron. Harry was surprised to find Oliver Wood and Katie Bell on the bus as well, chatting with Fred and George. When she noticed him, Katie informed Harry that she and Oliver were meeting her parents at the Leaky Cauldron for dinner, so they could talk about her and Oliver's budding relationship. Harry wished them luck then returned to the back of the bus. Ron was seated a couple rows in front of Sirius and Ginny, chatting with Percy. From the scrape of discussion Harry heard, it was about his owl Pig, and whether or not their parents would like him having the owl (apparently he had "forgotten" to tell them about Pig, even though he had written to them weekly – Hermes or Hedwig had been bringing the letters to the Weasleys.)

Sirius and Ginny seemed to be in a deep conversation as well, talking in low voices.

"—so Mum is still not very happy about everything going on with – err – us," Ginny said to Sirius, as she nodded to Harry when he sat down beside her.

"Let's just say," Sirius said, "she's become very – ah – chatty with me about my interests to take Harry in as my ward by June. From what I can figure out, your father is taking yours and Harry's side of this whole thing, and your mother is hoping that the rest of your family can convince him otherwise."

"Do you know when she's decided to tell everyone?" Harry asked.

"Arthur says Molly told him that she doesn't want to ruin Christmas because of this," Sirius said.

"So… any time after Christmas," Harry said, nodding.

"What if we try to convince Mum and Dad not to say anything?" Ginny asked. "Most of my brothers don't know Occlumency… and this is rather dangerous for them to know without it. It is why we've been teaching Occlumency to Ron, Hermione and Neville."

"I already tried to play that card, Ginny," Sirius said. "Your father talked about the family ward and how part of it has to do with keeping secrets. He says if you all take the family vow – sort of like the wizard's vow of honor – it is safe inside your heads."

"Damn," Ginny said, sighing heavily, "Yeah, that will do it. I forgot about that. Only powerful Legilimency could take away the information then. Even Snape would have difficulty."

"So there isn't anything stopping your family from knowing," Harry said.

"Guess not," Ginny said. "I wonder who will support this and who will – well –"

"Who will take your mother's side?" Harry suggested.

Ginny nodded and frowned. "I hate this. I hate that there are sides in this. I don't want this to tear my family apart."

She laid her head on Harry's shoulder, and he thought he could hear her sniffling. Harry sighed, thinking it very lucky that her brothers weren't looking back at them.

* * *

"The Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley," Stan said, as the Knight Bus pulled up to the old bar, "Thank you for riding the Knight Bus. We hope to see you again and remind you that this bus will not be available on Christmas Day. Next stop, Oxfordshire."

Harry, Sirius, the Weasleys made their way off the bus and headed into the Leaky Cauldron. They walked over to one of the fireplaces and Sirius pulled out a leather pouch from his robes.

"You first, Ron," he said, "your things will arrive at the Burrow shortly."

Ron nodded, took a handful of the green powder from the bag and stepped into the fireplace. After clearly stating "The Burrow", he disappeared in a great green flame. Next, Fred went, followed by George, then Percy.

"Harry will apparate with me to the Burrow," Sirius said, as Ginny took some powder, "I want to be there when he arrives, just in case your Mum decides to say something."

Ginny nodded. After kissing Harry on the cheek, she went into the fireplace, and soon vanished into the network.

Sirius pointed his wand at the pile of trunks, owl cages and bags, and they vanished. Harry knew they were now in the Burrow. Harry then took Sirius' hand, and they apparated to the Burrow. When they arrived, they were standing at the top of the driveway, and the cold, fierce wind was blowing against them. Harry wrapped his cloak tightly around him and they set off down the driveway.

"Now listen," Sirius said, as they walked, "I know Molly isn't going to act normally around you, but you should still try to be on your best behavior around her. She'll come around sometime. Be strong for Ginny."

Harry nodded. When they arrived at the door, Sirius opened it and they made their way into the kitchen. Mr. Weasley was there, and he greeted them with a smile.

"Sirius," he said, "thank you for escorting my children home."

"No trouble at all," Sirius said.

"Harry," Mr. Weasley said, and Harry noticed he had paled a little, "Bill is taking your things up to Ron's bedroom. The bunk is set up for you."

"Bill's here?" Harry asked, smiling.

"Yes," Mr. Weasley said, "he arrived about half-an-hour ago. He's been hoping to formally meet you. "I am sure you're hungry, and as I told the rest of the kids, dinner will be done in about twenty minutes, so how about you make sure everything is ready for you up in Ron's room. Sirius, would you like to stay for dinner? I am sure we'll have plenty."

"Sure," Sirius said, "and while I am here, maybe we can discuss party business and other – ah – important topics?"

"Of course," Mr. Weasley said.

Harry walked out of the kitchen, and headed for the stairwell. When he arrived at the first floor, he heard Mrs. Weasley talking to Ginny about something.

_Is everything okay, Ginny? _He asked.

_Yeah, Mum is just being Mum. Just walk past. I'll discuss it with you later. _

_We'll get through this, _Harry said, as he continued his way up the stairs, _ Don't let her get to you. I love you. Always will._

_I know. Love you too. Always have._

When Harry arrived at the bottom of the topmost stairs, the door to the attic bedroom opened and the eldest Weasley brother, Bill, stepped out. He caught sight of Harry and raised his eyebrows. A frown crossed his lips. Harry didn't like the expression on his face.

In the old timeline, Bill always smiled when he saw Harry. Besides Ron, Bill had always been Harry's favorite of Ginny's brothers. He was always cool, calm and collected. When Moody had died, Bill was the one who made the toast to his name. During Fred's funeral a few days after the Battle of Hogwarts, Mr. Weasley had become overcome with emotion, and Bill had taken over the ceremony, the strongest of the family during the troubled time. Though Harry expected that Bill had done his fair share of crying for Fred when he was back at Shell Cottage, and only Fleur was there to see him break down.

Now Bill was looking at him with an expression Harry couldn't read. Confusion, perhaps? No... probably not.

"Harry Potter," Bill said, "Bill Weasley, eldest of the Weasley children."

He did not extend his hand as he walked down the stairs and passed Harry.

"Come and chat with me for a bit, eh?" he asked, and slipped into his bedroom.

Harry shrugged, deciding it couldn't hurt, and followed inside. He found that the room was littered with suitcases and boxes filled with things... too much for a brief visit, Harry realized.

"Moving back in?" Harry asked.

"Oh yeah," Bill said, "Transferred from Egypt to Gringott's. Realized I needed to be close to my family at the moment. Too many things happening when I am too far away to do something about them."

Harry nodded, and his throat tightened. Another diversion from the previous timeline. Last time, Bill hadn't transferred until the summer before Harry's fifth year, in order to be close for the Order.

"Take a look at my books," Bill said, motioning over to a box on one of the desks, "Might find something that interests you."

"Nothing that will curse me?" Harry asked, "I know you're a Curse Breaker."

"All my dangerous books are in a different box," Bill said, with a slight grin that had a hint of malevolence.

Harry shrugged and walked over to the box in question. He looked at the assortment of books, and his eyes fell on one title.

_Soul-Bond: The Ancient Power Of Love_

Harry felt breathless as he turned and looked at Bill. His mind went back to the expression Bill had on the stairs, and a theory crossed his thoughts. But was it possible? If it happened to any Weasley, it would have been Bill.

_Harry? _Ginny asked, _Are you okay? I felt your mood change. Like you're... scared or something._

Harry turned back to the box. _I'm talking to Bill. Er... I'll explain soon. _

_'Kay. _

Harry felt the link weaken but not close. He knew Ginny was still paying attention to his emotions. He hoped she didn't listen to the conversation. He turned back to Bill.

"You... you're – are you an aura-reader?" Harry asked.

"Right in one," Bill said, "Useful for my job."

"So," Harry said, before clearing his tightening throat, "You know then... about -"

"About the Bond?" Bill asked as he sat down on his bed, then nodded, "Mum and Dad know about my ability, of course, though out of my whole family, only they know. When they found out and told me, I was scared... I thought... 'What exactly am I? What can I do?' They didn't let me tell my brothers or Ginny. Thought they might get jealous, or expect them to have the ability as well. They don't."

Bill sighed and stood up. He looked out his window, his gaze resting there.

"Mum wrote to me in September," he said, "she told me her plans for Christmas had changed. She wasn't going to Romania with Dad and Ginny. Ginny was now a student at Hogwarts. We were to come home for Christmas. Family had things to discuss. I wrote back, asked how Ginny achieved early entrance into the school. Mum didn't tell me outright. Only told me to look up a few things in books. One of those things was the Soul-Bond. It fascinated me, you know... an incredible gift, if real. Though, I didn't truly believe it was real..."

He looked back at Harry, and Harry felt goosebumps everywhere.

"Until Ginny arrived a few minutes ago," he said. "My aura-reading skills don't usually activate for everything. Sometimes I can tell when a person is in pain... physical pain. Sometimes I can tell when a person is lying or being honest. A few minutes ago, I saw none of that. I saw a soul that looked whole, but didn't. The soul was two different colors... one for each half. Gold on one half, pure white on the other. Right now, I see where those two halves should belong... if it wasn't for the Soul-Bond between you and my sister.'

Bill's eyes bore into Harry's, and Harry wondered if it was a challenge. If it was, he was not going to back down. Then he wondered if Bill knew Legilimency, though Harry could not feel any thing attacking his mind.

"What do you and Ginny know about your bond?" Bill asked after a minute of silence.

"Quite a bit," Harry said, "Not everything, but we do not wish to discuss it until we sit down with everyone."

Bill nodded. "I doubt that will happen until after Christmas. No use starting family feuds during a holiday."

"Feuds?" Harry asked.

"Not everyone in my family is going to like this, Harry," Bill said, "Mum is probably only the first."

"Which side are you on?" Harry asked.

"Have yet to decide," Bill said, "But I have three questions I hope you will answer right now."

"Go ahead," Harry said.

"I read that one of the gifts of the bond is teleportation," Bill said, "You and your –" he swallowed, " – mate can teleport to each other. Wards cannot stop you. Is it true?"

"Why do you think I'm now sleeping in Ron's room?" Harry asked, "It isn't because you and Charlie will be here, believe me."

Bill nodded. "Mum doesn't want you sleeping alone."

Harry nodded, and thought he heard Bill mutter something like "Mum, they're ten and eleven." Bill sighed, shaking his head, and looked at Harry.

"Another gift is telepathy," he said, "Aye? You can talk to Ginny when she isn't in the same room?"

"Two for two," Harry said.

"Handy," Bill said, "Mum couldn't split you and my sister if she wanted. And the third... in that book, the bond said you have to connect in some way for it to be complete."

"I kissed your sister a few days before I met your parents in Diagon Alley," Harry said, dead-pan, "Is that what you want to know?"

Bill groaned. "Wonderful," he said, "Well, I can't say I am not surprised. From what I read, you and Ginny might have been in intense pain if you hadn't met and kissed."

Harry only nodded. He knew this.

"Now let me ask a question," he said. "If you could do anything to stop my Soul-Bond with your sister, would you?"

"What you're talking about is impossible," Bill said, "A Soul-Bond is believed to be the origin of the wedding vow 'till death do you part', Harry. Death is the only way to part a Soul-Bond. If you want to know if I support this Soul-Bond, know this: I couldn't do anything about it either way. Mum doesn't understand that. She only sees her baby girl, and a boy who is now, more or less, her husband. Ten years old and she's a wife, Harry. That is all Mum sees right now, and is probably going to see for a while. She brought together our family for Christmas because she wants to see who else supports her. Dad's already supporting you and Ginny... I can simply tell that due to the fact that Mum didn't wait for you to arrive, and Dad said he'd greet you. As for me... ask me again in a few days after I've had time to think it over."

Harry almost laughed, though it would have been humorless.. Bill wanted to study Harry and Ginny over the next few days. They were his lab rats.

"Harry?" Bill said, as he motioned to the door for Harry to leave, "If you take any of this discussion with you out of this room, take this... no matter how this goes with everyone over the next few days... you are a part of this family... even if my parents weren't your guardians. Remember that."

Harry nodded. "Thanks, Bill."

He walked out of the bedroom and headed up toward Ron's room. Ron wasn't there when he arrived.

A familiar cot that he had slept on for many countless nights in the previous timeline was laying near Ron's bed. Harry's trunk and bag were laying at the end of it. After a quick check that the fangs and sword were still in his bag, he stuffed it under his cot; he would find a better place until he went to Potter Manor. Harry opened Hedwig's cage to let her free to get some dinner. He then left the room and walked down the stairs. When he arrived, Ginny and Ron were sitting in the living room, and Harry had a sudden desire to ask if Ron was there by choice, but he decided against it.

In the kitchen, he saw Sirius talking to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. He wasn't sure if it was a good conversation or not, but when Sirius saw him looking, he received a flat smile from his godfather.

_Harry? _Ginny's voice rang through his head, and he looked at her, _Are you okay?_

_Dunno._

He sat down in one of the empty chairs, not daring to sit next to Ginny on the couch. Ginny frowned at this action.

_Would it surprise you, _he asked her, _ if discovered your eldest brother has something in common with a Miss Lovegood? And I am not talking about her fascination with strange creatures._

Ginny blinked. _No... you don't mean..._

Harry raised his eyebrows, fully aware that Ron was looking at both of them.

_He's an aura-reader? _Ginny asked, then raised her eyes toward the ceiling. _I knew he was looking at me funny when I arrived. Holy..._

"Is it quiet in here?" Ron asked, "Or is it just me? Hmm, I wonder when -"

"Dinner!" Mrs. Weasley's voice rang out.

Harry, Ginny and Ron jumped up and headed into the kitchen. Harry sat next to Sirius, across the table from where Ginny sat... their seats were farthest from where Mrs. Weasley usually sat.

"Hello, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said, as she set steaming bowls of onion soup, and chunks of sourdough bread in front of every chair, "Sorry I did not greet you when you arrived. I was – err – busy helping the others."

_She was introducing me to the new locks she put on my door, _Ginny said, _It is like she forgot you can teleport to me if you truly wanted to._

Harry didn't know which was sadder: this statement or the fact that Mrs. Weasley had not looked at him once while greeting him.

The table was completely full when everyone took their places.

"When is Charlie going to be here, Mum?" Percy asked, as everyone began to eat.

"Tomorrow afternoon, I expect," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Wonder if he has that tattoo he was thinking of getting," Fred said.

"Of a dragon, didn't he say?" George asked.

"What else would he get?" Fred asked, "Where did he say he was getting it?"

"On the bum, wasn't it?" George asked.

"The chest, I think," Fred said.

"Aye, close enough," George said, "Bum's better."

"Boys," Mrs. Weasley finally scolded.

"Sorry, Mum," Fred and George said in unison.

"Anyway," Percy said, "I was only asking because I know you were talking about having a family discussion sometime -"

"It will happen sometime before you return to Hogwarts," Mrs. Weasley said, "I will not discuss any more about it at this moment."

The table went silent. Harry and Ginny did not dare look up from their soup, even though both were aware that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and Bill, were looking at them.

"So," Sirius said, possibly in an attempt to lighten the mood, "Let's discuss the Christmas Eve party..."

* * *

**Ooh, thick tension in the Burrow. **

**The Christmas Eve party is next... it might be two chapters, because a good part of it is Harry and Ginny's conversation with Ron, Hermione and Neville. Though I have good plans for the party. Two words: Mistle. Toe. (okay, I know it is one word, but work with me, people!)**

**I want to know what you think of this chapter. Opinions of Hermione's parents? Bill? The (usually) loveable Mrs. Weasley? Things are only heating up at the Burrow!**


	46. Confrontations

**Chapter 46  
Confrontations**

**Author's Note: This and the following chapter will have multiple PoV switches, so I am going to label them.**

* * *

**(Harry's PoV)**

The tension throughout the Burrow lasted into the next couple of days, though there was much to do, so it was usually easy to ignore.

Charlie arrived the following afternoon, and after a brief family reunion and a short formal introduction between Charlie and Harry that was a much shorter conversation than Harry and Bill's greeting the previous day, Charlie, Bill and Mr. Weasley set out toward the grove of pine trees next to the orchard to find a perfect Christmas tree. The following few hours of festive decorating was enough to settle Mrs. Weasley down.

On Monday, after Bill convinced Mrs. Weasley that she needed some alone time to prepare for Christmas, he and Charlie escorted Harry and the Weasley children to Diagon Alley to do some Christmas shopping. The eight were split in two groups of four: Harry and Ginny would be with Ron and Bill.

When Harry said he needed to go to Gringott's, he wasn't surprised at all when Bill took Ron on a tour of the bank, allowing Harry and Ginny to go to their vault with Ragnok. While at the vault, Harry and Ginny rummaged through James and Lily's old clothing, to see if the could find anything that could be properly downsized with magic, and would look good for the Christmas party. They each found a couple of outfits, and a a luggage bag to carry them in. They returned to the surface, found Bill and Ron, and proceeded with their Christmas shopping. Harry knew that Mrs. Weasley would probably never accept something too grand from him, but he bought her something she might like anyway. The only real high-priced gift he bought was for Ginny, and he didn't care how Mrs. Weasley reacted to it.

Ginny was fairly quiet when it came to the tension between Mrs. Weasley and Harry. She barely talked about it at night when she and Harry stayed awake in their beds to talk telepathically. Usually their conversations would tread elsewhere, and their major topic was the upcoming discussion between them and Ron, Hermione and Neville. They had also decided that, although they had invited Luna to the Christmas Party, she could wait to hear about the time-travel secret until Harry and Ginny were sure her mind was safe.

However, Harry knew that Ginny's silence, when it came to the tension hanging over their heads, wouldn't last, and he was right. It had finally broken late Tuesday afternoon, around half-past-four, when Sirius arrived to the Burrow via Apparation.

Harry and Ginny, who had received post from Sirius and were expecting him to come early, were already dressed in their outfits. Harry's outfit was a black and silver tuxedo that fit well after being adjusted with size charms. Ginny was wearing a long silver skirt, complete with a green festive sash she had picked up in Diagon Alley the previous day.

"Mum," Ginny called as she bounded down the stairs, "Harry and I are going to go help Sirius set the party up."

"Excuse me, young lady?" Mrs. Weasley asked, as she walked into the living room where Harry, Ginny and Sirius were standing, "Did I give you permission to go early?"

Harry heard Ginny silently groan. He knew this sound well enough to know that Ginny wasn't going to take this from her mother.

"I wasn't aware I needed it," Ginny said, "You trust Sirius, don't you? We already had this planned out."

Mrs. Weasley looked from Ginny to Sirius, then back to her daughter. Harry noticed she had completely skipped over him.

"Well I didn't hear any part of this plan," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Mum, do I need to remind you where this party is at?" Ginny asked, "Sirius may have invited you, but he has yet to tell you the Secret of the location. Oh, yes, and lest we forget, as co-owner of the house, I set the guest list right along with Harry, and you do not want to attempt to get past the guest list charms if you are not invited by me or Harry. I've been very open-minded about all of this, because I love my family. But I also love Harry. Don't make me choose."

Mrs. Weasley made a noise of disbelief. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Why aren't you looking at Harry, Mum?" Ginny asked, "You haven't looked at him much since we started break. Not exactly a good example to set toward your ward."

"I – of course I'm –," Mrs. Weasley said, frowning, then her expression went hard, "I will not be talked to like this, Ginevra."

"So you're really going to try and keep me from going with Harry?" Ginny asked, "You're going to keep me from the party? How? Lock me in my room, I wonder?"

Mrs. Weasley made a noise, and Ginny vanished from the spot. Mrs. Weasley let out a cry.

"Over here, Mum," Ginny said, her voice somewhere behind Harry.

Harry looked over his shoulder and saw Ginny standing there. Mrs. Weasley turned and looked at Ginny.

"What's your biggest fear, Mum?" Ginny asked, "Me leaving?"

Harry noticed that Mrs. Weasley's eyes had misted over.

"Think about that tonight when you see the house," Ginny said. "Because if I leave, it is where I'll be living. And believe me, it would be far easier for me to live there than you think. Harry and I can take care of ourselves."

Mrs. Weasley frowned then opened her mouth. Harry thought she might retort again, but all she said was "Ronald!" rather loudly.

Less than a minute later, Ron appeared at the bottom of the stairs. He was dressed in a buttoned-down shirt and his cleanest, nicest pair of jeans.

"Sirius is taking Harry and Ginny with him early to prepare for the party," Mrs. Weasley said, "Would you like to go with them?"

Ron nodded.

"See you soon," Mrs. Weasley said, to no one in particular, as she started up the stairs. "Be good."

"Well, come on," Sirius said, "I have two more stops shortly after I take you to the location."

"Er..." Ron said, as they headed out of the Burrow and up the driveway, "Where exactly is this party?"

Sirius reached into the pocket of his robes and took out a small strip of parchment, then handed the strip to Ron.

"Good thing I made a few copies of that," he said, "Read it, Ron, and memorize it. You won't be seeing it again."

Ron looked at the slip of parchment, and mouthed the words he read. Less than a minute later, when they were all standing at the top of the drive, the paper disintegrated harmlessly in his fingers.

"Er... did that just say –?" Ron started, as he looked at Harry.

"Yes, you read it correctly," Sirius said, "Take my hand and hold onto each other's. Ever apparated before, Ron?"

Harry could only watch Ron give a light nod, before he felt his lungs collapsing and everything going black. When he could see again, he was looking at Potter Manor, beyond the iron-wrought fence. What usually looked majestic, looked even more-so when the grounds and house were covered with snow.

"Er... what are we looking at?" Ron asked.

"Think about what you just read," Sirius said.

Ron nodded and his eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"Bloody hell!" he cried out, looking at the manor, "Is that –?"

"That," Sirius said, as he led the three kids through the gate, "is Potter Manor."

"Potter... Harry?" Ron asked.

"It was once my parents' home," Harry said, "It is now mine."

"I thought they lived in Godric's Hollow," Ron said.

"Okay," he said, "This is one of my houses. One of four."

"Blimey," Ron said, "Four?"

"Have your key, Harry?" Sirius asked.

Harry nodded.

"Excellent," Sirius said, "Melina's inside, probably working in the kitchen. I need to go get Neville and Hermione."

"Neville and Hermione?" Ron asked, then looked at Harry, "We're not here early to set up the party, are we?"

"Melina's got that covered, I'm sure," Harry said.

"Right," Ron said, "Er... who is Melina?"

"See you three shortly," Sirius said, before backtracking toward the gate.

Harry took his Manor key from the pocket of his jeans then put it in the lock and turned it. He heard a mechanical click, then opened the door. He walked in, followed by Ginny and Ron. Suddenly, a crack was heard and Melina the house-elf appeared in front of them.

"Master Harry!" she said, happily, "You has returned! My Lady, good to see you too! And..."

Harry looked at Ron, wondering if he had caught Melina's title for Ginny, but he was only staring dumbstruck at the house-elf.

"This is Ron, Melina," Ginny said, "My youngest brother. You'll meet the rest of my family soon."

"Hello, sir!" Melina said, "Any family of Lady Ginny is family of Melina!"

"Er... she knows you, Ginny?" Ron asked.

"We'll explain it all soon, Ron," Ginny said.

"Ooh, did Melina say something wrong, Master?" Melina asked, covering her mouth, "Melina apologizes."

"You're fine, Melina," Harry quickly said, in case Melina was planning on doing any harm to herself, "How about you take Ron on a tour of the house before you return to your work?"

"I'd be delighted, Master," Melina said.

"You own a house-elf, Harry?" Ron mouthed in shock, as he followed Melina out of the entrance hall.

"Okay, Ginny," Harry said, "We need to go to the Ward Room and fill in the guest list for those coming tonight. Ron's safe for now, I think, since we let him in, but I'd feel safer with the guest list."

Ginny nodded and Harry led her toward the combined sitting and reading room. The Ward Room was located behind a bookcase on the far side of the room. Harry walked over to the bookcase and wrapped his hand around a bookend on the left side of the second shelf, and pulled it. It lifted up on one end, and the bookshelf began to move aside, revealing a door, as tall as the bookshelf, behind it. Harry tapped his wand on the door, and it opened; only his or Ginny's wand would open this door. He and Ginny walked inside.

The Ward Room was the smallest room in the house, barely larger than a standard sized jail-cell, but it was the most important. This room was in the exact center of the house. If it was destroyed, it was thought the house might come down with it.

In the center of the room stood the Master Wardstone. All wards were created from this single stone. It was a massive block of a mixture of charmed rock and metal. Blue light pulsed around it and illuminated the room. The guest list was voice-activated and only needed the voices of the master, or masters, of the house, and their wands.

"I, Harry James Potter," Harry said, as he pointed his wand at the wardstone, "recognize myself as a master of this house, and I invoke the ward of the guest list allowing these people in this house until I, or my mate say otherwise: Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Ted Tonks, Andromeda Tonks, Nymphadora Tonks, Amelia Bones, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood."

Harry looked at Ginny, and she nodded. She returned the nod and raised her wand.

"I, Ginevra Molly Potter," she said, "recognize myself as a master of this house and I invoke the ward of the guest list allowing these people in this house until I, or my mate say otherwise: Arthur Weasley, Molly Weasley, Bill Weasley, Charlie Weasley, Percy Weasley, Fred Weasley, George Weasley and Ron Weasley."

"May these guests be struck down and expelled from these premises," Harry said, "if they knowingly wish to do harm to the Masters or other guests."

"This finishes the guest list until the next time we say these words," Ginny said.

"So we speak," Harry and Ginny said, "So we intend."

The ward glowed a warm golden color, then returned to its blue pulses. Harry and Ginny walked out of the Ward Room, and the bookcase closed in behind them.

"I always hated that 'may these guests be struck down' part," Ginny said. "Too violent."

"Don't blame me," Harry said, "My grandfather's grandfather built this house."

"Violent ancestors you have, Mr. Potter," Ginny said, with a smirk; she then frowned, "Harry, I am sorry you had to see me like that with Mum. I – I know it wasn't right of me to do that."

"You were letting off steam, love," Harry said, "You shouldn't keep it in... it comes out like that, and I understand. And... sooner or later your Mum will come around. We'll see what happens when we talk to your parents and brothers. Your Mum might realize that if your family supports us, she should too."

"I hope so, Harry," Ginny said.

She kissed him on the corner of his lips, and they headed off to find where Ron had made off to.

* * *

**(Hermione's PoV)**

Hermione Granger was nervous, and had good reasons to be.

Soon, Harry's godfather would be at her house to escort her to the Christmas Party. Soon, she would learn the information Harry and Ginny were keeping from their friends, information that Harry said was very serious. She had theories, and good ones too. Things were starting to add up, but she didn't want to say anything if it turned out she was wrong. And if she was right... well, it was a shock, sure enough, but it would be wonderful to witness. Also, soon she would be attending her first wizarding party. She wondered how different it would be compared to the parties she usually attended with her extended family for the holidays.

On Sunday, she and her mother had a shopping day together to get a dress and Christmas gifts for her friends and parents. They had found the festive green and light blue dinner dress in Muggle London; she smiled when she looked at herself in the body-length mirror in her bedroom. Elegant, but not too formal. She then quickly gathered up her now-wrapped presents and put them in a box, then headed off downstairs. As soon as she made her way down the stairs, she heard a knock on the front door.

"I'll get it!" she said, grinning, "Bet it is Sirius!"

She walked over to the door, and opened it. Sure enough, Sirius Black was standing there.

"Good afternoon, Hermione," Sirius said, "May I come in?"

Hermione nodded and stood aside as Sirius walked into the house.

"Beautiful," he said, taking a glance around from the hallway.

"Mr. Black!" Helen said, as she made her way down the stairs, "Honey, he's here!"

She was dressed in a very formal dinner gown, and was putting on a faux-diamond earring as she walked over to Sirius. Richard made his way from the living room where he had been waiting.

"Thought I should let you know about mine and Hermione's travel arrangements," Sirius said, "Has Hermione told you about Apparation yet?"

"Er... oops, I knew I forgot something," Hermione said.

"That is all right," Sirius said, looking from her to her parents, "Apparation is the quickest way for a wizard to travel. Sometimes, Muggles who have a Muggleborn in their family, such as yourselves, also have permission to use this way of travel when said Muggleborn is old enough to do so. Until then, when they need to use this means of travel, they go with a wizard or witch using Side-Along Apparation, which is how I will take Hermione to our destination and back here. Now... I will, of course, show you what Apparation is, and that it is not dangerous when used correctly. I am an Auror... basically that means I am a wizard version of your police man, though I do a lot more than they are known to do. As such, I am allowed to do magic in a Muggle's home, strictly for legal purposes, and the said Muggleborn living on the premises will not be in trouble. So... if you will, stand back and watch."

He closed his eyes and a moment later disappeared with a sharp _pop._ Another pop was drowned out by Richard and Helen's sounds of shock.

"Up here," Sirius said.

Hermione grinned. Sirius was standing at the top of the stairs.

"Relatively painless," Sirius said, "A minor discomfort if you're not used to it, but it doesn't last."

"Th-that is how Hermione will be going to the party?" Richard asked.

"Yes," Sirius said, "Very safe."

"And where will this party be?" Richard asked.

"At a friend's house," Sirius said, "The address is under a Secret Keeper Charm for protection of the house and its owners, but we are allowing trusted guests to come for a party. Hermione will, of course, learn the address... however, due to circumstances, you won't know the location. You have my word as an Auror that she'll be safe."

Hermione was rather tense. She was not sure if her father would like this.

"I – err – all right," Richard said, though he swallowed roughly, "Hermione, I ask that you are back here by no later than eleven. We'll be here by then."

"I'll escort her back here myself," Sirius said.

Richard nodded and hugged Hermione.

"Have fun, darling," Helen said, as she, too, hugged Hermione.

"I will," she said.

Sirius, meanwhile, was taking something from his robes; a small slip of parchment.

"Hermione," he said, handing her he strip of parchment, "Read this and memorize it. You will not see it again. It is the address for the location," he added to Hermione's parents.

Hermione took the parchment and read it:

_The Potter Manor is located at 317 Sunset Avenue in Northampton, England_

The very moment Hermione memorized the words, the parchment disintegrated in a small puff of flame and smoke that made her parents jump.

"Excellent," Sirius said, "I see you have gifts for your friends? If you allow, I will transport the box to the house, and you will be reunited with it soon."

Hermione nodded. Sirius pointed his wand at the box and it disappeared.

"I trust you have your wand?" he asked, "You will need it to Apparate with me."

Hermione nodded again. Sirius smiled and offered his hand. Hermione took it then looked at her parents.

"See you tonight," she said.

She barely had time to register her parents waving goodbye, before she felt the breath leave her body, and the world go dark. A moment later, she could breathe again, and she realized it was rather chilly. She opened her eyes and almost gasped as she saw the large manor in front of her, beyond a large gate. She found her box of gifts near her and picked them up.

"Welcome," Sirius said, as he opened the gate for her, "to Potter Manor."

"This is – this is Harry's house?" Hermione asked, breathlessly, as she followed Sirius up the sidewalk.

"Passed down from his parents," Sirius said.

"B-but," Hermione said, "I thought large inheritances like this weren't available -"

"- until the wizard or witch turns seventeen," Sirius said, "Yes. Harry will explain it to soon."

"Y-you know about that?" Hermione asked.

"Why do you think you're here a good hour before the party will start, Hermione?" Sirius asked.

"Harry said something in a letter about setting up the party," Hermione said.

Sirius chortled. "Trust me, that is in very good hands. No... in a few minutes you will learn exactly what Harry and Ginny promised you. Neville and Ron are already here as well. Come inside, Hermione, and make yourself at home."

Hermione nodded. Oh yes... she was very nervous at the moment.

* * *

**(Harry's PoV)**

"Kids?" Sirius' voice called out, "The last of your little gang is here."

Harry and Ginny, who had been giving a quick tour to Neville, whom had arrived only a few minutes prior, walked toward the front of the house with Neville. Ron was already there.

"This house is absolutely wicked, Hermione," Ron was saying, "and Harry owns a house-elf... an actual house-elf!"

Harry cringed as he thought of Hermione's disapproval for house-elf ownership in the previous timeline, and from the look on Ginny's face, she was thinking about this too.

"Well, it is true that I do own her," Harry said, "But she is quite independent on her own."

"She should be having lived here on her own for so long," Sirius said, "All right. I'm going to check and see how everything is going for the set-up, and then I'll be on my way to bring in the other guests. Most of the guests I've invited, except for the Weasleys, have all been here before... at one time too."

"Really?" Harry asked.

"Mmhmm," Sirius said, "At your parent's wedding. The ceremony was held in the back yard, and the reception in the event room. The event room is where the party will take place tonight. Though it is rather large for a good handful of guests, I must say. It can sit a good one-hundred plus."

Ron, Hermione and Neville looked gobsmacked.

"All right," Harry said, to his friends, "Follow me. Oh, Sirius... the other reason we're here today... I brought what we need. I'll take care of it soon."

"Ah," Sirius said, "I will... make sure there is no problems, Harry."

Ron, Hermione and Neville looked confused, but said nothing. Harry led his friends up the stairs to the second level.

Harry had already decided a good room to explain everything in. He remembered the last time he had been at the house... the room had overwhelmed him and Ginny, but it was a good starting point for the bigger of the two secrets that were about to be revealed.

"Harry?" Hermione asked, as they passed a room, "Was that... a nursery?"

Harry nodded. "It was my bedroom before my parents and I left for Godric's Hollow."

"This must all be so... overwhelming for you, Harry," Neville said, "To be in this house, I mean."

Harry nodded, as he felt Ginny's emotions in his mind. He knew she was thinking about all the memories this house held for them.

"It will take some time to get used to," Harry said, "Here we are. The Master Bedroom."

Harry allowed the other four entrance before he followed them in.

Ron, Hermione and Neville sat down on the carpet in front of Harry's bed, while Harry sat down at the edge of his bed. Ginny slowly walked over to it, and her emotions swamped him.

_Are you okay? _Harry asked her, _Are you ready for this?_

_Yeah. I was just thinking of what might have been if we were back in 2001. If we would have had a Christmas party then like we're having tonight. I was... thinking of all the nights we've missed sleeping in this bed._

She sat down on the bed and nodded. _I am ready, Harry._

"Okay," Harry said, hoping his throat would relax soon as he looked at his friends, "What we are going to tell you three only a few people know. Only one other person knows the second thing we're going to tell you. You'll understand by the end while we are trusting you with this information. Now... usually I would ask that we take a wizard's vow of honor. But under the circumstances, that will have to wait until after we're finished."

Harry felt the tension rise in the room, and it felt like the same tension he experienced throughout the Burrow the past few days.

"You all know what happened on the night of the Opening Feast in September," he continued.

Ron, Hermione and Neville nodded.

"But you don't know why it happened," Harry said, "It happened because the Sorting Hat sensed something – something between me and Ginny. What it felt was what is known... as a Soul-Bond."

* * *

**I'm sure you may have seen this cliffhanger coming. The moment begged for one.**

**Now... I am going to try to make this different than their explanation to Sirius, because otherwise it might be repetitive. But we'll see how it goes.**

**Next Chapter: Ron, Hermione and Neville finally discover the secrets. Harry and Co. face two more Horcruxes, and the Christmas Eve Party takes place! **

**It will probably be a very long chapter due to three events happening in one chapter... with multiple PoV switches. Unfortunately that means it probably won't be up until the middle of next week, because I will be busy over the next two days. So hopefully Tuesday (May 29th), and I may have more than one chapter for you! **

**Hope you liked this chapter. I would love to hear what you think, especially about Ginny's confrontation.**


	47. Secrets Amongst Friends

**Chapter 47  
Secrets Amongst Friends**

**Author's Note: All right, all right... I decided to give you this chapter early. This is a rather short, dialogue-central chapter and only has the revelations about the secrets, NOT the party or horcrux destruction. That will come next chapter, which will come in a few days.  
**

* * *

_Previously on "Harry Potter And The Bonds of Time"_

_Harry felt the tension rise in the room, and it felt like the same tension he experienced throughout the Burrow the past few days._

"_You all know what happened on the night of the Opening Feast in September," he continued._

_Ron, Hermione and Neville nodded._

"_But you don't know why it happened," Harry said, "It happened because the Sorting Hat sensed something – something between me and Ginny. What he felt was what is known... as a Soul-Bond."_

* * *

"A what?" Ron asked, as he glanced back and forth between Harry and Ginny in confusion.

"I knew it!" Hermione said, rather loudly, then blushed, "I-I mean I've had some theories. I didn't want to say anything in case I was wrong."

"You know about the Soul-Bond?" Ginny asked.

"How?" Ron asked, "I've never even heard of it."

"Me either," Neville asked.

"I only know a few things," Hermione said. "But... you two are wizards. I thought you might have read about it as a kid. I mean... Bartemius F. Able is supposed to be one of the more famous authors."

"Of what?" Ron asked, "Magical History? Because that doesn't interest me too much."

"No!" Hermione said, "He is a fairy-tale writer."

"Oh," Ron said, "No, I mostly read Beedle The Bard."

"Wait, Hermione," Neville said, "You read about this... in a fairytale."

Hermione nodded.

"A children's story," Neville said, "Meant to entertain."

"Oh," Hermione said, blushing again, "Well... everyone knows some fairytales were created on some basis of fact. "And apparently the Soul-Bond is one of those."

"What is a Soul-Bond?" Ron asked, looking at Harry and Ginny, "and what does it have to do with you two?"

"Nobody is exactly sure how Soul-Bonds are originally formed," Harry said, "whether they are started from birth or from an event. But that part doesn't matter... what matters is that our bond was created on May 3rd of this year."

"May 3rd?" Ron echoed, "But you didn't meet until that weekend."

Harry and Ginny shook their heads.

"The Soul-Bond pulled you two together," Hermione said, "That is what happened in the story. In the story, the two characters were from two neighboring villages, had never met before, and then one day they found each other.. the book said they teleported to each other."

"You apparated to her?" Ron asked.

"Teleporting, Ron," Hermione said, "Completely different. Teleportation is immune from wards."

"Continue, Hermione," Harry said, "What happened next?"

"Well," Hermione said, "They were drawn together. And when they met, they..."

She blushed, and Ron raised his eyebrows.

"They what?" he urged.

"They kissed," Hermione muttered.

Neville raised his eyebrows and looked at Harry and Ginny. Unfortunately, so did Ron.

"B-but," he stammered, "That was in a book, right? It didn't need to happen – it wouldn't -"

Harry and Ginny lowered their heads.

"You kissed my sister, Harry?" Ron bellowed.

"Ron, shut up," Ginny scowled.

"But – he – you," Ron stammered.

Ginny groaned and kissed Harry. She backed away and he looked toward Ron, who was now a spluttering mess.

"They had to kiss, Ron," Hermione said, though she was grinning, "The book says that if the characters did not meet and connect, they would – well, they'd die. Because their souls were lonely. They needed their mate."

"Mate?" Neville asked, "Like... boyfriend-girlfriend."

"No, Nev," Hermione said, then looked at Ron and sighed, "Like husband and wife."

_Ron explodes, _Ginny said, _in three – two – _

"Husband and wife," Ron muttered, "Husband and wife! So they're – they're -"

"Married," Hermione finished for him, nodding.

"Technically," Harry said, "Well, okay, more than technically. By the laws or magic, we're married. But the Ministry does not know that."

"Married?" Ron asked, "You can't be married! You're... you're ten and eleven!"

Harry looked at Ginny. _What do you think?_

_We'll get to that part – about our real age – in a few minutes. We need to calm down Ron before we give him more news like that._

"Of course!" Hermione said, rather excitedly, "This explains everything!"

"Huh?" Ron and Neville asked.

"Their ability to tell when the other is coming down to the Common Room!" Hermione said, "Remember how we were so confused by that? Do you notice sometimes when their eyes go blurry?"

"No," Ron and Neville said.

"You can't?" Hermione asked, confused.

"Not everyone can, Hermione," Harry said, "You notice things pretty well, so you can."

"They can speak telepathically," Hermione said.

"Telepathically," Ron said.

"It means they can speak through their minds," Hermione said, "No matter where -"

"I _know _what it means, Hermione," Ron scowled, annoyed.

"You can talk to each other in your minds?" Neville asked.

Harry and Ginny nodded.

"We can also sense each other's pain and emotions," Ginny said, "And as you know, we can teleport to each other in case we need to be near the other."

"Is that why you appeared in the Great Hall?" Ron asked, "Because you wanted to – to be with him. Because you missed him?"

"No... Harry told you," Ginny said, "The Sorting Hat sensed our Soul-Bond, summoned me to Hogwarts, and decided I should be a first year -"

"To be with Harry," Ron said.

"Er... sure," Ginny said.

Ron scoffed. "What else, Hermione? You said it explained things."

"Sirius said this house belongs to Harry," Hermione said, "You said he owns a house-elf."

"Yeah," Ron said, "So?"

"So," Hermione said, "Large inheritances, ownership of houses, of house-elves, do not happen until you're seventeen... normally. But because Harry and Ginny are married – they become legal to all inheritances – it is called – err -"

"Emancipation," Harry and Ginny said, dead-pan.

"Right!" Hermione, "Emancipation – which means – holy cricket!"

"What?" Ron and Neville asked.

"Harry," she said, "You don't need a guardian. You're your own guardian!"

"What?" Ron repeated, "My parents aren't -"

"They are," Harry said, "as long as I allow it."

"Because we're emancipated, we could live on our own," Ginny said, "in this house. Which could happen if Mum continues to act the way she has been."

"Wait... Mum?" Ron asked, "This is what Mum and Dad know? That you're – married. They know about the Soul-Bond?"

"This is what they're going to tell our family," Ginny said, nodding.

"But," Neville said, "I thought this was something you only wanted a few people to know about. This is why we are learning to block the information."

"That is only part of it," Harry said, "The other information we're going to tell you – only Sirius knows. This is bigger than the Soul-Bond. It will also shock you... I guarantee it. We may tell your family, Ron, but for now, it has to be kept a secret. This is what you'll really have to block Legilimens from getting. Do you want to hear this?"

The room went silent for a good couple of minutes. Then...

"Yes," Hermione said.

"Yeah," Ron said.

"Same with me," Neville said.

Harry looked at Ginny and she looked rather pale. She then smiled as Harry took her hand. They looked back at their friends.

"As I told you when we first walked into this room," Harry said, "This is the master bedroom. On the morning of May 3rd, I woke up at the Dursleys, and Ginny woke up at the Burrow. On May 2nd, however..."

He inhaled and exhaled.

"Ginny and I woke up in this bed," he continued, "And the year was 2001."

Ron, Hermione and Neville stared, open-mouthed at the two of them.

"You're... you're..." Neville sputtered.

"From the future?" Hermione finished.

"About ten years," Harry said, nodding.

"But – I've read a bit on time-travel," Hermione said, "That much distance in time is supposed to be impossible."

"You're talking about a time-turner," Ginny said, "We didn't use a time-turner. We fell into a pool of some kind."

"The memory in your head, Harry!" Hermione said, "The one I saw! You and Ginny were in a pool and you looked older. You – said it was a dream?"

"It wasn't," Harry said, "The time-pool sent us back ten years. We have our minds, thoughts, memories and magical knowledge. But we appeared in these bodies."

Hermione's eyes darted back and forth.

"So... you know things that will happen in the future," Neville said, "What will happen to us..."

"You knew about Pettigrew, Ginny?" Ron asked.

Ginny nodded.

"You knew what would happen in that shop?" Ron asked.

"No, Ron," Ginny said, "Everything that happened with Pettigrew and Sirius did not happen in the last timeline."

Harry then explained what happened with Sirius and Pettigrew.

"Pettigrew escaped?" Hermione asked, "And Sirius was still seen as guilty?"

"Yes," Harry said, "But we changed that this time."

"What else changed?" Ron asked.

"We weren't Bonded in the last timeline," Ginny said, "So I wasn't a first year until next year."

Ginny didn't get jinxed," Harry said, "Neville, if you didn't control your broom during our first flying lesson, you would have had an accident and broke your wrist. Malfoy stole your Remembrall, took to the sky on the broom, and ended up throwing it. I flew after it, and caught it. That is how I became Seeker."

"And the troll?" Hermione asked, "Fluffy?"

"The day we did the Levitation Charm in class," Harry said, "It was our first time even attempting it. Hermione, you and Ron... well, we weren't exactly all friends yet by then. Ron... thought you were an annoying know-it-all in the other timeline."

Ron frowned.

"He couldn't do the charm," Harry said, "He kept doing it wrong. Hermione, you corrected him, and it annoyed him... he made fun of you, you heard him... and went to hide in the bathroom all day because of it."

"And the troll came," Hermione said, wide-eyed.

"Ron and I rescued you," Harry said, "he used the Levitation Charm, just like he did this time. Troll fainted. We became friends because of it."

"And Fluffy?" Hermione asked.

"Snape isn't guilty of what you think he's guilty of," Harry said.

"But – he jinxed your broom!" Ron said, "Maybe he didn't the last go-round, but -"

"Snape was trying to save me," Harry said.

"Then – who?" Hermione asked.

"Professor Quirrel," Ginny said, "You didn't see him, Hermione. I had to hex him. I hexed him about the same time you set Snape's robes on fire."

"Which is why Harry's broom stopped shaking," Hermione said.

"Okay," Neville said, "Who is Nicolas Flamel."

"He's the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone," Harry said.

"Of course!" Hermione said, smacking her head, "I should have known!"

"What is this... stone?" Ron asked.

"It creates potions that can turn the drinker immortal," Hermione said.

"And Quirrel wants it?" Neville said, "Why?"

Harry looked at Ginny, who nodded. He turned back to his friends.

"He wants the stone for... for You-Know-Who," he said, saying the nickname for his friends' benefit.

Neville gave a faint cry, and Ron went pale.

"But... You-Know-Who is dead," Hermione said.

"No, Hermione," Harry said, "He isn't. Not yet."

"Yet?" Neville asked.

"In the last timeline," Harry said, "He returned at the end of our fourth year – to his full body."

Ron, Hermione, and Neville's eyes went wide.

"I defeated him," Harry said, "In May of 1998."

"Y-you defeated him?" Neville asked.

"Yes," Harry said, "And if my plans go right. I will defeat him again the night he returns, three and a half years from now."

"How?" Ron asked.

"He has these... objects," Harry said, "that have to be destroyed in order for him to become mortal. If they do not get destroyed, he will still live. I've destroyed one, and have two more in my posession here in the basement, and the means to destroy them. And I can find the others before he returns."

"So... you know what happens to us in the future?" Ron asked.

"I know what happened last timeline," Harry corrected, "things are already changing."

Hermione looked from Harry to Ron, and Harry noticed she was blushing.

"Okay," Harry said, "Now we will take the wizard's vow of honor, so that all this information will be secret between us."

"Wait... that is all you wish to tell us right now?" Ron asked.

"We don't know what else to tell you, Ron," Ginny said, "Harry said it... things are changing. We've already stopped a couple of major events, and changed another. If things happen the way they did in the past timeline, we'll let you know."

Ron nodded.

"Wait," he said, "Wh-what about the two of you?"

"Yeah," Neville said, "you said you were sleeping in that bed the night before you came back in time."

Harry looked at Ginny who grinned.

"We were married,," Harry said, "Halloween was our first anniversary."

"I knew it!" Hermione said, giggling.

"My baby sister married my best mate," Ron said.

"It could have been Dean Thomas," Harry said.

"Harry!" Ginny growled, smacking his arm.

"What?" Ron asked, "Dean –?"

"All right," Harry said, "Take out your wands"

They did so.

"Er... Harry?" Hermione said, "What about the Restriction for Underage Wizardry?"

"You're in my house," Harry said, shrugging, "Ginny and I do not have the Trace. All magic done here is seen as legal, and the Ministry expects people like myself to control underage magic."

"You two can do magic outside of Hogwarts?" Ron asked, enviously.

Harry and Ginny nodded as they sat on the floor near their friends. Harry then told them to cross their wands, which they did.

Harry took out four separate pieces of parchment from his pocket. He had written the words of the wizard's vow of honor so everyone would know it.

"When I look at you," he said to Ron, Hermione and Neville, "You will say your full names first. Then when it is time, you will say the words to finish the vow. Agreed?"

The three friends nodded.

"I, Harry James Potter," Harry said.

"I, Ginevra Molly Potter," Ginny said.

If Ron was thinking about saying anything, he decided against it.

"Do solemnly swear," Harry and Ginny said in unison, "That the secret information we have given in this room today to -"

Harry looked at Hermione.

"Hermione Jean Granger," Hermione said.

"Ronald Billius Weasley," Ron said.

"Neville Francis Longbottom," Neville said.

" – is the honest truth," Harry and Ginny continued, "and was said voluntarily and without coercion."

"We, the receivers of this secret information," Ron, Hermione and Neville said, reading from, "do solemnly swear that we will not knowingly repeat this information unless those whom we received it from say otherwise. We understand that this information is harmful if in the wrong hands and if we knowingly release this information, may our magic be bound forever."

At once, five golden rings emerged from the five wands and wrapped themselves around the wrists of each of their wand arms. Harry felt a warmth inside him as the light sank into his skin. Then it went silent.

"All right," Harry said, as he stored his wand in his holster, "how about I show you how to destroy an object You-Known-Who holds so dear? But quickly... our guests will soon arrive."

Ron and Neville stood up and hurried out of the room. Hermione lagged behind with Harry and Ginny as they walked toward the main level."

"H-Harry?" Hermione asked, "Remember when I told you – about Ron? And how – well, you know."

"Yeah," Harry said.

"You told me Ron might fancy me too," Hermione said. "Something tells me you know more about... about that."

"The previous timeline's Ron and Hermione," Harry said, "were happily married for well over a year before Ginny and I ended up back here."

Hermione blushed and grinned.

"And no," Harry said, "I will not tell you when they got together. I leave that up to fate this time around."

_Fate? _Ginny asked.

_Well... if Ron doesn't get his act together in a few years, I might do something to push him, but for now I'll leave it up to him._

"Thanks, Harry," Hermione said, "For trusting us with this."

"You're my best friends, Hermione," Harry said, "this timeline and last. I wouldn't leave you ignorant about any of this."

Hermione nodded and smiled. Then they headed off toward the basement.

* * *

**Well, there you have it... Harry's friends know. **

**More to come in a few days!**


	48. Chapter 48: No Title

**Chapter 48  
No Title**

**Author's Note: This was a pain to title, too many things happen to give a single title to, so I decided to have no title. Also, in some fan-fiction, Charlie and Tonks were in school together, so I am going to use that theory in this story too. As I promised, this is a very long chapter.**

**Warning: Two counts of harsh or mildly harsh language  
**

* * *

**(Harry's PoV)**

On his way to the basement, Harry stopped by the sitting room to grab the bag with the Sword of Gryffindor, and the fangs in it. Ginny and their friends were waiting in the basement when he arrived.

"Sirius disabled the protective enchantments for now," Ginny said, "Floor is solid."

"Er... what happens when they are enabled?" Hermione asked.

"Basically a quick-sand trap," Harry said.

He chucked when he noticed Ron walking cautiously around by the walls.

"Guess he disabled the Devil's Snare in the walls too," he said.

Ron backed slowly away from the walls and Neville and Hermione laughed.

_That was cruel, Harry, _Ginny said, grinning.

Harry shrugged and walked over to the other side of the basement.

"Now," he said, "There are two known ways to destroy these objects. Fiendfyre is one of them, but trust me, you don't want to use it unless you have no other choice. The other is the venom from a Basilisk."

"A what?" Ron asked.

"A giant snake," Hermione said, "Harry, are you telling us you have Basilisk venom? How?"

Harry grinned and gingerly dumped the contents of the bag onto the floor a few feet from the safe. The Sword of Gryffindor hit the floor with a clang.

"You have a sword?" Ron asked, "Wicked."

"This," Harry said, "is the Sword of Gryffindor."

"What?" Hermione, Ron and Neville asked.

"Godric Gryffindor?" Hermione asked, "One of the founders of Hogwarts?"

Harry nodded. He explained how his journey into Dumbledore's office and the Chamber of Secrets. Nobody spoke for a good minute after he finished; Ron, Hermione, and Neville looked at him with wide eyes and open mouths. Then...

"You killed a giant snake?" Ron asked.

"You broke into the Headmaster's office?" Hermione said, "Harry, you could have gotten into terrible – wait, the Chamber of Secrets is real? Hogwarts, a History said it was a legend!"

"You speak – you speak Parseltongue?" Neville asked.

"You killed a giant snake!" Ron said, again, this time louder.

"Are you finished?" Harry asked.

Ginny looked on amused while the other three nodded.

"I've done this all before, please remember that," Harry said. "Believe me. I wish I had a rooster last time when I defeated the Basilisk. It would have been far easier. But I needed to kill it for many reasons... two of those reasons were because I needed the fangs -" he toed the fangs with his foot, "- and I needed to stab the sword in the Basilisk, because it is goblin-made and the venom would strengthen it."

"If you had the sword," Ron said, "Why did you need to take the fangs?"

"Or vice-versa?" Neville added.

"Always better to have two weapons in case you lose one," Harry said, "And if You-Know-Who makes another one of these objects from a snake like he did last time – yes he could do that – then someone else might need to kill it if I cannot do it."

"Harry," Hermione said, "Did any of us destroy these objects in the other timeline?"

"All three of you did," Harry said.

Ron spluttered, Hermione looked shocked, and Neville had a look of disbelief.

"In fact," Harry said, before he waked over to the wall, tapped the bricks in a P motion, revealing the safe, "Ron and Hermione, you destroyed the two that are in this safe right now."

He hummed the tune to open the safe, and it opened by itself.

"Hoggy Warty Hogwarts?" Ron snickered.

Harry nodded. He then took out the goblet Horcrux and handed it carefully to Ginny.

"Drop it if you feel anything," he said, "And don't get close to the fangs yet."

Ginny nodded. Harry inhaled and exhaled as he reached for the locket. He grabbed it and backtracked to the center of the floor away from everyone, then set it down.

"Want to destroy one, Ginny?" Harry asked.

"Er... sure," Ginny said, "This one is fine with me. I remember you telling me that one has a temper."

"Thanks for reminding me," Harry muttered, with a quick glance at Ron, "Stand back you three. I do not know how the cup will react. I wasn't there when it was destroyed last time.""

The three friends backed up against the wall while Ginny set down the goblet. Harry picked up one of the larger fangs and handed it to Ginny. Ginny closed her eyes and whispered something to herself. She then lifted the fang, ran over to the cup and kneeled down, stabbing the fang into the cup in one swift motion. Harry ran over to Ginny and dragged her away from it, as the cup shriveled and a voice shrieked in pain. Harry heard Ron curse and Hermione and Neville scream in fright. Then everything went silent. Blackish-red ooze spilled from the opening of the cup.

"Two down," Harry whispered as he stood up and helped Ginny get to her feet.

"Now for the third," Ginny said.

"Get back with them," Harry said, "If you hear anything from the locket, don't believe it."

"Shouldn't I say that to you?" Ginny asked.

Harry smiled, and Ginny kissed him on the cheek, then backed away toward the wall. Harry swallowed the bilge he felt in his throat, and walked over to where the sword laid and picked it up. He closed his eyes, concentrating.

"Get it open and destroy it," he whispered to himself, "Nothing more to it."

He nodded, inhaled, exhaled and opened his eyes, and looked at the locket.

"_Open for me!" _he hissed.

The locket's doors opened and Harry ran toward the locket, sword raised above him. Suddenly, a gust of wind shot from the locket and blew Harry backward, flinging him across the basement. Ron, Ginny, Hermione and Neville screamed his name, but he wasn't looking at them. A great black cloud of smoke billowed around the locket, blocking it from Harry's view.

"_I see your fears, Harry Potter!" _a cold voice said_, "And they will come to pass!"_

A figure, glowing in silver, walked out through the black smoke. She had red eyes and her hair was flowing behind her.

"Mum?" Ron asked.

"Don't look at her, Ron!" Ginny said, "She isn't Mum! Harry, destroy the locket!"

"_You will never be good enough for my daughter," _the figure of Molly Weasley said, though her voice was cold, "_You are a vile boy, only wanting her for her body! You will never be a part of our family!"_

"_You think you can save me?" _a cold deep voice said.

Another figure walked out of the black smoke, and Harry recognized it as Sirius, though his eyes were like glowing balls of fire.

"_You really think you can play fate and save us all?" _Sirius said, _"You'll never save all of us! We weren't meant to live."_

"_You weren't meant to have my daughter," Molly said._

"_Fate is a fickle bitch!" Molly and Sirius said._

Harry growled and leapt to his feet. He ran through the figures of Molly and Sirius and slashed the sword through the air, bringing it down to the concrete blindly, hoping it hit true. Then he heard another loud shrieking sound and the black smoke sucked back into the locket, as if it was a vacuum. All that was left of the locket was a smoldering shell. Harry stood up and looked at his friends. They were crouched against the wall, looking horrified.

"That – that," Hermione muttered, "That was -"

"It wasn't real," Harry said, "Locket tried to defend itself. Surprised even me."

"And you're saying – one of us destroyed it in the last timeline?" Ron asked.

"You did," Harry said.

Ron's eyes bulged. "I don't even want to know how it tried to stop me, do I?"

"That thing – when it was your godfather, Harry," Neville said, "It asked you – it said something about saving him – saving people?"

Harry nodded. He picked up the locket, and the goblet, and put them in the bag along with the fangs, sword, and diadem-shell, all while trying to decide if he wanted to answer Neville's question. He tossed the bag into the safe, closed it, and tapped the walls, closing them, before he looked back at his friends who were looking at him.

"My godfather was killed in the last timeline," Harry said, "at the end of our fifth year."

Hermione's lips quivered and her eyes went moist. Ron went pale, and Neville's gaze dropped to the floor.

"A lot more people died too before it was all over," Harry said.

"But it won't happen again," Ginny said, "That is why we're doing this."

"Come on," Harry said, as he walked across the basement, "The others will be here soon."

In order to cheer everyone up before the rest of the guests arrived, Harry and Ginny decided they would give their friends the presents they had bought together. Hermione, Neville and Ron had brought theirs too (Ron, Harry and Ginny would exchange each other's gifts the following day, though Harry and Ginny had one for Ron now).

Harry and Ginny had bought three wand-holsters, identical to the ones they had, for their friends; all three of their friends found them, as Ron exclaimed "wicked!".

Neville gave each of his friends charmed leather gloves that would last for many years, never tear, and would protect them from most plants, as well as the harmful effects of potion ingredients.

Hermione gave Harry a set of Quidditch-style goggles ("impervious to rain and snow, and acts like your actual glasses. You're next two games are in snowy and rainy seasons, so you might need them."), Ginny, a basket of little girl's perfume and assorted items, (later, Ginny would reveal to Harry that Hermione also gave her a book on "growing up". Hermione had said, "I needed one because the school library had none and I thought you'd want one too, but obviously, you've been through this before."), Ron, a book of Brothers Grimm fairytales, and Neville, a journal that was thief and eavesdropper proof.

Ron gave Neville an assortment of candy and, mostly as a joke, a collar with a bell for Trevor. He gave Hermione a book of wizarding poems. ("Mum loves these... thought you might too.") Harry noticed that Hermione went very pink and had a big smile when she received this.

As Harry was teaching his friends how their wand-holsters worked, Melina appeared in the sitting room.

"Master Harry and Lady Ginny," she said, "Your guests have started to arrive. I have ushered them into the event room. Sir Black wishes me to inform you he is in the process of bringing the rest. Dinner will be ready in an hour or so."

"Thanks, Melina," Harry said, "Don't tire yourself out tonight."

"No, Master," Melina said, "Melina has prepared herself for this. Melina remembers the story from her mother, when she prepared the festivities for Master James and Lady Lily's wedding so many years ago. Ever since then, Melina has wanted to serve for festivities as well! Enjoy yourselves, Master, Lady and friends!"

Melina disappeared with a pop and, after they put their gifts in the boxes they had brought with them, Harry led everyone into the event room where Luna Lovegood, Remus Lupin and the three Tonks were. Dora's hair-color was a festive green tonight, and Luna wore a dress that resembled a Christmas tree.

"There you are, Harry," Remus said, "Sirius said you were here with your friends."

Harry nodded and introduced his friends.

"Neville Longbottom," Remus said, smiling, "You look just like your father."

Neville nodded timidly.

"Come on, Neville, Hermione," Ginny said, "I'll introduce you to Luna."

_Let Luna know Ron, Hermione and Neville know about our Bond, _Harry said.

_'Kay._

"Blimey, I've forgotten how grand this place is," Dora said.

"I seem to remember the last time you were here, Dora," Remus said, "Six years old and ordering Sirius to give his best man speech for James and Lily."

"I had an excuse," Dora said, "The cake couldn't be cut until he did so. Oh yes, and like you said, I was six!"

"Amelia Bones is going to be here, right?" Andromeda asked.

"Sirius is bringing her after he gets the rest of the Weasleys," Remus said.

"That should be interesting," Andromeda said.

"Why?" Harry asked, "Has something happened between Sirius and Amelia?"

"Not yet," Remus said, "Andie is referring to something that happened during your parents' wedding – well, the reception."

"Should you tell the lad this, Lupin?" Ted asked.

"He'd find out anyway," Remus said, then looked at Harry, "You know Sirius and Amelia were together for a couple of years back before your parents died, right?"

Harry nodded.

"Well," Remus said, "Sirius was going to propose to Amelia during the reception. Right here in this room."

Harry blinked, surprised. He did not know that.

"What happened?" he asked, "Did she say no?"

"Amelia told him they had to break up," Remus said, "She was about to get an apprentice job with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. At that time, Sirius, James, Lily, myself, and a group of others were involved in things we couldn't let the Ministry know about. Amelia found out about it, and she thought a relationship between the two of them would compromise everything they were working for. She left him."

"Left him on the dance floor," Ted said, shaking his head, "Heard he tried to propose to her anyway, and she left him standing there with the ring in his hand. Is that right?"

Remus nodded. "James and I couldn't find him at first. Found out he left the party. After your parents went off on their honeymoon. Found him later in Aberforth's bar in Hogsmeade with three bottles of firewhisky. He probably would have gone to the Three Broomsticks, but Rosmerta was here for the wedding. I should know..." He grinned. "I danced with her."

"After you danced with me," Dora said.

"Ah yes," Remus said, "You had to stand on my feet. I had heel-prints from your shoes in my dress shoes for days before I could charm them out."

Dora harrumphed and blushed. Red color added in with the green in her hair. "Where's a drink when I need one?"

Melina appeared with two trays full of butterbeer, apple cider, hot chocolate and eggnog, and put them on the long table.

"Good service!" Dora said.

"Thank you, Miss," Melina said, before vanishing.

Harry took a bottle of butterbeer and drank from it as he thought about what Remus had just told him. He wondered what would have happened if things had gone differently. From the sound of it, joining the Order of the Phoenix cost Sirius his relationship. He wondered if things would have changed for Sirius if Amelia had agreed to marry him. Would he have not gone to Azkaban because he would have been with her? Would she have not gone on to become the Head of the office? Would he, Harry, have lived with the two of them and, perhaps, children if they had any?

Harry looked around at his friends. Hermione and Neville seemed to be looking rather skeptical at something Luna had said, while Ginny looked close to laughing. Ron grabbed a bottle of butterbeer, and nodded to Harry.

"I'm – err – going to wait for my family," he said.

Before Harry could respond, Ron walked out of the room. Harry frowned as he looked at the spot Ron had just been at, and wondered how Ron was taking the news about the two secrets he had learned.

* * *

**(Ron's PoV)**

Ron stood on his tiptoes as he looked through the decorative glass window in the door, out into the front lawn. His family hadn't arrived yet, but a light snow had started to fall.

Ron backed away and took a sip of his butterbeer, as his mind raced with the events he had learned so far that afternoon.

He had been on the stairs of the Burrow when he heard Ginny's raised voice as she spoke to their mother. At first Ron thought it was just one of her usual rants, but he heard how Ginny had told their mother not to make her choose between their family and Harry. He heard her ask if their mother's biggest fear was her leaving. How she said she could easily live somewhere else.

And that somewhere was _this house. _The house amazed Ron. It had multiple bedrooms, like the Burrow, but every room (including one of the bathrooms!) could hold Ron's small attic bedroom in them easily. There was a nice house-elf, and Ron knew that the house-elf alone could take care of Harry _and _Ginny if they decided to live here.

And as Ron had learned, that was very possible. Hadn't Ginny said it could happen if their mother angered her any more?

Ron took another gulp of his butterbeer, feeling breathless. He had learned so much tonight. And everything seemed so impossible! Harry and his sister were – were connected somehow through their souls... they could have conversations to the point where Ron would not hear a word even if he was in the same room. And to top it off... they were... married! Ten-years old and his sister was married!

But that was only sort of true, wasn't it? She technically wasn't ten... she may look ten, but the rest of her was her form that had traveled from the future! Ron shook his head, a bit dizzy. She didn't look like a girl who had faced so much death, and love. She looked like his baby sister... the little girl he was used to, who woke up everyday, sleepy-eyed and yawning and curious as to what was breakfast.

And yet... now she was married... with the last name of Potter... and had been for over a year now if you added those months from their future.

And then there was Harry... on one hand there was Harry who was his best mate... his first good friend he ever had... he didn't know too many kids before he had gone to school. There was Luna... she was cool... pretty odd and barmy, but she was Ginny's friend. And Harry was his best mate... had been pretty much since he met him. Wicked at Quidditch, pretty good in class, rather funny at times...

But now Ron wondered if that was the other Harry... future Harry who had involuntarily come back in time with Ginny. Harry who knew how to destroy giants snakes, owned an amazing house, knew things Ron could only wish he knew... and was Bonded and married to Ginny.

Ron wasn't sure what to think... his mother seemed a bit sour toward Harry, sure. Obviously she was very touchy about this whole Soul Bond and marriage thing. Ron snorted at the thought... of course she was. She thought Ginny was a normal ten year old little girl. She didn't know the real Ginny... the Ginny who probably did love Harry as much as she said she did (as much as Ron didn't like to think about it)... the Ginny who knew exactly what she was talking about when she said she could live on her own. Ron wasn't sure exactly how he felt about all of this. Did he agree with his mother and, like her, dislike the fact that his baby sister was married to his best mate?

As he contemplated this, he heard multiple cracks of Apparation outside, and a smaller crack inside.

"More of Master's guests are here!" Melina said, behind Ron.

The house-elf scurried past Ron and opened the door, as Sirius arrived with the rest of Ron's family.

"Welcome guests," Melina said, as the Weasleys walked in, "to Potter Manor. Melina will take your coats. The party is in the event room. Does Sir Black want me to lead them in?"

"I think they'll be fine, Melina," Sirius said.

Melina bowed and took everyone's coats, then scurried off out of the entrance hall.

"Ron, can you show your family where to go?" Sirius asked, "And tell Harry I'll be right back. I must go pick up Amelia."

Ron nodded. Sirius smiled and walked back outside, closing the door behind him.

"This is Harry's house?" Fred asked.

"James, Lily and Harry lived here before they went to Godric's Hollow," Ron's father said.

"Wicked," George said, "And he owns a house-elf!"

"Er... does he own her yet?" Charlie asked, "Wizarding law states – wait – this house shouldn't even be available to Harry until he turns of age."

"Er – I believe Sirius has temporary ownership of it until then," Ron's father said, though Ron knew this was a lie.

Ron caught his mother's expression as she frowned. Obviously she was thinking about the Soul-Bond and Ginny's threat to leave the Burrow and live here.

"Event room is straight down that hall," Ron said, "Er... third door on the right. It's huge... can't miss it."

Percy, Fred, George and Charlie headed off down the hallway.

"Arthur," Ron's mother said, "This house is... enormous."

"You can look around if you want," Ron said, "I'm sure Harry and – err – I'm sure he won't mind."

Bill smiled. "I think that is a good idea. Come, Ron, let's go find Ginny and everyone else."

Bill walked forward and Ron shrugged and led him down the hallway.

* * *

**(Sirius' PoV)**

Sirius adjusted the coat of his formal wizard robes and brushed his hands through his hair. He was standing at the door of a two-story house in London – the home of Madam Amelia Bones. She had lived in this house since the summer after their seventh year. Sirius had helped her move quite a few things into this house so many years ago. He knew she could probably buy a better house on her salary as the Head of a major department, but for some reason she still lived here.

"Come on, Sirius," he said to himself, "It is just Amelia – Amy. No need to be nervous."

He inhaled and rapped his knuckles on the door. Half a minute later, the door opened and Amelia stood there.

"Sirius!" she said, "Er... come in. I'm still getting ready."

Sirius shrugged and walked into the house. Suddenly, the door at the end of the hallway opened and John Dawlish, one of his fellow Aurors, walked out. Sirius raised his eyebrows as he looked from Amelia to Dawlish.

"Hello, Sirius," John said, "Amelia said you were coming over."

"Yeah," Sirius said, slowly, "I... I invited her to a party."

"Of course," John said, "Amelia, I will see you in a few days. We can talk about what we were discussing then."

"Okay," Amelia said, smiling, "See you then. Merry Christmas."

"You too," John said, "and you, Sirius."

He smiled and walked out of the house. Amelia walked up the stairs and paused at the top.

"You can come up if you want," she said, "It isn't anything you haven't seen before."

Sirius grinned; she was right, he was definitely not a stranger to any room in this house. He shrugged then walked up the stairs. Amelia walked into one of the two bedrooms and closed the door, leaving it ajar a bit. Sirius sighed and leaned against the wall near the door, listening to Amelia's footsteps as she walked around the room.

"I'm not dating John, Sirius," Amelia said.

"What?" Sirius asked.

"Oh, don't tell me you weren't thinking that," Amelia scowled.

"He's at your house on Christmas Eve when you're about to go to a party," Sirius said, "Okay, it was on my mind."

"He came over unexpectedly," Amelia said, "And what we were discussing couldn't exactly be discussed at work, you know."

"Which is what?" Sirius asked.

"What have you and I been discussing for the past... seven months, Sirius?" Amelia asked, "The fight against corruption in the Ministry. We're going to really start on it in a couple of months, remember? I've been recruiting and Dawlish is on the team."

"Dawlish?" Sirius asked.

"I trust him, Sirius," Amelia said.

"Okay," Sirius grunted.

Amelia scoffed and opened the door. She was dressed in a simple, but elegant silver party dress, that reminded Sirius of what she wore for the Yule Ball their sixth year.

"You're an idiot, Sirius Black," she said, and walked down the hall and into a small bathroom.

Sirius walked down the hall and resumed his stance against the wall, this time near the bathroom door.

"Am I?" he asked.

"Uh-huh," Amelia said, "And a pain in the arse."

"Ouch," Sirius said, grinning.

"You're jealous, Sirius," Amelia said.

"Oh, so we're on that topic now?" Sirius asked.

Amelia opened the door and looked at him. "Did you forget the conversation we had in the Leaky Cauldron in September?"

"Think I can forget it?" Sirius asked. "You said you dated two people in twelve years."

"Right," Amelia said.

"And dumped them," Sirius said, "Because – I quote – 'they weren't you, Sirius'."

Amelia sighed. "Can we go?"

"This conversation isn't over," Sirius said, "Can we apparate from inside the house?"

Amelia nodded, and he pulled the last slip of parchment out of his pocket and handed it to her.

"Read it," she said, "Memorize it."

Amelia raised her eyebrows and snatched the parchment from his hand. She read it and it disintegrated. She then looked at him.

"The party's there?" she asked.

Sirius extended a hand. "I think you remember what happened the last time you were there?"

She took his hand, and he closed his eyes and felt his breath go away from him. Soon he could feel the cold wind and snow whip against him.

"- everyday," Amelia was saying beside him, as she looked up at Potter Manor.

"What?" Sirius asked, as he led her toward the house.

"I said I think about it everyday," Amelia said, "At least since you came back from Azkaban."

"I thought about it everyday in Azkaban," Sirius said, then opened the door and led her inside, "It wasn't a happy memory so those fiends couldn't – or wouldn't - take it away."

"Sirius," Amelia sighed.

"Sirius!" a voice said.

Sirius looked up. Molly Weasley was walking toward him.

"Hi, Amelia," Molly said, "Can I talk to you, Sirius?"

"Sure," Sirius said, "Amelia, I'm sure you remember where the event room is."

"We'll continue this conversation later," Amelia said.

Sirius thought he saw a hint of a smile cross her lips as she walked off down the hallway. He looked at Molly.

"Yes?" he asked.

"I... I just took a tour of this house, Sirius," Molly said.

"Brilliant, isn't it?" Sirius asked.

Molly nodded and frowned. "Ginny wasn't – she wasn't lying to me today, was she?"

"Pardon?" Sirius asked.

"She – she said that if she left the Burrow," Molly said, her lips quivering, "If she left her family, she could come and live here... easily. With Harry."

"This is her house now, Molly," Sirius said, "And – yeah, she knows what she is talking about. If she even needed adult supervision – if she needed something only an adult could get her - I'll be living here when I take over guardianship for Harry. And she has their house-elf who recognizes her as the Lady of this house."

Molly lowered her head. "This house has everything she needs. Well-protected. Plenty of bedrooms. Plenty of space. The house-elf knows how to cook. I walked into the kitchen and found her cooking a small feast. She'd have everything. Everything but her family."

"Molly... to her, Harry is her family," Sirius said. "If she had him without this house, she wouldn't care."

"I'm losing her, Sirius," Molly said, tearfully, "She's only ten – a little girl, _my baby_ – and I'm losing her.".

"Then try to accept what she wants," Sirius said.

"I... I'm not sure I can do that," Molly said. "I just – I hope she'll realize her family needs her."

Sirius sighed. He wasn't sure he wanted to continue this conversation right now.

"Come on," he said, "We're missing a party."

Molly nodded, though a bit hesitantly, and they walked toward the event room.

* * *

**(Harry's PoV)**

Harry was sitting at one of the round tables with Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna when Sirius and Molly walked in. The rest of the Weasleys, except Molly, were at another table, and Remus, the three Tonks, and Amelia were at the third. When Molly passed his table and looked at him and Ginny, Harry thought she might say something, but she just sat down with her husband.

Melina appeared next to the table and she bowed to Harry.

"Dinner is ready, Master Harry," she said, "Do you and your guests wish to eat now?"

"Sure, Melina," Harry said.

Melina snapped her fingers and a dozen different bowls, platters and pots appeared on the long table. On a shorter table, an assortment of desserts appeared. At each of the round tables, plates, bowls, glasses, napkins and silverware appeared in front of all the seats.

"Do you wish to have any music?" Melina asked, as most of the younger guests walked toward the tables to fill their plates.

"Christmas," Harry said, remembering the records he had found at the house, "Festive."

Melina snapped her fingers and an instrumental version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" started to play from somewhere overhead.

"Thank you, Melina," Harry said, "If you have nothing else to do right now, please relax. You've been busy today."

"Thank you, Master," Melina said, "I hope the food is to your liking."

She vanished on the spot, and Harry headed over to fill his plate with food: there was turkey, roast, chicken, potatoes baked and mashed, yams, stuffing, three kinds of steamed vegetables, and an additional platter of assorted cold vegetables, as well as cranberry sauce and turkey gravy.

"Melina did this on her own?" Dora asked.

"She said she was looking forward to doing this," Ginny said, "Poor girl has been here on her own for so long."

"You're very lucky she didn't go mad," Sirius said, as he walked over to start filling his plate, "Kreacher went insane at Black Manor. 'Course he was always a bit mad."

"Melina didn't have your mother's portrait telling her what to do," Harry said, "She's definitely a welcome part of this house."

"Yes she is," Ginny said.

Harry noticed this response get Ginny a few stares from her family and some of the guests.

_Oops, _she said, as she and Harry sat down, _I need to remember to not look so comfortable in this house._

_Don't worry about it. A third of these people know why, and others soon will._

_And some won't, Harry. I'll be more careful. _Pause. _I wish Mum would stop looking so – negatively - at me whenever she walks by me._

_You know why she is, love._

_Yeah. Ron said she and Dad took a tour of the house... on Bill's advice._

_She knows you were serious about being able to live here. She now sees exactly what you meant._

_I don't want to have to choose between you and my family, Harry. I'm not losing you, but..._

_You can't lose them either._

Ginny shrugged.

"Blimey," Ron said, as he swallowed a piece of chicken.

"What?" Hermione said.

"I see it now," Ron said, lowering his voice, "When you two – Harry and Ginny – do that mind... talking... thing."

"Wrackspurt speaking?" Luna asked.

"Telepathy," Hermione said.

"That too," Luna said.

Harry snickered into his cup of cider when he saw Hermione shake her head.

_Luna and Hermione hit it off nicely, eh? _He asked Ginny.

_Exactly like last time._

Harry nodded as he thought of the term Xenophilius had called Hermione once in the old timeline: close-minded. He smiled to himself... at least that part of the last timeline was the same.

* * *

**(Sirius' PoV)**

"Remember the last Christmas we had here, Sirius?" Remus asked, half-an-hour later, as dinner had moved on to dessert.

"Harry's first Christmas," Sirius said, nodding as he looked across the room at Harry, who was laughing at something one of his friends was saying.

"James had bought a kitten for Lily and Harry," Remus said, addressing the whole table now, "Snitch, I think his name was. Well, James couldn't find the kitten. He was walking in and out of every room here looking for it."

"Didn't he try to summon it?" Sirius asked.

"And failed," Remus said, nodding. "Well... Sirius decides he wants to look for it. Everyone was gathered in the sitting room by this time. He walked out of the room, and a minute later, this great black dog walks back into the room..."

Remus looked at Sirius, and he smiled.

"... and gives a great growl," Remus continued, "The kitten jumps out of its hiding spot – which just so happened to be inside the Christmas tree – and races out of the room past the dog. Out went the dog... and a couple minutes later, in comes Sirius holding the rather annoyed kitten and saying 'I found him!' Of course everyone knew what happened so we were all laughing."

Sirius bowed while the rest of the table's occupants laughed.

"That cat never liked me," Sirius said, "Couldn't figure out why."

"Cats hate dogs," Dora said.

Sirius narrowed his eyes at his cousin. "Sure... we'll call it that."

The music switched to a Celestina Warbeck Christmas song. A few moments later, Charlie walked over to the table.

"Can I have this dance, Nymphadora?" Charlie asked.

Sirius grinned, expecting retaliation from the young Tonks. To his shock, she only smiled.

"Of course," she said.

Sirius saw Dora glance over at Remus for a moment before she stood up and walked over to the large empty portion of the floor. Fred and George wolf-whistled as they passed the table.

"She – she didn't curse him," Sirius said.

"They dated in their sixth and seventh years at Hogwarts," Andromeda said. "They broke up because he got a job in Romania, and she was all about getting into the Auror Corp. Neither wanted that long-distance relationship."

"She lets him call her by her full name?" Sirius said, "She doesn't let me call her that! We're family!"

Andromeda shrugged, and Sirius harrumphed and took a drink from his eggnog.

"Want to dance?" Ted asked his wife.

Andromeda nodded and the couple went onto the dance floor. Arthur and Molly joined them, as did Luna Lovegood, who was dancing a strange solo jig. Sirius looked at Remus, whose eyes traveled from his apple pie to the dance floor.

"Ask her, Moony," Sirius said.

"What?" Remus asked.

"Ask her," Sirius said.

"She's dancing with Charlie," Remus said.

"Cut in," Sirius said, and Amelia elbowed him, so he added, "Politely."

"She... she deserves someone like Charlie," Remus said.

"It is only a dance, Remus," Sirius said, "And I'd say she wants to dance with you."

"Maybe after this song," Remus muttered.

"Want to dance, Sirius?" Amelia asked.

"Last time we danced here," Sirius said, "it didn't work out so well, Amy."

"Sirius," Amelia said, frowning, "Dance with me."

"It is only a dance, Sirius," Remus said, mimicking Sirius.

"Don't say it, Moony," Sirius said, standing up, "Of course, I'll dance with you. At least _that _part of the floor is covered by a table. Song's over, Moony."

Amelia laughed lightly, and Sirius smiled as he led her to the floor. She put her arms around his neck. "White Christmas" began to play.

"Sirius," Amelia said, "Do you – do you ever wonder what life would be like if – if that conversation that night was different?"

Sirius did not need to ask her to clarify.

"Would I have gone to Azkaban, you mean?" he asked.

Amelia shrugged. "If you had a family to care for, would you have confronted Peter that night?"

"Who knows?" Sirius asked, "Maybe if fate let the conversation be different, maybe I would have become James and Lily's Secret Keeper. We could ask a number of 'what if?' questions. Why do you ask?"

Over Amelia's shoulder, Sirius saw Remus now dancing with Dora. The thought of the possibilities between them made him feel slightly lonely even when the love of his life was in his arms. Beyond Remus and Dora, Harry and Ginny were slow-dancing, and Sirius noticed Molly was no longer on the dance floor. A few of the Weasley children were looking at the pair with curious eyes.

"Sirius," Amelia said, and Sirius looked back at her, "I was wrong."

"Pardon?" Sirius asked.

"I – I was wrong that night," Amelia said, "And I was wrong that day in the Leaky Cauldron. I was wrong and I was scared."

"Of what, Amy?" Sirius asked.

"I've watched friends and people I love get together," Amelia said, "and then get torn apart. Most of the time one or both of them got killed or – or worse."

Sirius frowned, thinking of the Longbottoms.

"I didn't – I don't want to fall in love with someone and lose them," Amelia continued, as her eyes became moist. "My reputation doesn't matter. It was never the most important thing. You – Sirius, I thought you were in danger when you were with the Order."

"I was," Sirius said, "But I'm a survivor."

"I'm sorry, Sirius," Amelia said, "I'm sorry for walking away that night."

Sirius raised his eyebrows, and then saw something appear above him. He looked up and almost laughed. Hanging above him and Amelia was a sprig of mistletoe.

"Did you do that?" Amelia asked.

"I was going to ask you that," Sirius said.

Amelia shook her head and closed her eyes. She sighed and leaned toward him and kissed him. Sirius grinned against her lips as he returned the kiss. For a mere second he wondered who had summoned the mistletoe and thought of two culprits. Then all he thought of was kissing her, and that she was back in his arms.

* * *

**(Harry's PoV)**

"Harry?" Ginny asked, as she moved her arms from Harry's shoulders to around his neck, "Did you do that?"

Harry shrugged as he looked at Sirius and Amelia.

"That was very sweet of you," Ginny said.

"They needed a little bit of help," Harry said, "Though they seemed to be getting to it themselves."

"What about Remus and Tonks?" Ginny asked.

"That one is working out on its own slowly," Harry said, "Though he seems to have competition."

"I had forgotten Charlie and Tonks dated," Ginny said. "Mum was rather heartbroken when it ended. She supports Charlie's job, but she likes Tonks. Loves her family."

"She walked out of here when we started dancing," Harry said.

Ginny nodded. "I knew she might. I have this feeling she wants to talk to me."

"She wants to convince you to see her side," Harry said.

"Yeah," she said, "and when we started dancing, with my whole family watching... I think she realized it is a losing battle she's fighting."

She frowned and released her arms from around him. They walked past their table where Ron and Hermione were talking about something, and Ginny led him over to a private corner. Harry was well aware that a few of Ginny's brothers were watching them. He silently cast Muffliato toward the rest of the room.

"I feel horrible," Ginny said, sniffling, "I keep thinking that if our family conversation goes south, I could tell everyone I am going to live here in June. I'm of two minds, Harry. I miss that bed upstairs. I miss sleeping in your arms, and a part of me doesn't care I'm in this body when I say that."

"We should be, really," Harry said, "If none of this happened."

"Yeah, but this is happening," Ginny said, "and –"

She sighed and shook her head.

"No, I can't lose you, Harry," she said.

"You won't lose me," Harry said, "Forget the bond... even without it, we're still in this together. Your family will see that."

Ginny nodded and looked at her family. "But... if they don't... I'm going to give my family a choice when we have that discussion. If they – all of them, including Mum - don't support this Soul-Bond, this marriage, I'm... I'm going to move back here with you in June."

She looked at him, and tears poured down her face. He wished he could comfort her. He knew it had been hard for her to say, but he wouldn't make her change her mind. This was her fight, her choice... he just didn't know what the right choice was.

* * *

**Whew, this chapter was long, but I got everything in it that I wanted to. I wanted to set up this upcoming Weasley family discussion (which is going to be huge, I promise you) with that last conversation, and with most of this chapter. I also wanted to give a good Horcrux destruction scene, which I think I did. I also wanted to give some insight into Ron's thoughts about Harry and Ginny.**

**And... I wanted to bring Sirius and Amelia together... I love their story I'm writing for them. (if you notice, this is the second time they started a relationship on Christmas Eve). I also thought I should tease the "fight against corruption" storyline as well, though it won't get into anything big until Harry's second year begins. **

**Also, I'm of two minds when it comes to Remus and Dora. I don't want to get them together too soon, but I love their relationship. I might do something with this Charlie/Tonks thing I threw in here just to add some drama to the whole thing. Have yet to decide.**

**Now for three things I decided not to include in this chapter. One... I was going to include a conversation between Bill and Ron. Won't say more because it will show up in a couple of chapters. That is why Ron's PoV ended abruptly. There was almost a discussion in there. And the other thing I decided not to add: sorry, fellow Ron/Hermione lovers... I couldn't give them a dance together yet... much too soon... that will come... sometime. Also, I decided they were way too young to even think about destroying the Horcruxes... would have been a bit too unbelievable. **

**Hope you like this chapter! **


	49. Roses, Marble and Wood

**Chapter 49  
Roses, Marble and Wood**

**(Sirius's PoV)**

The first rays of sunshine on Christmas morning shone in through the window, waking Sirius up from his slumber. He blinked, and grumbled to himself. It was too early to wake up yet. Way too early. He fumbled for his wand on the bedside table, and found that his path, and arms, were blocked by someone else in the bed. He smiled when he saw Amelia sleeping peacefully beside him, and his mind replayed the events of the previous evening

The Christmas Eve party ended for most of the guests around ten-o-clock. Most of the Weasleys were the first to leave, but Harry and Ginny stayed behind (much to Molly's displeasure) to clean up and lock up the house. Arthur had also taken Luna with them since she lived close to the Burrow. Sirius had taken Hermione and Neville home as well, then had come back to Potter Manor, ready to bring Amelia home, but she wasn't ready to see him off. So after Sirius' cousins and Remus had left, he and Amelia escorted Harry and Ginny home, then had come back to Amelia's house.

That was where he was now, in Amelia's bed, his arms wrapped around her as she slept. He carefully slipped an arm from around her and reached for his wand then closed the curtains, and the room went fairly dark again.

"Mmm," Amelia muttered, "Morning already?"

"The very early hours," Sirius said.

Amelia opened her eyes and looked at him, a sleepy smile crossing her lips.

"Morning, stranger," she murmured.

Sirius smiled, leaned toward her, and kissed her. She chuckled against his lips and kissed him back.

"I had a really good dream last night," she said, when Sirius backed away, "of a moment I had all but forgotten."

"Oh?" Sirius asked.

"Christmas morning, our sixth year," Amelia said.

"I recall I was rather hung-over that morning," Sirius said, "refresh my memory."

"Most of the students – the first through fourth years - those who weren't allowed to attend the Yule Ball," Amelia said, "had gone home for Christmas Break a couple days beforehand. But all the sixth years were there, including the Gryffindor boys of course... and I woke up that morning -"

"In my dormitory," Sirius said, nodding.

"In your bed," Amelia said, "And if you hadn't 'borrowed' James' invisibility cloak, I might have been seen."

"You were the only girl to get in my bed," Sirius said, grinning (he decided not to mention the other girls before her, since they were either on the grounds, various broom closets, classrooms, or the couches in the Gryffindor – and Ravenclaw - Common Rooms, and not his bed), "You should be proud."

"I was the sixth year prefect for Ravenclaw," Amelia said, "I wasn't even supposed to be in your tower. I remember being slightly mortified."

"Only slightly?" Sirius asked.

"The rest of me was still rather happy about being there," Amelia said, "And – perhaps the circumstances that led me there."

"And this Christmas it is I who am in your bed," Sirius said, "And in no way am I mortified."

Amelia grinned and kissed Sirius again. Sirius pulled her in closer and moved his lips to her neck.

"Sirius," she said, chuckling, "I need to get up. My sister, brother-in-law and niece will be here in a few hours for Christmas and I have to prepare for them."

"Mmm," Sirius said, backing up, "Any plans to – err – reintroduce me?"

Amelia sighed and pulled away from Sirius, and sat up against her pillow, wrapping the sheet against her.

"We should talk about – err – us," she said.

"Er... okay," Sirius said.

"I do want there to be an 'us' again, Sirius," she said, "But – you remember what I said last night, don't you?"

"Mmm, which part?" Sirius said, "You said a lot to me."

"I don't want this to go so far and then I end up losing you," Amelia said.

"You shouldn't worry about that, Amy," Sirius said.

"You're an Auror, Sirius," Amelia said.

"Yeah," Sirius said, slowly, "Do you want me to stop being an Auror? I'd do that for you. I don't want to lose you either."

"Sirius, you're damn good at what you do," Amelia said, "But -"

"I have no plans on being mediocre at anything I do in my work, Amy," Sirius said, "I'm going to be fine. I have plenty of things to come back from missions to: you, Harry, my family – the ones I have left and the ones I could have – you. Did I say you?"

Amelia smiled and nodded.

"I thought so," Sirius said, grinning. "So... you haven't answered my question. Do you want me to stay here to see your family?"

Amelia frowned again. "How about we see where – this – us – goes? Then I'll think about reintroducing you to them."

"All right," Sirius said, "I – err – might have plans anyway."

"Going to see Harry again?" Amelia asked.

"His parents," Sirius said, "Remus and I were talking about going to Godric's Hollow and seeing their graves, and also see what we could do about their house. Remus said he and Albus had put up protections around the house years ago to stop looters, so we might go and see what is salvageable and if there is anything we can do about the house. I haven't told Harry yet. If we can do anything, I want it to be a surprise."

Amelia nodded. She then leaned toward him and kissed him again.

"You know," she said, against his lips, "I suppose I have a little time before I need to work on preparations."

"It _is_ very early," Sirius said.

Amelia smiled and motioned for him to come closer. He obliged and kissed her once again...

* * *

**(Harry's PoV)**

Harry woke up on Christmas morning to the sun shining through the window of the attic bedroom. He sat up, rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, then felt around for his glasses and them put them on. Ron's bed was empty; this didn't surprise Harry... Ron was usually up early on Christmas, even when he went to bed late. What did surprise, and worry, him was that Ron hadn't woken him up as well.

_Harry? _Ginny called out in his mind, _Do I sense you awake?_

_Yeah, I just woke up. Getting dressed now._

Harry scooted along the cot, toward his basket of clothes and rummaged for a suitable outfit to wear.

_Well, everyone else is up. We're – well, most of us – waiting for you to get up before we open presents. _

_And your Mum?_

_Slaving away in the kitchen. Hasn't come out yet. I notice she put breakfast buns in the living room, though. So she doesn't want anyone in the kitchen... except perhaps Dad._

_Has anyone said anything about last night? Our dancing, or slipping away for that discussion where you – you know –_

_Ended up in tears? No... surprisingly. Well, okay, Ron did. He asked me if we were fighting. I told him we weren't, and that my tears weren't because of you. _

_What did he say?_

_He just said 'Okay' and that was all. He has been acting funny since we told him about us._

_He's just being your brother._

_I hope so, Harry. We don't need him agreeing with Mum about this._

_Right. I'll be down soon. If I don't tell you this later, I love you. No matter what happens today or when we have that discussion._

_I love you too, Harry. Nobody can stop that. I'm yours forever._

Harry felt his mind-link weaken as Ginny backed out, and he dressed and headed down the stairs. All of the Weasley children were in the living room, chatting animatedly about different things. Harry noticed that Mr. Weasley was in the kitchen with his wife, and delicious aromas wafted in toward him. He heard a grunting sound coming from the tree, and saw that a petrified gnome was strapped to the top of the Christmas tree, dressed in a festive green outfit. Harry chuckled at this Weasley tradition.

"Merry Christmas, Harry," Bill greeted, as Harry sat down on the ground between Ron and Ginny, "Just in time for presents. Have a bun, eh?"

The rest of the children greeted him and Harry returned greetings before grabbing a sticky bun.

"Dad, Mum!" Bill called out, "We're ready."

"Mum's putting the ham in the oven," Mr. Weasley said, as he walked in and sat down in his chair, "She'll be out in a bit."

Most of the presents, including those that Harry bought, were under the tree, but Mr. Weasley had to summon the rest from up the stairs. Harry was chosen to play 'Father Christmas', and he handed out the presents to everyone. When he was finished a few minutes later, he returned to his spot, where he had a fairly good pile of packages. Besides the Weasley's presents, he also had presents from Hagrid, Sirius, Remus and Dora. The last three he opted to open today, because by the time everyone had gotten around to presents the previous night, it was late and the guests were tired.

The first package he found surprised him: it was a Weasley sweater with the letter 'H' and a snitch, both in gold, patched into the Gryffindor red fabric.

_Hmm, _Ginny said, as she caught sight of the sweater,_ I wonder if Mum made yours this summer before she found out about the Bond. _

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said, as the Weasley matriarch made her way into the living room.

"Oh... no problem, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said, as she looked from Harry to her husband.

_Ah, _Ginny said, _She looks surprised. I think Dad might have hidden it from her until today, so he could make sure you got it._

Harry nodded slightly and started on the rest of his packages: from the Weasleys, he also received an ornament with his face on it for the Christmas tree, a portrait with a moving picture of him, Ginny and Ron that he remembered being taken on his birthday, a broomstick polishing kit from Ron, and a stocking full of candies, other sweets and fruit.

From Hagrid, he received a large fruitcake. From Remus, he received a small painting of a wolf howling at the moon. From Tonks, a replica of an Auror badge that he figured was a children's toy, but he saw the meaning behind the gift; it had H. Potter engraved into it along with his birth-date where the usually random identification number would be.

From Sirius, he was given yet another gift he received years earlier than the last timeline: the pocket-knife that could open any door. He also received (as a joint gift from Sirius and Remus) a moving picture he had not seen before. It was of Remus, Sirius, Peter (regrettably), his parents and himself as a baby, being held in his mother's arms. From the tree behind them, it was his first Christmas. Before he put the picture down, he saw a small calico kitten walk into the picture. He felt tears in his eyes as he looked at it... before now, he had not seen any proof of this cat he had only read about in a letter from his mother to Sirius. The writing on the back told him the cat's name was Snitch.

From Ginny, he received a pressed petrified red rose. Harry smiled, as he felt warmth in his chest... to everyone else, this would seem like a simple gift. To him, it was a reminder: on Ginny's eighteenth birthday, Harry and Ginny had gone to London for a romantic dinner. The restaurant's back patio where a few of the tables were located had been surrounded by red roses. That night was when Harry had proposed to Ginny and she said yes, and that she was his forever. They moved to Potter Manor shortly after this, and were married a little over a year later.

_Thanks, Ginny, _he said.

_Thought you might like that, Harry. Now, I'll open the one from you. _

Harry watched her face as she opened the narrow box, and pulled out a silver bracelet with half of a heart on it. Ginny's eyes lit up, and she looked at Harry. He raised his hand, letting his sleeve fall to reveal a bracelet with the other half of the heart attached to it. Like their rings, he had placed charms so only they could see the hearts. To everyone else it was just matching bracelets. It represented their Soul-Bond, each owning half of the other's soul and now the heart. Ginny's eyes went from the bracelet to his eyes, and he saw that her own her sparkling.

_Remind me to kiss you later, _she said.

Harry smiled. He looked around to the rest of the Weasleys as they opened his gifts. He gave Fred and George a book called _Make-Your-Own-Pranks. _To Percy, a book on the history of Head Boys of Hogwarts. To Charlie, a book on Tattoos. To Bill, a book on _The History of Gringotts. _To Mr. Weasley, a build-your-own model airplane, and a rubber duck (both from a Muggle toy store.) and to Mrs. Weasley, a large Muggle cookbook and an apron that read "World's Greatest Cook" with heat-proof and cooling charms (he noticed later that she had adorned this apron, replacing her old one).

To Ron, along with the wand-holster, he also bought him a pair of Omnioculars. Ron was reading the card that came with it that Harry had written, which read: _You'll need these in the future, trust me. _Ron looked at Harry with raised eyebrows and Harry smiled and shrugged.

After everyone had opened their presents, Mr. Weasley recited the wizarding version of the story known as "The Year Christmas Didn't Come", in which the Minister of Magic at the time, a corrupt old warlock, banned Father Christmas from giving presents to anyone, wizard, witch and Muggle, because Father Christmas, a wizard who used a time-turner, a world-wide Floo Network, and memory charms on children who saw him, was a threat to the Statute of Secrecy. The Minister was voted out of office the following year due to this alone, and Father Christmas was welcomed back the following Christmas.

Then Harry and the Weasley children had a snowball fight, and a snow-wizard creating contest, all family traditions, before they sat down in the middle of the afternoon for a large feast.

* * *

**(Sirius' PoV)**

During the Christmas season, especially after a generous snowfall, the village of Godric's Hollow looked like something out of a storybook. Almost every house had Christmas lights on the edges of their roofs, while others also had Christmas decorations in their front yards or the occasional snowman.

That afternoon, as Sirius Black and Remus Lupin walked down the road toward the cemetery, they could hear a choir singing Christmas music inside the church stood in front. They made their way through the kissing gate and into the cemetery. The cobbled walkways leading to every plot had been recently swept of snow,

Though Sirius had only been there a couple of times, the walk was familiar, and it took less than a minute for him and Remus to find their destination. A couple inches of snow covered the top of the white marble headstone, and the ground in front of it. Sirius glanced around, stealthily took out his wand, and used a heat spell to melt the aforementioned snow, so he could kneel in front of the grave. He then conjured a Christmas wreath and laid it in front of the grave. Remus backed up a few feet to give Sirius a bit of privacy. Sirius brushed two fingers against the words etched into the marble.

JAMES POTTER  
BORN 27 MARCH 1960  
DIED 31 OCTOBER 1981

LILY POTTER  
BORN 30 JANUARY 1960  
DIED 31 OCTOBER 1981

_The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. _

"Hi Prongs, Lily-bean," Sirius said, as his eyes traced the names of two of his dearest friends, "First off, Merry Christmas. Last night I held a party at your manor. Moony was there, as was Andie, her husband and little girl. Little Dora's doing well for herself –" he lowered his voice, "- finally got Moony to dance with her, so we'll see where that goes."

He cleared his throat.

"The whole Weasley family were also there," he continued, "as was Harry, of course... Xeno's little girl, you might remember seeing her birth announcement in the Daily Prophet a few months before everything happened. Harry's friend, a Muggleborn, Hermione... she was there. She's rather taken with the Weasley's little boy. He's oblivious, like all boys, but that is okay for a few years. Alice and Frank's boy was there too. Looks just like his father... I wish they'd wake up from where ever they are in their heads, so they could see him for who he is. They'd be so proud of him. Oh, and my Amy."

He chuckled and smiled.

"As of last night, she's my Amy again," he said, "It – it began again where it ended, right on that dance floor. I promise you this time, ol' Prongs, I'm not letting her out of my paws again, if I can help it. Let's see... Harry had fun last night. Little Melina, not so little anymore, she loves her Master. Always happy to see him. He was quite happy to be home. Lily-bean, I would have loved to see your face last night – Harry was on the dance floor with Arthur and Molly's little girl."

Sirius looked up in the sky, and closed his eyes.

"I-I don't think I have to tell you what is going on with those two," he said, in almost a whisper, "You probably already know. You'd love Ginny... she reminds me of you, Bean. Feisty, smart, though she doesn't keep it a secret how taken she is with this Potter. She's having issues with her family at the moment... we'll see how that goes. Well -" he opened his eyes, and stood up, "- I better let Moony say his piece. We're going to head to your old house out here soon to check it out. I'm hoping it is possible to restore, as a surprise for Harry... we'll see how it goes."

Sirius put two fingers to his lips and pointed them to the grave.

"Until next time, my friends," he whispered, before backing up.

He looked at Remus, who smiled and walked over to the grave and kneeled in front of it. After about three minutes, Remus pressed a hand to the top of the headstone and stood up. He brushed a tear from his eye and nodded to Sirius, and they headed out of the cemetery.

The churchgoers who had been singing had moved across the street to a small pub, where a loud Christmas tune could be heard from the street. But Sirius and Remus were headed in the opposite direction from where they had come. This was a street Sirius had only been down once since his release from Azkaban, but his feet seemed to lead him right. He saw the portion of the street he had parked his motorcycle on that fateful Halloween night, then he looked to his left. There, covered in dark ivy and snow, was the Potter home. The right side of the top floor still was an enormous hole, open to the elements.

Sirius blinked and for a moment he was back at that Halloween, the front door hanging open, smoke rising from the house, but not the chimney...

"Padfoot," Remus' voice said in the distance.

Sirius broke from his reverie. Remus was standing just beyond the now-open front gate.

"I lifted the wards," he said, "We can go in."

Sirius nodded and inhaled and exhaled, then made his way into the front yard, past the gate marked with messages, graffiti, not from ne'er-do-wells, but from well-wishers in case Harry came by. He followed Remus down the walk and toward the front door.

"So you haven't come here in all these years?" Sirius asked, as he looked at the closed door.

"Not inside," Remus said, "I thought about it. Even asked Albus about it. But I think he wanted to wait."

"For what?" Sirius asked.

"Harry to come of age perhaps," Remus said, "Or for someone besides us who has a reason to do so spoke up."

He looked at Sirius, who nodded. Remus pointed his wand at the door, and it opened with a click.

"Wands out still, you reckon?" Sirius asked.

"Aye," Remus said, "Might be a Doxy nest or something in here that made it past the wards."

"I knew you'd say that, Moony," Sirius said.

Remus chuckled nervously, and stepped over the threshold of the house. After a moment, Sirius followed him. Everything seemed familiar... the couch, chairs, bookshelves, fireplace, all dusty, aged and affected by the elements still sat in the living room. Sirius felt his throat tighten as he looked at the stairwell. His best friend he'd ever have had taken his last breath of life there before it was swept from him.

Remus cleared his throat and said in a gruff voice, "Where do you think we should begin?"

"Upstairs," Sirius said. "If there are any family pictures still salvageable that we can give Harry, they'd be there."

Remus nodded and headed up the stairs.

"Think we'll find anything of real importance in here?" he asked, as they ascended the stairs.

Sirius skipped the step he had found James on, then said, "Dunno. They put their valuables in the Family Vault. Their wedding rings and other jewelry, copies of keys and deeds to their houses, and other important papers, a few of the more fancy clothes..."

"Right," Remus said, "Forgot you had access to their vault for Harry's sake."

Sirius didn't answer. Truthfully, Harry had told him all of that. Remus wasn't to know that yet, if ever.

James and Lily's bedroom was the first room on the left at the top of the stairs, and Remus opened the door to this room and headed inside. Across from this room was the bathroom. To the right was the damaged nursery and another bedroom... James had said that if he and Lily had been there long enough to have a second child, this bedroom would have been Harry's.

Sirius walked over to the nursery's doorway and felt a chilly wind blow toward him. It was just how he had remembered it: the ruined crib was now a pile of wood, with holes in pieces from rot. The stuffed animals and children's toys were soiled... including Harry's favorite: the stuffed black dog, a gift from Sirius the day of Harry's birth. The small toy broomstick, also a gift from Sirius, lay in three pieces near a small drawer where Harry's clothes were kept.

"Sirius," Remus said down the hallway.

"Coming," Sirius said, hoarsely.

He walked down the hall, where Remus was standing with a large box in his hands.

"Pictures?" Sirius asked.

"Aye," Remus said, "And..."

He lifted up a small flower-covered book. There were other books like it under that as well.

"Did they ever tell you they kept diaries?" he asked.

Sirius shook his head.

"What should we do with them?" Remus asked.

Sirius frowned. He wondered whether Harry had done anything in this house in the other timeline. Did he already know about these diaries?

"We'll give them to Harry," Sirius said, "Not yet, though. He'd wonder where they'd come from, and this is a surprise for him."

"It would be a good birthday present for him next year," Remus said.

Sirius nodded. "Anything else in there?"

"Everything is moth-eaten or ruined," Remus said, "I should have put some preservation charms on the house."

"They wouldn't have last," Sirius said, "We were never going to be able to save most of this stuff. That box is a successful visit for me."

Remus nodded. They walked down the stairs, and searched for things in there. They found an old copy of "Nature's Nobility" that didn't look too bad. The inside of the book revealed that it belonged to James' father and passed to James. Remus put it into the box. They moved to the kitchen, and found a few decorative plates, and a chest of stainless steel silverware, all salvageable.

Then, after they lit their wands, they moved down to the basement. Even with the lights, it was still fairly dark down there. It had a dank, musty smell of mildew. From the looks of it, the basement had been used as a sort of den and office for James. It was L-shaped, the stairs taking up a third of the basement. A chair and large mahogany desk sat in one corner. A rocking chair stood next to a large floor lamp. Another large bookshelf stood here.

Remus crossed the room to check the bookshelf while Sirius walked over to the desk and started opening drawers. In one, there was a large lock-box that was open. It was empty, and Sirius realized the deeds and other documents must have been there. He found another lock-box, this one closed, and used an assortment of spells to open it. When it did, it was filled with folders. Sirius picked up one and rummaged through it. His eyes sparkled as he chuckled.

"Oh Prongs, what were you keeping from us?" he said, softly.

"What's wrong?" Remus asked, as he walked over to the desk.

Sirius set out the folders on the desk and scattered some of the contents of one of them.

"He was on a personal quest," Sirius said.

A large picture of the old Order of the Phoenix laid on top of everything. X's marked out a few faces.

"He was trying to find the traitor," Remus said.

"If he found the traitor," Sirius said, "He would save his family."

Sirius pointed a finger to Peter's face that had an X on it. Remus frowned.

"He didn't suspect him," he said.

"That was why he was so open to my suggestion for Secret-Keeper," Sirius said, "First me, then Peter."

Remus sighed, his eyes gazing to the image of his younger self, clear of an X.

"I forgive you, Prongs," Remus said.

He looked up to the ceiling then walked back over to the bookshelf.

"I'll take all of this and see what else he was investigating," Sirius said.

"All these books are ruined," Remus said, "Well... nice book-end. Looks good... we'll take that – hey!"

Sirius looked up. Remus was backing away from the bookshelf, which was now sliding along the wall to the left. Sirius's eyes widened as a large cement slab, protruding from the wall, as big as the bookshelf, appeared.

"A door," Sirius breathed.

"Sirius?" Remus said, "Did James -"

"No," Sirius said, "He never told me about this."

"He must have built a secret room," Remus said, "This basement is only three-fourths visible to everyone."

"Well," Sirius said, "Let's see..."

He tried the "Hoggy Warty Hogwarts" password, which didn't work. He then tried unlocking charms, simple and advanced, though they didn't work.

"Okay, James," Sirius said, "How does this door open?"

"Charum Revelium!" Remus said.

Three blue lights released from the tip of his wand and lit up the door. Sirius saw a single word on the door:

MARAUDER

"Ah," Remus said, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

Sirius looked expectantly at the door, but it did not open.

"Too easy, Prongs?" Sirius asked, then his eyes widened. "Prongs... I got it, Moony."

Sirius closed his eyes and transformed into Padfoot. He walked over to the door, stood up on his back two paws, and pressed his paws onto the door. The door pushed backwards and slid to the left before it melted into the stone. Sirius backed up and transformed back into his human self.

Remus walked forward, his wand alight, and walked into the room.

"Sirius," he said, breathless, "You're going to want to see this."

* * *

**This is a cliffhanger unlike most others in my story, all but one... because what they found in the secret room won't be revealed until a later chapter... probably Harry's next birthday. Probably ten-plus chapters away. I have a planned flashback for what happens next to be revealed then. Also, the diaries' contents will be revealed later as well. Most of this has to do with Harry's parents, and not really for the main storyline. But there is a good reward, I promise you.**

**The inside of the house was my creation and not canon. **

**Hope you liked this chapter! More to come... next chapter is the long-awaited Weasley family discussion.**


	50. The Family Meeting

**Chapter 50  
The Family Meeting**

**Author's Note: Q&A regarding clearing up something.**

**Q: ****Britpick: In the UK cider is always alcoholic, not sure if the adults would allow Harry to drink it.** **  
**

**A: Oh really? Oops. Well, it wasn't alcoholic, so... yeah.**

* * *

For several days after Christmas, nerves around the Burrow were on high, at least for four of the house's occupants. Harry, Ginny, Ron and Bill all wondered when the family would sit down for the inevitable discussion. Harry had one theory, which Ginny supported: Mrs. Weasley was trying to catch them unaware, so they would be flustered and not ready to give their explanations that would convince the family to see their side instead of Mrs. Weasley.

Harry wasn't exactly sure what Bill nor Ron were thinking about when it came to the issue. Bill would watch Harry and Ginny's actions, as he said he would, to study how they acted around each other. Ron wouldn't talk about anything having to do with the issues, but he did play chess with Harry and Ginny, as well as join them to work on homework, so at least he was still friendly enough with Harry to want to be around him. Of course... when Ginny had the theory that Ron was joining them and doing things, he could have been trying to keep them from doing anything "couple-like", then Harry was nervous all over again.

As the days dwindled down before break would be over, Harry, Ginny and Ron began to think that there was not going to be a discussion at all. How very wrong they were...

* * *

Bill Weasley was on a mission.

It was the second day of the new year, two days before the children would go back to Hogwarts, and one day before Charlie was due to take a trip, via a couple of Portkeys, back to the dragon reserve in Romania. Just a few minutes ago, he had made his way down to the bottom floor of the Burrow and overheard a conversation between his mother and father.

The family discussion would take place during dinner that evening.

Now, Bill was on his way back up the stairs. His destination: the attic bedroom; he was set on having a discussion with his youngest brother. He had been watching Ron just as much as he had been watching his sister and Harry. He knew how grand the friendship was between the three of them. He had his fair share of friendships, both gained and lost over the years to know that Ron's friendship with Harry was one for the ages. He wanted to make sure that, no matter how this ended up tonight, Ron would still be friends with Harry, even when Harry was, for all intents and purposes, married to their sister. When he arrived at the steps outside his own bedroom door, the door to the attic bedroom opened, and Harry walked out.

"Good morning, Harry," Bill said, "Is Ron up?"

Yeah," Harry said, "He's getting dressed. Want me to get him?"

"No, I wish to speak with him in private," Bill said. "Harry, could you answer a question of mine?"

"Er... okay," Harry said.

"I sensed something between you and Ron lately," Bill said. "Does he know about yours and Ginny's secret?"

"Yes," Harry said, "But we took a wizard's vow of honor. He cannot speak of it -"

"Unless you give him permission," Bill said.

Harry nodded. Bill raised his eyebrows.

"You want to talk to him about it?" Harry asked.

"I just want to know that he understands what is going on," Bill said, "Ron... he tends to overreact when he does not understand."

"Oh, yeah, right," Harry said, "Okay... I give Ron Weasley permission to reveal my secret to Bill Weasley."

"No harm done since I know about it already," Bill said, "Oh, before I forget. The discussion is tonight."

"It is?" Harry asked, frowning.

"During dinner," Bill said, nodding, "I heard Mum and Dad talking about it. Tell Ginny and prepare for it."

"Thanks," Harry said, "Does this mean you're on mine and Ginny's side?"

"I'll give you that answer tonight," Bill said.

"Right," Harry said, "I'll give you a piece of news since you gave me one. Actually Ginny's giving you this message: if your family – all of you – do not support our Bond, she is very well intent on moving to Potter Manor after the next term is over." He shook his head and continued. "Between you and me... she isn't sure how much more from your mother she can take."

He looked at Bill for a mere second before vanishing on the spot. Bill knew he had teleported to Ginny's room. Bill felt his throat tighten as he looked at the door to the attic bedroom. Ginny's ultimatum was very unexpected, but it was a good play against their mother. She was making her mother choose: support the Bond or lose her daughter, and possibly start a feud between those who do support the Bond and those who do not. Still... there were things about the Soul-Bond that worried Bill. It was true that it would be better for Ginny to be close to Harry, but she also needed her family if things became bad with the Bond.

Bill inhaled and exhaled... he had a lot of work to do today if he was going to save his family.

He walked up the stairs and knocked on Ron's door.

"I'm getting dressed, Mum," Ron said.

"It's me," Bill said.

"Oh," Ron said, "Come in, Bill."

Bill turned the doorknob, opened the door and closed it behind him. He crossed the room, toward the bed, where Ron was tying his trainers. He picked up a book that was laying on the bed, and sat down at the spot it had been at. He looked at the book.

"Brothers Grimm," Bill said.

"Hermione gave it to me for Christmas," Ron said.

"A girl gave you a book that you want to read voluntarily," Bill said, "and has nothing to do with Quidditch?"

Ron scowled. "Please don't assume anything. I hear enough from Ginny, the twins and Harry's godfather."

Bill grinned and raised a hand in surrender, before he set the book aside.

"Overheard a discussion between our parents a little while ago," he said, "The family discussion will happen during dinner. And I know you know what it is about."

"I – sorry, Bill," Ron said, standing up, "Can't tell you -"

"Because you took a vow of honor," Bill said, as Ron walked over to the door.

Ron turned and looked at Bill, his mouth moving soundlessly.

"I know, little brother," Bill said, "I know exactly what Harry told you, and he's given permission for you to talk about it with me."

"He told you?" Ron asked, About –?"

"About his Bond with Ginny?" Bill said. "No. I found out on my own."

"You can see it when they speak telepathically," Ron said, as he sat back down beside Bill.

"Sure," Bill said.

"And you know that they're – they're married," Ron said.

"How do you feel about that?" Bill asked.

Ron shrugged. "As much as I hate to say it, I can see that they – err – that they – you know – love each other."

"You can see that?" Bill asked.

"They're always together," Ron said, Physically. Not just through the Bond. They spend so much time together at Hogwarts."

"Doing what?" Bill asked.

Ron shrugged again. "Homework. She goes to his Quidditch practices. They are partners in Potions and do really well together. Not surprising, when I think about it. I-I mean since they can talk telepathically to work on their potions. They know what the other is doing."

"I know their Bond is the reason Ginny's at school a year earlier," Bill said, "How do you feel about that?"

"I dunno," Ron said. "I was jealous because – you know – it was supposed to be my year. And... then when I found out they can teleport to each other, I thought she teleported into the Great Hall, and became a student to be with Harry. But... the Sorting Hat wouldn't have sorted her yet unless it was his choice, so... maybe it was meant to be."

"I know you and Harry are very good friends," Bill said.

"He's my best mate," Ron said.

"Is he?" Bill said, "Is he still – with this business with our sister?"

"Well, yeah, of course," Ron said, "Harry didn't want this to happen, so it would be unfair to hate him for that."

"Truly?" Bill said.

"Yeah," Ron said, "Why?"

"Because that is going to be one of the topics of discussion tonight. Harry and Ginny didn't ask for this, and yet, they have no complaints. Why should we?"

Ron nodded, then frowned. "Mum's not going to be happy."

"She doesn't have to be happy," Bill said, "She just needs to realize what is good for our family. And good for Ginny and Harry."

"Bill?" Ron said, "Do you think Ginny would leave this house if she wanted to - soon, I mean – and move in to Potter Manor."

Bill nodded. "And you know she would have no trouble at all doing so."

"That house-elf cooks as well as Mum," Ron said. "She wouldn't have to worry about that."

"Think about that tonight, okay?" Bill said.

Ron nodded. Bill stood up, satisfied with the way the discussion had gone.

"Come on," he said, "Breakfast is ready."

* * *

**(Harry's PoV – after his discussion with Bill)**

Harry smiled as he appeared in Ginny's room. Ginny was dressed and was now brushing her hair in front of her body-length mirror. Ginny's eyes widened when she saw him through the mirror. He put a finger to his lips, and twisted his hand, letting his wand fall to his fingers.

"Muffliato," he whispered.

He walked over to Ginny and took the brush from her. She narrowed her eyes, but her expression turned happy when Harry began to brush her hair.

"We could have talked telepathically," Ginny said.

"True," Harry said, "But I like hearing your voice outside my head."

Ginny let out a light purr when Harry lightly dragged the brush down the length of her hair.

"You haven't done this in a while," she said.

"I haven't had the chance," Harry said.

"Even when we were in our other bodies," Ginny said.

"We were too busy to have these little moments," Harry said, "We did need a break, I guess. Maybe I would have taken you on holiday after the Quidditch season was over. Gone to one of our holiday homes. We haven't been to both of those yet."

"We should do that sometime," Ginny said, "During the summer when we have nothing to do."

"If we have that freedom," Harry said.

Ginny frowned and nodded. "So the discussion is tonight?"

"Mmhmm," Harry said, "You ready?"

"I'm not ready for the results," Ginny said.

"Because of your ultimatum?" Harry asked.

"You know I'm having doubts about using that," Ginny said, "It seems so... harsh. Like a weapon."

"And what would you call the locks on your door?" Harry scoffed. "Who knows what could come next? Alarms in your bed that would go off if additional weight is on it?"

"That is unfair of her to do that, yes," Ginny said, "We're quite trustworthy. I think we might have shared a bed for five minutes during the middle of the night once. And that was just because it was your birthday."

"You do want to sleep next to me though," Harry said.

"Of course I do," Ginny said, "That right was stolen from me, Harry. We should have only missed those opportunities because of our careers, not because of this."

"Exactly," Harry said.

Ginny frowned. "Okay, I guess my ultimatum is not anymore unfair than Mum is being to us."

Harry smiled and brushed the last strand of Ginny's hair, before setting down the hairbrush. He then wrapped his arms around her and she chuckled and nuzzled into his neck.

"Mmm," she said, "I would very much love to freely be able to have these moments without fear of discovery. Even if it is just little things like this."

"I doubt Sirius would have too many issues with it," Harry said.

Ginny smiled and turned in his arms. "He probably wouldn't mind us sleeping together in our bed again either."

"Emphasis on sleep,' Harry said, rolling his eyes.

Ginny nodded and chuckled. "Even if I live here, which will only be if my whole family supports us, I could still go to Potter Manor sometimes. Have a sleep-over."

"Sounds good, Mrs. Potter," Harry said.

Ginny smiled, then put her arms around his neck and kissed him. He grinned against her lips and returned the kiss. She backed away and laid her head against his chest. They swayed on the spot, in a sort of slow dance.

"I'm ready for tonight, Harry," Ginny said.

"Quite a few hours between now and then to change your mind though," Harry said.

Ginny chuckled. "You could always reassure me again."

Harry nodded and lightly kissed her again. She murmured her delight and backed up away from him, then walked over to the door and pressed an ear against it. She smiled and opened up the door., then walked out onto the stairs. She motioned for Harry to go, and he hurried out and crept down the stairs. Fred, George and Charlie were already there with their mother when he arrived.

"Morning, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said, "Sausage and cheese omelet?"

Harry nodded, and Mrs. Weasley smiled and set a plate and a glass of orange juice in front of him. Ginny, Bill and Ron walked in as well. Ginny sat across from Harry.

_Your Mum's rather cheerful toward me, _Harry said, as he drank from his glass.

_Lulling you – us - into a false sense of security before the discussion tonight, _Ginny said, as her mother set a plate in front of her, _Typical Mum move._

* * *

Ginny was right, of course. Mrs. Weasley seemed to treat Harry like one of her sons again. During the day, she had a smile when she brought him his fresh laundry, put a warming charm on him when he came inside from a couple hours of playing in the fresh layer of snow, and didn't say a word against him when he and Ginny walked out of Ron's bedroom together, after a few matches of chess, and a telepathic pep-talk before dinner.

_She's trying to make us think she cancelled the meeting, _Ginny said, _Unfortunately for her, my eldest brother has very good ears. _

They walked into the kitchen where everyone was sitting, ready for dinner.

_Ooh, final countdown, _Ginny quipped.

Two chairs were available next to each other, though Harry was not surprised by this. This discussion was like a hearing, and they were the defendants.

_Remember, Gin. I love you, no matter what happens tonight. No matter what decision we have to make._

_Love you too. Always._

Dinner tonight was pork chops, potatoes, croissants and a salad. It seemed like a nice family meal for the last night they would spend together as a whole family for a while – no matter how the discussion went, Charlie would be leaving for Romania the following day and probably would not return for a few months.

"All right," Mr. Weasley said, when everyone was starting on their meal, "I think this is the perfect time to have the family discussion your mother and I planned."

Harry looked around at the others at the table. Bill didn't seem surprised, of course, nor did Ron – Harry figured that Bill had told Ron about this. Fred and George looked very interested. Charlie had a look in his eyes as if he wanted to ask his father why they wanted to do this during dinner, though he didn't say anything. Percy's expression was equal to the day he was waiting for his prefect badge: nervous, but ready to push it away if his expectations were for nothing.

"This is a private family discussion," Mr. Weasley said, "Blood and honorary family, of course."

Harry smiled lightly when most of the table's occupants looked at him.

"As such," Mr. Weasley said, lifting his wand, "I, as the Head of our family invoke the ward of privacy, all topics and decisions discussed tonight stay within our family through protective wards in our minds, unless I say. This excludes others outside our family who have already been trusted with this information – that is, if they already know or wizarding vows before ours have already been invoked."

Harry knew that this meant Sirius and Dumbledore, but it also meant his friends and those few others who knew about the bond.

"Does everyone agree?" Mr. Weasley asked.

Everyone nodded and said 'yes'. A large red dome of energy released itself from his wand and encased everyone inside it before it disappeared.

"Okay," Mr. Weasley said. "The subjects of this discussion could become heated, and it is my wish that you all use your inside voices and respected tones and language. We are all part of this family." He looked at Harry with a smile, then continued, "All discussions are not genuine unless everyone has an opinion, so they are all welcomed, and we should respect them all. Agreed?"

Once again everyone said 'yes'.

"Excellent," Mr. Weasley continued, "So... everyone here is aware of an event that happened at the Opening Feast at Hogwarts in September, either hearing about it, witnessing it themselves or being a part of it. The Sorting Hat summoned Ginny to the castle where she was asked to take part in the Sorting Ceremony. She soon joined the rest of our family in Gryffindor. Everyone knows that. But... most of you do not know why."

"The headmaster said it was an accident," Percy said, "a mistake in the records, but that Ginny decided to take the challenge of entering classes a year early."

"That was for the public, Percy," Mr. Weasley said.

"He lied?" Percy asked.

"Some lies must be told to protect somebody," Mr. Weasley said.

"Why would Ginny need protected?" Charlie asked.

Mr. Weasley looked at Ginny and she nodded. Harry reached his hand under the table and over to hers, and grasped it.

"Dumbledore was honest when he mentioned the records," Mr. Weasley said. "Ginny's name was indeed placed with those students who would join Hogwarts this year. It was intentional, not a mistake, but it was only done recently. When she was born, her name was in the records for next year's class of students. However, something changed in the summer before term started. Ginny was effectively summoned because the Sorting Hat, and Hogwarts itself, sensed something about her. What the Hat sensed is what is known a Soul-Bond. The other half of this bond was already going to be a student this year, so it was the Hat's wish that they would be there together."

"What is a Soul-Bond?" Percy asked.

"Never heard of it," Fred and George said.

"I have," Charlie said, "but it is only supposed to be a fairytale."

"It is more than just a fairytale," Bill said, placing the large book, that Harry had seen in one of Bill's boxes, on the table, "Mum and Dad wanted me to look it up. A Soul-Bond is, as the name suggests, a connection between two souls. It is extremely rare... nobody knows how they are usually created – could be from birth, and activated later, or created from some kind of event, perhaps fate just decided to create it – but, in essence, a Soul-Bond is formed to ensure the unity between two soul-mates."

"So... Ginny's already found her soul-mate?" Fred asked, rather amused.

"That's kind of adorable if you think about," George said.

"Who is it?" Fred and George asked together.

"Is it that hard to guess?" Ginny asked, "I'll give you a hint. I'm in his year at Hogwarts, and I've been known to spend a lot of time with him. Oh, yes, and the Sorting Hat summoned me because he was Sorting my Bond-mate at the time."

"Oh," Fred said, "I know who it is, George."

"She is very close to him," George said, "Right this moment even."

"Harry?" Percy asked.

Harry nodded slightly.

"Okay," Percy said, "Soul-mates... Bill you said that this bond was created to make sure these two united. Like what... It forces them together?"

"We weren't forced!" Ginny growled, loudly.

"Ginny," Mr. Weasley said, softly, "Inside voice."

"She's right," Bill said, "While the Soul-Bond brings them together, they are still anchored by their choices."

"So, they didn't have to be Bonded?" Percy asked.

"Well, no, they didn't," Bill said, "But every one who has studied the theory says that if they do not find each other, their souls wither and die."

"You can't exist without your soul," Mr. Weasley said, "Dementor's Kiss victims are just shells."

"Those who deny their Bond," Bill said, "suffer the same fate. So yes, you could say they were forced, together, but as Ginny says, she wasn't forced... it was their choice."

"At the time, we didn't know what would happen if our Bond didn't activate," Ginny said, "And still we chose to go through with it. We still choose that."

Ginny looked at Harry, who nodded.

"Okay, let me get this straight," Percy said, "So this bond brought them together... so they could become friends and later they could progress to a relationship? Seems storybook..."

"A Bond doesn't work like that, Perce," Bill said, "It doesn't wait. From the moment the Bond is made, it ensures that the two mates are together."

"It doesn't wait?" Percy asked, "But that makes it sound like the Bond makes them..."

He shook his head, unable to finish.

"Married?" Bill said.

Percy scoffed, and looked a Bill, Harry and Ginny skeptically.

"They can't be married!" he said, "They're ten and eleven! The law states -"

"Albus explained this to your mother and I," Mr. Weasley cut in, raising a hand, "He said that marriages cannot be governed by official law, because a marriage is an act of love, which also cannot be governed. The marriage is official through magical law, not society law. There are a couple of records that can confirm their marriage, but the Ministry of Magic is unaware of them. According to the Hogwarts records, and Gringotts records, Ginny is now a Potter by name."

"The Soul-Bond is a magical bond, of course," Bill said. "In fact, it is actually the original wedding ceremony. The ancients believed that one day all marriages would create this Bond, but the two known Bonds were not created by marriage, they created the marriage."

"Listen to yourselves!" Percy said, looking from his father to oldest brother, "Marriage? Bill, our sister is ten years old. She has years before she even should think about this kind of thing."

"I do agree," Charlie said, "However it is very puzzling. It does answer questions. Dad, you said that Gringotts records recognize their... marriage."

"Yes," Mr. Weasley said.

Charlie narrowed his eyes in thought.

"Harry's godfather isn't the temporary owner of Potter Manor, is he?" he asked, "That house-elf called Harry her Master. True, he is a master by family right, but... she called Sirius a 'Sir', a common term for a guest, not their owner, even temporary. Sirius doesn't own the house... Harry does."

"The house-elf called Ginny 'Lady' once or twice," Fred said.

"We heard her," George said.

"Miss or Ma'am would be a usual term for a lady guest," Charlie said, "Lady also usually refers to the house-elf's master. Harry and Ginny own the house-elf, because they own the manor she is entrusted to watch over."

"How is that possible?" Percy asked, "They have years before they can officially own something like that."

"Gringotts is ran by goblins, Perce," Bill said, "They do not abide by most society laws, but by their own. And Gringotts law states that large vaults cannot come into ownership but one of two ways: the age wizards and witches can use magic without persecution or... the law of emancipation."

"Emancipation," Charlie said, "was created to give an underage wizard or witch control of their family vaults if they were married."

"But most witches or wizard are already of age when they marry," Percy said.

"Most is the key word, Perce," Charlie said, "If Gringotts recognizes Harry and Ginny's marriage through their Soul-Bond, it means Harry can get into his larger vault, where I'm guessing the deed to Potter Manor was. So... Bill's right... they are married. But... only as a technicality through their Bond. I don't see why they'd have to see themselves as married until they choose to."

"Who says we haven't?" Ginny asked.

"Ginny, surely not," Percy said.

"Why not?" Ginny asked. "Because of our age?"

"It isn't proper," Percy said, "Or... normal."

"What exactly is normal about a Soul-Bond?" Ginny retorted. "Harry and I can speak telepathically to each other – through our minds, not our mouths, if you need cleared on that. We can feel each other's pain and emotions. We can teleport, I am able to see things that Harry is experiencing, though I cannot control it yet. The only bad thing about our bond is that we share horrible nightmares..."

"And that is just right now," Bill said, "There are all kinds of theories that say a Bond could have other dangerous side-effects as Harry and Ginny get older. Because they are young, they aren't experiencing them all. We must also take into fact that the Bond may yet force them together if they are parted, voluntarily, or involuntarily. There may come a day, if this happens, when they can't leave each other's sight until the Bond makes sure their relationship is cemented."

"We don't have to worry about that," Fred said.

"Harry and Ginny have been inseperable for months," George said, "They're always hanging out together."

"Sickeningly adorable," Fred said.

"But we do have to worry about it," Ginny said, "That is why we're having this meeting."

"I thought we were having this meeting to learn about this bond," Percy said.

"No," Ginny said, "If Mum and Dad wanted you just to learn about it, they could have easily wrote you about it... found ways where it couldn't be intercepted. But... this meeting is taking place because Mum seems to think that because I love Harry -"

Percy shook his head, and Fred and George gave Harry looks of actual amusement.

"Ginny," Mrs. Weasley said, warningly.

"- well, Percy, do you find it funny that the day Harry was welcomed into this home," Ginny said, "he was given his own room? And now he's a room-mate?"

"He was given Bill and Charlie's room," Percy said, "Bill's moving back in and Ron and Harry are friends, the same age, and they share a dorm at Hogwarts. Nothing wrong with sharing a room here too."

"Why are Bill and Charlie here, Perce?" Ginny asked.

"To celebrate Christmas with us," Percy said.

"Ah," Ginny said, "And... what was Mum and Dad's original plans for this holiday?"

"Visit Charlie in Romania," Percy said; he frowned, "We were all going to stay at Hogwarts."

"When did that change?" Ginny asked.

"A week after we started term," Percy said, "if I recall."

"A week after Mum and Dad found out about my Bond," Ginny said, "Percy... we're here for this discussion. Bill, you said you came home... why?"

"Because of family issues needed solving," Bill said.

Percy raised his eyebrows.

"Effectively taking Harry's room away from him," Ginny said, "And making sure he wasn't alone... why, Percy?"

"Well, obviously Mum had her reasons," Percy said.

"Maybe she's afraid of my virtue?" Ginny suggested.

"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley growled.

"She has a point, Mum," Bill said.

"It is a good reason," Percy said.

"She's ten and Harry's eleven," Bill said, "Three or four years from now, I might agree. I'm sorry, Mum... at Harry's age, I was afraid of girls and my love was Quidditch."

"Bill," Mrs. Weasley said, "Share with the table exactly how a Bond is completed."

Bill shook his head. "Usually through a kiss. But -"

"See!" Percy said, "Looks like he's already kissed her."

"Yes, we kissed!" Ginny said, and Harry wondered if she was going to kiss him again to justify it; she didn't, "You heard what would have happened if we didn't. A kiss completed the bond. We'd be shells of our former selves if we didn't kiss. No... this meeting is taking place because Mum wants to know if you're going to support this Bond or try to effectively break it up. It can't be broken up."

"Maybe not," Percy said, "But it doesn't mean you have to see yourselves in a relationship or married. You're far too young..."

"Mum said the same thing," Ginny said, "She said I am too young to understand love. Too young to say I do love Harry. Well, I am not too young to understand it. Nor this: Percy, do you understand what else an emancipation gives us the freedom of?"

Percy shrugged. "I'm sure I could look it up."

"It means I can be my own guardian," Ginny said, "It means I can make the choice to not live here anymore. Your 'baby sister' could walk out of this house and not come back."

The atmosphere around the house was tense. Harry could feel Ginny's fury through their bond. He knew her thoughts of not using her ultimatum were all but gone. Percy's, and possibly Charlie's, attitude toward their Soul-Bound, and how it emulated their mother's did not bode well for Ginny, and it only angered her.

"You wouldn't leave your family," Percy said, shaking his head; he didn't seemed phased at all.

"Watch me," Ginny said, "Because if you and Mum, and whomever else in this family, does not respect my Bond with Harry or the fact that you can't break us up, I'll be moving to Potter Manor, my rightful home, in June. In fact, I'll give you until June to decide."

"I'm with you, Ginny," Bill said, "And I'll say this to everyone. Remember the fact that we know nothing about the possibilities of this Bond and its effects if Harry and Ginny are split up. If they end up living together at Harry's house... that is better than the alternative."

Mr. Weasley nodded. "I agree. I'm not going to put harm to either of you because I wished you would live here. We're still family either way."

Ginny smiled and nodded.

Ron cleared his throat and spoke for the first time all meeting. "I couldn't separate you two if I wanted to, could I? I'm with you two."

Fred and George looked at each other and nodded, then looked at Harry.

"You're already our honorary brother, mate," Fred said.

"So why wouldn't we accept you as a brother-in law?" George asked.

"We're with you, Ginny," they said in unison.

Harry and Ginny looked at Percy and he sighed and shook his head. He put a thumbs down.

"Sorry, Ginny," Percy said, "I am doing this to protect you, and I do hope you change your mind. You'd be far better living here where we could keep an eye on this... this Bond."

"Yeah," Charlie said, "I mean... these are theories Bill talked about. You'd be better living here. We're family first. We've always been family first. Please consider that."

"Exactly," Ginny said, raising her eyebrows, "Family first. And as such, Weasleys decided as a family. This is not a majority vote. Percy, Charlie... Mum, I don't know if you changed your mind at all, but you have until June. Thank you, everyone else. I'm sorry if it goes a way in which we can't all be happy with. I'm only doing what must be done for me and Harry. Bond-mates protect each other, first and foremost."

Ginny stood up and walked away from the table. Harry stood up as well.

"I'll go talk to her," he said, "But it doesn't mean I don't support what she says. Ron, Bill, Mr. Weasley, Fred, George. Thank you."

They smiled and nodded. Harry looked at Percy and Charlie, who were looking at their plates, and not at him. Mrs. Weasley was looking at the ceiling with tears in her eyes. Harry shrugged and walked away from the table, and headed up the stairs.

Ginny's door was slightly ajar, so he opened it and saw Ginny laying on her bed, staring at the ceiling with tears in her eyes. She smiled to Harry and silently motioned for him to come in. He walked in, shut the door behind him and applied a Muffliato Charm. He then down on the bed, and Ginny shook her head, and pulled him toward her. He scooted up the bed and propped himself into a half-sitting, half-laying position on the bed. Ginny leaned toward him, then kissed him and backed up.

"I'm sorry," Ginny said, sniffling, "My temper got to me down there."

"I agreed with everything you said," Harry said, "They'll come around by June."

"And if they don't?" Ginny asked.

"You can live at our house until they change their minds," Harry said.

Ginny nodded. "Maybe if they see I am solid on my promise, they'll see our side."

"I'm very proud of you," Harry said, "You had your say and they listened to it. You convinced most of them. The others... they fear what they don't understand."

"Harry... those things Bill said," Ginny said, "Those theories... about how the Bond might make sure we're together if we get parted... do you think that is what Nicolas Flamel talked about in his book... the part that is missing?"

"I don't know," Harry said, "Ragnok hasn't given me an update in a while. But I doubt it. According to the book, they were very happy then so they didn't try to part."

"Harry," Ginny said, "What if we try to ask the source? The Flamels. Dumbledore knows them, doesn't he? We could ask him about it. He knows that we know they're the other Bonded pair."

"We could try," Harry said. "Okay... we'll talk to him when we get back to Hogwarts."

"'Kay," Ginny said.

She took his hand and caressed the ring on his finger.

"I almost apparated to our house as soon as I left the kitchen," she said, "But it would have led to unwanted questions."

"Probably a good idea you didn't do that," Harry said, "I've decided I don't want to tell your family our other secret until they can accept this one."

"No need to prod a fire already out of our control," Ginny said.

"Exactly," Harry said.

Ginny smiled and kissed him again. He returned the kiss, and she snuggled up against him. For a while, they lay there, helping each other calm down through their bond, both wondering what was going to come next.

* * *

**As I'm sure you are! Whew, this family meeting was a tough one to get through. I wrote like... three versions of it before I was satisfied. In one version, Charlie stormed off from the table and Bill was going to talk to him, but I decided his decision is in the negative for now. How will this affect later events (for example, the Norwegian Ridgeback?). Guess we'll see!**

**More to come! I hope to get done with the first year between Chapter 55 and 60, so these next few chapters will be pretty long and the next few months will go through pretty fast.**


	51. Desires And Duels

**Chapter 51  
Desires And Duels**

**Author's Note: This story has hit 400+ Reviews! Thank you all!**

**Disclaimer: Recognizable sections of this chapter come directly from Chapter 12 and 13 of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling. I do not take claim for these, only my own additions.**

* * *

In the aftermath of the family meeting, the next day and a half, before Harry, and the five youngest Weasley children would return to Hogwarts, was rather awkward. Friday afternoon, Charlie left with a very rushed goodbye, and half-hugs to most of his family. He was rather bitter to most of his family because of the way the meeting had gone.

Percy was avoiding his family, except for mealtimes, with the excuse that he needed to finish up on some last minute over-the-break homework before class resumed on Monday.

Dinner on Friday, which would usually be a nice family dinner, since it was the last before most of the family would part the following day, was a rushed affair. As was breakfast the following morning. The goodbyes on Platform 9 ¾ were also very rushed, and Harry didn't receive a goodbye from Mrs. Weasley, though he did get two warm handshakes from Bill and Mr. Weasley.

On the Hogwarts Express, Hermione and Neville were saddened to hear that not all of Ron and Ginny's family accepted the Soul-Bond. The rest of the trip, the five friends chatted about different things, the highlights including what they did during Christmas Break, and Ron, Hermione and Neville trying to persuade Harry and Ginny into telling them things about what would happen in the next few months. Harry was amused when Hermione wanted to know if he could remember what the Professors would teach. She was quite disappointed when he said no.

* * *

On Sunday evening, the Gryffindor Common Room was very crowded with students finishing up their homework before classes began. Having done all their homework over break, Harry and Ginny were relaxing by the fireplace.

Ron and Hermione, however, were working on the last few inches of the Potions assignment (putting  
together a recipe for a winter-related potion Hermione had opted to do a Pepper-Up Potion, rather complicated for first years, but if done right, it would surely impress Snape. Ron seemed to think this was a failed prospect).

"I'm telling you, Hermione!" Ron said, as he sank back into one of the empty chairs, "That ingredient isn't in this book!"

"Ugh, Hermione said, "I am sure the potion requires one type of pepper. It is why the potion is called Pepper-Up! That's it, we're going to the library."

"Now?" Ron asked, "The assignment isn't due for two days. And we have... less than two hours until curfew!""

"We're not leaving it until last minute, Ron," Hermione said, "If we go now, we can be back in time."

"Let's go," Neville said, standing up, "I need to find something I'm missing for my History of Magic homework anyway."

Ron grumbled as he stood up and followed Hermione and Neville out of the Common Room. Ginny grinned as she looked at Harry.

"Do you think we should have just told them it is a chili pepper the potion needs?" she asked.

"Hermione would have looked it up anyway," Harry said.

"True," Ginny said, "I'm bored. Want to do something?"

Harry raised his eyebrows.

"In your dreams," Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

"You know it," Harry said, grinning, "Actually... I need to check up on something on the first floor."

"Oh?" Ginny asked, "I do not recall you telling me anything that happens around now..."

"Technically, it was during Christmas Break last timeline," Harry said, "But since I wasn't here this time around... well, I have a theory... stay here for a moment. I'll get the map and cloak in case we're not back before curfew."

Harry hurried up to his dorm and found his Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map. He pocketed them and returned downstairs, where Ginny was waiting by the portrait hole. Fifteen minutes later, they were headed down the first floor corridor. Harry soon found his destination and when he checked if the corridor was clear, he and Ginny walked into the unused classroom.

"This is it," Harry said, recognizing the room.

Desks and chairs were piled against the walls, and there was an upturned wastepaper basket, but this was not what he was looking for.

"Aren't we a bit young for a rendezvous in an empty classroom?" Ginny joked.

"Ha-ha," Harry said, "Very funny."

He walked forward, and that was when he saw it: The tall, ancient mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top. It read:

_Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi._

_The Mirror of Erised,_ Harry said, _I was worried it wouldn't be here. It was moved before the new year last timeline._

_So why is it still here?_

_Dumbledore... I think he actually hoped I would find it._

_What is so special about this mirror? I can't believe you never told me about it._

_Walk forward to the mirror until you see a reflection._

She did so. _Er... I just see me..._

_You're not doing anything... your reflection isn't? _

_It is just me._

Harry frowned and walked forward.

_Hey, it changed! As soon as you came into the frame... look! I think it was meant for both of us!_

Harry was silent, even in his mind. The reflection was different from the last time... much different. He and Ginny were older... not just as old as their selves in 2001 either. Harry looked like he was in his thirties, as did Ginny. Then three more figures walked forward: two little boys, perhaps Hogwarts age... eleven and twelve, maybe thirteen from the looks of them... one of the boys looked almost exactly like him. There was also a red-haired little girl... younger than Ginny... eight or nine perhaps.

_Harry? _Ginny said, as she looked at the children, _Are these supposed to be our... kids?_

_Our desired kids. This mirror shows our hearts' desires. _

_We have the same desires... it is why I couldn't see anything before. _She sniffled quietly, _ Oh, Harry._

_I know, love..._

Suddenly, they heard a noise behind them, and turned around. Professor Dumbledore was standing there.

"I see you two, like many before you," he said, smiling, "have found the delights of the Mirror of Erised."

"Yes, sir," Harry said.

"Do you know what it does?" Dumbledore asked.

"It shows us... what we desire?" Harry said.

"Very good," Dumbledore said, smiling, "Your deepest desires of your heart, nothing more, nothing less. And I can tell that you were both seeing the same thing."

Harry and Ginny nodded.

"Perhaps a gift from your shared Bond," Dumbledore said, "Perhaps like the Sorting Hat before it, the Mirror worked its magic when both of you were in question."

"Sir... we were hoping to request a meeting with you one of these days," Ginny said, "To ask you something about our Bond."

"Oh?" Dumbledore asked raising his eyebrows, "You have concerns?"

"Sort of," Ginny said, "We learned a theory over break, and we're not sure if it is true."

"You wish to know if you should worry about this theory?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, sir," Harry said.

"How can I be of help?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry looked at Ginny and she nodded and turned to Dumbledore.

"Harry and I wanted to know if we could speak to Nicolas Flamel and his wife," she said, "We think they probably could answer any questions we might have."

"Ah," Dumbledore said.

"We could write a letter," Harry said, "Or meet them where they live, or they could meet us"

He stopped when Dumbledore raised his hand.

"I am afraid that is not possible," Dumbledore said.

"It's not?" Harry asked.

"Why?" Ginny asked, "Sir, they may have answers we seek."

"The Flamels have recently obtained a terrible case of agoraphobia," Dumbledore said. "They had what I believed was a prophetic nightmare, a very rare event for Bond-mates, I've heard. They are accepting nobody in their presence, nor letters, because they believe the letters could be jinxed. They fear for their lives... they told me a few months ago that they believe Fate has finally decided they have lived too long. I am sorry. I, myself, have not been able to send to or receive letters from them for many weeks. But if that happens, I will let them know you are concerned."

Harry frowned. "Yes, sir."

Ginny echoed this response.

"Now," Dumbledore said, "Curfew will be coming quicker than it may seem, and I am sure you want to be rested for classes tomorrow."

Harry nodded and walked toward the exit with Ginny.

"Mr. and Mrs. Potter," Dumbledore said.

Harry and Ginny turned around.

"The mirror will be moved to a new location tonight," Dumbledore said, "and I ask that you not to go looking for it again. If you ever _do _run across it, you will now be prepared. It does not do to dwell on

dreams and forget to live, remember that."

"Yes, sir," Harry and Ginny said, together, before exiting the room.

"Did he just err invite us to go looking for it again?" Ginny asked, amused, as they headed off for the Grand Staircase.

"Told you," Harry said.

"Harry?" Ginny said, "Do you think he was being honest about the Flamels?"

"Yes," Harry said, "I always wondered why the Stone was in the bank then brought here. It is because they had nightmares about it being in danger."

"Prophetic nightmares," Ginny said, "I hope we never experience those."

Harry nodded in agreement. They didn't say another word until they were back in the Common Room fifteen minutes later. Hermione, Ron and Neville hadn't returned and most of the room was empty. They returned to the couch in front of the fireplace. Ginny laid her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes.

"Harry," she said, and Harry noticed that she was smiling, "I want three children."

Harry chuckled. "We'll talk about it later, love."

* * *

The first Quidditch practice of the new term was the following Saturday, and Wood was in a very bad mood. At first, Harry thought his relationship with Katie had taken a turn for the worst over Christmas Break, but he wasn't any more grumpy towards her than he was with the rest of the team. Though, she seemed to think it was about her...

"All right, Oliver," Katie said, when the team had come in after a very cold, very long practice in which Oliver had worked them all to the bone, "What is it? Did I do something to upset you? I know my father wasn't exactly in the best of moods toward you when you visited on Boxing Day. I told you"

"It is nothing to do with that, Katie," Oliver said, "Don't worry. No... earlier today, McGonagall gave me some rather upsetting news. Everyone knows about our Hufflepuff match a month from today, yes?"

Everyone nodded.

"Has it been moved to an earlier day?" George asked.

"Or later?" Fred asked, "Better not be Valentine's Day... I have a date in Hogsmeade."

"With who?" George asked.

Fred didn't say, though Harry noticed that Angelina was trying to avoid everyone's gaze.

"So do Oliver and I," Katie said, "It better not be, Oliver... I could understand why you'd be upset."

"No," Oliver said. "Snape is refereeing the match..."

"_Snape's _refereeing?" George spluttered. "When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match?"

The rest of the team started to complain, too, except for Harry. This was yet another detail of the last timeline he had forgotten.

"It's not _my _fault," said Wood. "We've just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape hasn't got an excuse to pick on us."

Harry then remembered a discussion he had with Ginny and Ron that morning when he had mentioned practice to them.

"Hey, Wood," he said, "I was wondering something..."

"If you're worried about Snape, I'm sorry," Wood said, "Catch the Snitch quickly next month, and we'll all be okay, eh? Work on speed this month."

"Sure, but I didn't mean that," Harry said, "I think our team could use a couple of reserves. You never know when one of us might get injured badly."

"I usually do not use reserves," Oliver said.

"I was a reserve, if you remember," Katie scoffed.

Oliver rolled his eyes. "Who do you have in mind, Potter?"

"Ginny and Ron," Harry said, "Fred and George's sister and brother."

Oliver frowned and shut his locker.

"Potter, your place on this team is special circumstances," he said. "McGonagall was as desperate as I had been to find a Seeker. But a couple of more first years, one of them ten years old? Even reserves..."

"They're very good, Oliver," Fred said.

"Whipped our butts over the summer," George said.

"Hmm... positions?" Oliver asked Harry.

"Ginny could be Chaser or Seeker," Harry said, "And Ron... err... Keeper."

Oliver snorted. "I have no plans on getting seriously injured, Potter. I'll think about it."

* * *

Over the following week, there were three more practices, and Oliver had yet to say anything. But during the third practice on the following Saturday, Katie took a bad hit from a Bludger aimed by Fred. She lost control of her broom and crashed into the ground. A few hours later, during dinner, Wood found Harry and told him that Katie was okay, though she had suffered a broken wrist, and a concussion. She could still play, but the fall had definitely scared him, partially because she was his girlfriend, and partially because he had no extra Chaser.. He told Ron and Ginny to be at the Pitch the following Tuesday evening for reserve try-outs.

Ginny and Ron were both understandably nervous. They had not been on a broom in months. So on Monday evening, Harry brought Ron, Ginny, his broom, and two filched brooms from the Pitch, to the Room of Requirement and asked it to make a room suitable for flying. The room was very tall and very wide. Using a Quaffle the room had provided, Harry and Ginny practiced passing back and forth and attempting to score through a ring of lights Harry had conjured that Ron guarded. By the time they went back to the Common Room, Ron and Ginny were no longer nervous.

On Tuesday evening, with Hermione watching (Neville was in the library doing Charms homework), Oliver told Ron to guard the three rings, and Ginny joined Alicia and Katie in the air. Angelina would be the opposition's Chaser. Fred and George were also in the air; Oliver wanted to know how Ginny worked against Bludgers.

Oliver blew the whistle and threw the Quaffle to Katie. She flew into the air and headed for Ginny and Alicia. Katie immediately threw the Quaffle to Ginny, and she flew forward, and ducked her broom under Angelina who was flying toward her. Harry grinned when Oliver looked impressed. Ginny passed the Quaffle to Alicia, then flew to avoid a Bludger Fred had aimed in her direction. She flew toward the rings, and Alicia passed the Quaffle to Katie, who immediately passed it to Ginny, who was in range. She faked a throw to the right ring, and aimed to the left... and scored!

"Nice!" Oliver said, his voice magnified, "Ron, watch those fakes!"

Over the next half-hour, Ginny excelled in both passing, dodging and scoring. Harry was not surprised... she was still a Harpy, even in miniature. Ron was catching half the attempts thrown at him, and while he couldn't catch Ginny's attempts, he seemed to be able to catch almost all of Katie's.

"Come on down, Ron!" Oliver said, as he mounted a broom, "Chasers, stay where you are! I want to see how Ginny goes against me!"

Ron looked exhausted but happy as he landed next to Harry.

"So?" he asked, "Was Oliver impressed?"

"Couldn't tell," Harry said.

"He seems impressed with Ginny," Ron said, as the Chasers resumed pursuit. "I couldn't catch any of hers."

"Did we tell you she was a Harpy in the old timeline?" Harry asked.

"Professional League?" Ron asked, his eyes bulging, "With Holyhead?"

Yep," Harry said, "She was just finishing up her first season.".

"You kept that quiet!" Ron said, "Blimey. Did err the other me support her?"

"Except for when she creamed the Cannons," Harry said, "She scored thirteen of the sixteen rings. And she played that match because one of the other Harpies broke their wrist a couple days beforehand. She was a reserve, but she probably would have started by the next season."

Ron blinked. Harry grinned and looked up in the air as Ginny scored a middle ring that just slipped past Oliver. He cheered and clapped.

"She was going to play for about err three or four more seasons," Harry said, "then we were going to try to start a family."

"Think she could be a Harpy this timeline?" Ron asked.

"If the Fates allow," Harry said.

Ginny practiced as a Chaser for about ten more minutes before Oliver wanted to see her Seeker skills. He told Harry to get into the air. Oliver then began throwing golf balls into the air, one at a time, for Harry and Ginny to fly after and catch. Harry caught six of the ten golf balls before Oliver stopped the session and told them to land.

"Okay," Oliver said, when everyone on the ground, "Weasley..."

"Yes?" Ginny, Ron, Fred and George asked, in unison.

Oliver rolled his eyes, while Fred, George, Harry and Angelina snickered.

"Ron," he amended.

"Yes?" Ron asked.

"You were pretty good up there," Oliver said. "Like I told Potter, I don't see me getting injured. Show up for practices, but you'll be sitting in the stands during games."

"I'm I'm a reserve?" Ron asked, blinking rapidly.

"Yes," Oliver said, "Ginny?"

"Aye?" Ginny asked.

"Excellent work up there," Oliver said, "Superb passing and dodging. Fooled me once or twice at the rings, and Ron is no match for his little sister."

"I'm thankful she's a Gryffindor," Ron said.

"Agreed," Oliver said, "I am very happy with my three Chasers, but as we learned on Saturday, no one is immune to injury. In fact... my three Chasers would probably kiss me to know that they're starters solely because they were here first."

"Just one of us will be kissing you, I think," Katie muttered.

Oliver ignored her. "You need work as Seeker, Ginny, though I might say your performance was due to your opponent."

Ginny pouted in Harry's direction, and Fred, George and Ron snickered.

"Are you sure you're ten?" Oliver asked her.

"Sometimes, I feel older," Ginny said, with a smirk.

Ron and Harry looked at each other, as they tried to hold back grins.

"Chaser reserve," Oliver said, "Practice as a Chaser and Seeker. Be ready to play in case of injury. You could replace one of four people due to that factor alone. "

"Thanks," Ginny said.

"Practice is over for today," Oliver said, "We're all working hard on Thursday. We have a match in less than two weeks. Get changed!"

"Yes, Captain," the team starters and new reserves said.

When Harry, Ginny and Ron walked out of the locker room, Hermione was looking at them expectantly.

"Reserves," Harry said, "Both of them."

Hermione squealed and hugged Ron. Though she backed up quickly, blushing and looking as if she hadn't meant to do that.

"Er... thanks, Hermione," Ron said, blushing and looking confused.

"Yes, well, good job," Hermione said, breathless, "You too, Ginny."

"Just don't hug me," Ginny said.

"I'll leave that to Harry," Hermione said.

* * *

"Oliver played for Puddlemere?" Ron asked, with wide eyes, "and you scored on him in the pro league?"

"How do you think I figured out how to get past some of his moves out there?" Ginny asked.

Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione were talking in whispers in the Gryffindor Common Room half-an-hour later, and Ron had been interrogating Ginny about the pro league ever since they had made their way into the castle.

"Blimey," Ron said, "My own sister"

At that moment Neville toppled into the common room. How he had managed to climb through the portrait hole was anyone's guess, because his legs had been stuck together with what they recognized at once as the Leg-Locker Curse. He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor Tower.

_Damn it, _Harry said, _I had hoped we could avoid this part this time._

_It happened last time?_

Harry nodded and performed the counter course.

"Malfoy?" he asked, as he, Hermione and Ron helped Neville over to the couch.

"I met him outside the library," Neville said, nodding, "He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on."

"Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione urged Neville. "Report him!"

Neville shook his head.

"I don't want more trouble," he mumbled.

"You've got to stand up to him, Neville!" said Ron. "He's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier."

"I wish I could get him back," Neville said, "Yes, Hermione, I know I'd get in trouble, but I just wish."

Hermione had opened her mouth to speak, but closed it and frowned.

"What if you could?" Ginny asked, "We'll start dueling exercises this Saturday."

"You all have practice that day," Hermione said, then looked at Neville, "Ron and Ginny made the reserves."

"Brilliant," Neville said, smiling for the first time since he had come into the room.

"Hey... you're worth twelve of Malfoy," Harry said. "The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In _effing_Slytherin."

"Okay," Ginny said, "During the week. We're not doing too many mind exercises lately."

"True," Harry said, "All three of you have blocked the memories of learning our secrets on Christmas Eve."

Hermione, Ron and Neville smiled.

"This Thursday then," Ginny said, "Agreed?"

The four others nodded.

* * *

The next week and a half was incredibly busy for the five friends. Classwork piled up to the point that it was a chore to do the dueling exercises and Quidditch practices. They were up until past midnight most weeknights doing homework.

Harry and Ginny had started them on the Leg-Locker Curse and Disarming Spell, since those were the easiest to learn for first years, and, when mastered, could prevent people like Malfoy from harming them. Hermione was the quickest to learn both, and by the third class two days before the Quidditch match, she had succeeded in putting the leg-locking curse on Harry, and had disarmed Ginny, even though Ginny's wand had only gone a few feet, and not in Hermione's direction.  
Ron had managed to put the leg-locker curse halfway on Harry, causing his shoes to stick together, but the curse lifted a moment later without need of a counter. He had successfully used the curse on Neville, though he apologized quickly, because nobody wanted Neville to suffer the curse again.

Neville was having no luck at all, though he seemed encouraged, when Harry dropped his wand on purpose during Disarming practice. Ginny recognized this and thought it was very sweet for Harry to do.

* * *

_February 7__th__, 1992_

Fifteen minutes before the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff match, after giving Harry a good luck kiss, Ginny made her way toward the stands.

"I saw that, Ginevra," a voice said behind her, as she walked up the stairs toward the stands.

Ginny turned and saw Percy walking toward her.

"Saw what?" Ginny asked.

"You kissed Potter," Percy said.

She growled and made sure her mind link was closed. She didn't want Harry hearing this before a match.

"You're spying on us?" asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Ginny, you're ten," Percy said, "Do not give me that Soul-Bond stuff. I very much doubt it requires you to kiss him now."

"So tell Mum," Ginny said, "While you're at it, tell her she's only making things worse if she's having you spy on me and _my husband._ Yeah, you can tell her I said that. If she wants to say something, tell her to write to me and to not make Dad do it. Also remind her, and yourself... June is coming up pretty fast. I'm already deciding how I want my room at _my home _to be decorated. Think about that."

Ginny started up the steps, then looked back at Percy.

"And don't call him Potter," Ginny said, "Malfoy refers to his last name, and Harry has a habit of seeing it as an insult. Last time someone insulted Harry in front of me, my Bond gave them a nasty rash."

Percy scoffed, but Ginny only smiled, to annoy him, and walked up the stairs. She found Ron, Hermione and Neville and sat down.

"What took you so long?" Ron asked, "Harry?"

"Percy," Ginny said. "I guess Mum told him to spy on me and Harry. He didn't deny it. I decided to kiss Harry for luck on the match"

"Percy saw you?" Ron asked.

Ginny nodded.

"I could write to Bill," Ron said, "Mum would expect a letter from you to him to say something about her. I could ask him to try to convince Mum..."

"No," Ginny said, "She has to convince herself by June."

"Or you're going to Potter Manor?" Ron asked, frowning.

"Mmhmm," Ginny said.

"Are you sure?" Ron asked.

"I thought you supported me and Harry," Ginny said, narrowing her eyes.

"I do!" Ron said, "But... I'd miss you during the summer."

"We'd invite you over," Ginny said, "The swimming pool is very nice."

"You sound like you're already planning on living there," Ron said.

"It is _my home_," Ginny said, "You don't know how much I miss it."

Ron frowned. Lee Jordan announced the Hufflepuff players, but neither Ron nor Ginny paid attention.

"Sometimes I forget you don't belong here," Ron said.

"Hey... you won't lose me, Ron," Ginny said, "I'm still your baby sister, even if I'm so much older in my mind. Harry and I will still be here. I just..."

"You miss it," Ron said.

"I was in love with my life before everything happened," Ginny said.

"I'm sorry," Ron said, "Harry told me last week you were planning for children in the next few years before it all went haywire."

"Children will come," Ginny said, as the image of the Mirror of Erised's reflection flashed in her mind, "Just..."

"You have to wait even longer now," Ron said.

Ginny nodded and frowned as she watched Harry and the rest of the Gryffindors circle the Pitch. She smiled when she saw Harry looking at her, and she felt him prod her mind.

"Harry wants to chat before the match begins," Ginny said.

"Tell him good luck from his friends," Ron said, before he turned to talk to Hermione.

_I'm here, Harry, _Ginny said, _Sorry... I was having a heart-to-heart with Ron._

_You okay? You looked a bit sad..._

_I'll talk about it later. Focus on the match. And Snape. Oh, everyone says good luck._

_Thanks. I love you._

_I love you too, Harry. Forever. _

Ginny chuckled when she thought she could see him kiss his hand where his wedding ring was. She kissed hers and backed out of Harry's mind.

"I've never seen Snape look so mean," Ron was saying to Hermione.

"You do know he's not guilty of what we thought," Hermione said.

"He's still a git," Ron said, "Look they're off. Ouch!"

Someone had poked Ron in the back of the head. It was Malfoy.

"Oh, sorry, Weasley," Draco said, "didn't see you there."

Malfoy grinned broadly at Crabbe and Goyle.

"Wonder how long Potter's going to stay on his broom this time?" he asked, Anyone want a bet? What about you, little Weasley?"

"Long enough to catch the Snitch, Draco," Ginny said, "Do you have ten galleons on you? I'll take that bet."

"Sell your house recently?" Draco asked.

Snape awarded Hufflepuff a penalty because George had hit a Bludger at him.

"You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?" said Malfoy loudly a few minutes later, as Snape awarded Hufflepuff another penalty for no reason at all. "It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Potter, who's got no parents, then there's the Weasleys, who've got no money, I heard you two are reserves, is that right? you should be on the team, Longbottom, you've got no brains."

Neville went bright red but turned in his seat to face Malfoy.

"I'm worth twelve of you, Malfoy," he stammered.

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle howled with laughter, but Ron, still not daring to take his eyes from the game, said, "You tell him, Neville."

"Longbottom, if brains were gold you'd be poorer than the Weasleys, and that's saying something," Draco said.

Neville twisted his hand and his wand fell from his holster to his fingers. Ginny kept her eyes on the match as she brought her own wand to her hand and pointed it at Malfoy, stealthily. Neville pointed his own at Malfoy, who laughed as his cronies guffawed.

_Locomotor Mortis, _she said, silently, just as Neville said it aloud.

Draco's eyes widened, as his legs locked together and he fell over. Neville looked on amazed. He pointed his wand at Crabbe and Goyle, and so did Ginny and Ron. The two Slytherins looked scared as they pulled Draco up by the arms and hurried away.

"I-I did it!" Neville said.

Ginny smiled; Neville needed this little victory.

"Ginny! Ron!" said Hermione suddenly, "Harry !"

"What?" Ron asked, "Where?"

Ginny saw him. Harry had suddenly gone into a spectacular dive, which drew gasps and cheers from the crowd. Hermione stood up, her crossed fingers in her mouth, and Ginny, Neville and Ron cheered as Harry streaked toward the ground like a bullet.

"Come on, Harry!" Hermione screamed.

"Get it!" Ron said.

"You can do it, love," Ginny said, under her breath.

Harry sped straight at Snape. Snape turned on his broomstick just in time to see something scarlet shoot past him, missing him by inches the next second, Harry had pulled out of the dive, his arm raised in triumph, the Snitch clasped in his hand.

Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Neville and the rest of the Gryffindors cheered in triumph. Beside Ginny, Hermione was hugging Ron and Neville with an arm around each.

"Party in the tower!" Seamus Finnegan was saying a couple rows behind Ginny.

_Nice one, love, _Ginny said, as Harry was surrounded by their teammates.

_I'll see you in a few minutes after I get showered and changed._

_I'll meet you at the locker room... we have a few things to discuss..._

* * *

**Unfortunately you won't see that discussion. She would just tell Harry about Percy.**

**A lot covered in this chapter! I really loved this one, especially the Mirror of Erised, Ginny's talk with Percy, and her talk with Ron. **

**I'm sure you can guess who the three kids were in the Mirror (wink, wink). I decided not to let Ron, Hermione, and Neville see the mirror, because it would be so confusing to write, and out of character for Neville, and perhaps Hermione (though she has obvious desires Ron's affection and excelling in her work) to reveal what their desires are to their friends. **

**The discussions were not originally planned for this chapter. Ron and Ginny's heart-to-heart was a gift for those reviewers who wanted to see it I didn't plan that until I started writing it! And, in my notes, Percy's spying reveal was originally just two or three sentences during the brief time-skip, describing him spying and Ron writing to Bill to confirm it. Glad I lengthened those. **

**As for Dumbledore, Harry and Ginny don't know that he has information they need, so they didn't ask him; they were intent on talking to the Flamels, and their disappointment kept them from asking him if he knew, even when he asked if he could be of help.**

**Next Chapter: a scene between Sirius and Amelia, yet another short time-skip description (including Ron's birthday) and Norbert(a) comes into the story... and possibly more!**

**Hope you liked this one!**


	52. Butterfly

**Chapter 52  
Butterfly**

**Author's Note: For those wondering about the Snape confronting Quirrel scene, that was after the Quidditch match. I decided to skip that. Harry remembered that happening so he decided not to risk being seen.**

**Malfoy's lawyer will be discussed this chapter, and I realized a while back I made a mistake in his name... different last name in two different chapters. His last name is Beauford, not Beaumont. Just clearing it up.**

**Disclaimer: Recognizable sections of this chapter come directly from Chapter 14 of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling. I do not  
take claim for these, only my own additions.**

* * *

**(Sirius' PoV)**

_February 14__th__, 1992_

Sirius walked down the corridor on the second floor of the Ministry of Magic, muttering to himself, wondering why Amelia had to work today... on a Saturday, and Valentine's Day to boot! He had planned all week to spend the whole day with her. The two of them had been very busy over the past month: Sirius had almost non-stop Auror duties, which was usually just minor missions and paperwork, and he had also been working on plans to restore the Potter house at Godric's Hollow. Out of the past four weeks, he and Amelia had two weekends with each other, and a handful of lunch dates during the week.

That morning, she had sent him a letter stating she had to be in the courtroom that morning for an unexpected hearing. So he decided to surprise her with lunch, and hoped she was available. There were things he wanted to talk about with her anyway. In one hand, he had a large paper sack with lunch from the Leaky Cauldron. In the other, he had his black briefcase.

He walked into the front office of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, where Amelia's secretary, Samantha, was reading one of her trashy romance novels.

"May I help you?" she asked, not looking up from the book.

"Haven't you found someone to take your mind of those books?" Sirius asked, "It is Valentine's Day."

Samantha smiled as she looked up at Sirius.

"Romantic dinner planned tonight with an old classmate from Hogwarts," she said.

"Should I be jealous?" Sirius asked.

"You're not my type," Samantha said.

"Too old?" Sirius asked.

"Wrong gender," Samantha said, with a wink.

Sirius blinked; that was unexpected. "Well-played. Is Amy in?"

"Depends," Samantha said, "Is she expecting you?"

"It wouldn't be a surprise visit if she was," Sirius said.

"She's in," Samantha said.

Sirius smiled. He walked across the room to the door, which was unusually vacant of security Aurors. Sirius knocked on the door.

"I'm busy, Sammy," Amelia's voice said inside the room.

Sirius smiled and opened the door, then peered inside. "Even for the love of your life?"

Amelia looked up from something she was working on and grinned. She motioned for him to come inside, and he obliged and shut the door behind him. She stood up, crossed the room, and put her arms around his neck in a hug, before kissing him.

"Surprise?" Sirius said, when Amelia backed away.

Amelia grinned. "I should have known. I'm sorry... I know you planned a day for the two of us. But, I got a post this morning and had to come in today. There was an arrest last night, and I have to work on the case file before the trial on Monday."

"Anything you can talk about?" Sirius asked.

"Depends," she said, "Is that lunch?"

"BLTs and chips, Butterbeer, and a heart-shaped cherry pie," Sirius said, "Tom's Valentine's special."

"We can talk about it," Amelia said.

"Brilliant," Sirius said, as he followed Amelia over to the desk, "Because I also have things to talk about."

She raised her eyebrows and he indicated the briefcase.

"You first, though," Sirius said.

He sat down, and took out two Styrofoam trays and Butterbeer and handed one of each to Amelia.

"Remember Sam Beauford?" Amelia said, before starting on her sandwich.

"Lucius Malfoy's pet lawyer?" Sirius asked.

"Exactly," Amelia said, "My department has been investigating him. And he was finally him last night. A list of bribery charges as long as my wand. Could get five years in Azkaban. I've been working on it all day, and earlier this morning, I received an owl from one Greyson Uley. Ring any bells."

"That dwarf lawyer?" Sirius asked.

"Mmhmm," Amelia said, "Beauford never paid him for his stunt appearance in Harry's guardianship, so he's volunteered to be a witness at the case. We could get stuff on Lucius Malfoy too."

Sirius felt his throat tighten. He remembered Harry mentioning he needed Lucius to be a free man in order to get one of the Horcruxes. He took a swig from his bottle of butterbeer to calm himself down.

"Amelia, please do not bring up Lucius on Monday," he finally said.

"Why?" Amelia asked, raising her eyebrows.

"He's... he's a target for our internal investigations," Sirius said, "I am working on him myself. I hope to have him by the end of this summer."

"Is that what you wanted to talk about today?" Amelia asked.

"No... but a similar topic," Sirius said, picking up his briefcase.

Amelia frowned and took another bite of her sandwich and chewed thoughtfully. She then wrote down something in her notes.

"Okay," she said, when she finished, "Because Beauford is Lucius' lawyer, Lucius will have emotional leverage in this hearing. He is now barred from the courtroom. That should do it. I hope you know what you're doing with this. I'm only doing this because it is you, and because of our investigation. I don't like it, though."

"I promise his part of this investigation will lead to more arrests," Sirius said.

Amelia nodded. "What's in the briefcase?"

"Do you remember when I told you how I visited James and Lily's house in Godric's Hollow?" Sirius asked.

"Sure," Amelia said, "But you've been very quiet about some of the things you found there."

"James was spending the last few months of his life very wisely," Sirius said, before tapping the case with his wand.

He took out a few peach-colored folders and spread them out over a vacant portion of the desk.

"He was investigating possible Death Eaters and Dark allies who could have been in the Ministry," he said, "There are a lot of names here of people who are not in Azkaban. Some still have very good roles here in the Ministry."

"Which departments?" Amelia asked, frowning.

"Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, International Magical Cooperation," Sirius said, tapping his wand from one folder to the next, "Department of Mysteries..."

"Magical Law Enforcement?" Amelia asked, her eyes wide in fright.

Sirius nodded, "And the Ministerial Offices and Wizengamot."

"James Potter, may Merlin rest your good soul," Amelia said.

"This is what we need, Amelia," Sirius said.

"I'll take the my Department and the Wizengamot's folders," Amelia said, "So I know who to be wary of. But we still won't be able to do anything until this summer."

"I agree," Sirius said, "A number of these people could finger Lucius Malfoy..."

"... and you need him," Amelia finished, nodding.

Sirius pushed the two requested folders across the table and put the rest in his briefcase.

"I'll put these in my safe," Amelia said, as she stood, "Do you need a drink? I need a drink."

"I thought of bringing something, but I'll save it for tonight," Sirius said.

"Mmm," Amelia said, "Can't wait."

She kissed Sirius lightly before she crossed the room to her safe.

* * *

**(Harry's PoV)**

After the victorious Quidditch match, things at Hogwarts seemed to speed up. The end of Harry's first year the second go-round was quickly coming to a close. He strengthened his resolve to keep an eye on Quirrel, but to not make it so obvious. He and his four friends still took turns checking on Fluffy to make sure the dog was okay. Everything seemed to be okay, and Harry hoped that the timeline stayed solid for this part of it.

He and Ginny continued to train Ron, Hermione and Neville in dueling, though they never taught too many spells that would be difficult for first years to learn. They knew if anyone had discovered that five first years could do good offensive and defensive spells, they could be discovered and unwanted questions would come their way.

On March first, Ron's 12th birthday, Harry and Ginny hadn't said much to Ron about his birthday for most of the day. That evening he was fairly upset about it, but he cheered up quickly when he walked into the Gryffindor Common Room after dinner to find a surprise party put together by the Gryffindor First Years and Quidditch team. Ron's grin didn't leave his face until he fell asleep.

Because the last match, against Ravenclaw would not come until June, Quidditch practices had dropped down to once a week, mainly on the weekends. However, the team knew this wouldn't last. Slytherin was due to play Hufflepuff in April and if they won the match with a high score, Gryffindor would have to win their last match to win the Cup, even though they had beat Slytherin their first match.

Percy was still unresponsive and unfair toward Harry and Ginny, even when Ron and the twins would try to talk to him about it. Soon, Mr. Weasley was not only writing to just Ginny in replace of her mother, but he was writing to Fred, George and Ron as well. It seemed Mrs. Weasley was still not happy about the Soul-Bond, and like Percy, was waiting for Ginny to change her mind. Charlie, meanwhile had not written at all. Ginny was still torn between wanting to live at Potter Manor and the desire to rekindle the relationships with her family, and didn't speak on the topic much at all.

Spring came in like a lamb during the first week of April, and this was very welcome for Harry and Ginny. This meant that they could, once again, spend free time at their spot under the large oak tree during the afternoons. Unfortunately, this did not last...

When Easter holidays came around, the homework seemed to rise in preparation for the end-of-term exams in the coming months, so free time was very hard to find.

On the last day of Easter holidays, in which the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione and Neville had all opted to stay at Hogwarts for, the five friends were sitting in the library working on their Potions essays.

Hagrid shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back.

He looked very out of place in his moleskin overcoat.

"Jus' lookin'," he said, in a shifty voice that got their interest at once. "An' what're you lot up ter?" He looked suddenly suspicious. "Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?"

"No," Hermione said, "We know Fluffy is guarding the Philosopher's -"

"Shh!" Hagrid interrupted her, and accidentally dropped what he was holding.

Ron ducked down and picked up a book.

"Dragons?" he asked.

"Shh!" Hagrid hushed Ron this time, as he grabbed the book from Ron.

The five friends looked up at Hagrid with raised eyebrows. His large cheeks grew red.

"How 'bout yeh five come 'round me hut this evenin'," he said, "Seven or so. I got a treat for ya."

Hagrid smiled and walked away before anyone could answer.

"Er..." Neville said, "He isn't inviting us for tea, is he?"

Harry shook his head.

"Could it get us in trouble?" Hermione asked.

"_Will _it get us in trouble?" Ron asked, "Or did you forget about this too?"

"I know what it is," Harry said, "It could possibly get us in trouble. Though I could avoid all the risks this go-round."

"Well," Ron said, "I'm in. I need a break from homework anyway. I know this stuff anyway"

"Oh, really?" Hermione asked, "What is the key ingredient for a Forgetfulness Potion then?"

Ron blushed. "I forgot."

Harry, Ginny and Neville snickered as Hermione shook her head and rolled her eyes.

* * *

That evening, Harry and his friends walked down to Hagrid's hut and he knocked on the door. Fang barked at the sound.

"Back, Fang," Hagrid said, as he opened the door, "Get down, yeh mutt, an' leave that cauldron alone! Ah, hullo, come on in, it is almost ready... you're gonna like this."

Harry followed his friends inside the stifling hot hut and they sat around the table. The large boarhound walked over to Ginny and started licking her in the face. She giggled and patted his head.

"Whew," Ron said, "boiling in here, can we open a window?"

"Nope," Hagrid grunted, "Supposed to be like this."

Ron raised an eyebrow.

"Er... we having tea, Hagrid?" Hermione asked, as she eyed the cauldron.

"Sorry, 'Mione," Hagrid said, "Fire was quite occupied tonight. Has been for a few days now. But I think it is ready."

"What is ready?" Hermione asked, in a high voice, as she looked at Harry.

Hagrid turned to the fire and put mittens the size of dinner plates on his hands. He lifted something out of the cauldron and walked over to the table, where he put a very large egg on the table. Harry raised his eyebrows... had the egg looked this close to hatching this time last timeline?

"Er... you do know Easter was last week, Hagrid," Neville said.

"This isn't an Easter egg, Neville," Ron said, "That... is a dragon egg."

"Dragon?" Hermione echoed, as Neville sputtered.

"Where did you get it, Hagrid?" said Ron, crouching over the table to get a closer look at the egg. "It must've cost you a fortune."

"Won it," said Hagrid. "Las' night. I was down in the village havin' a few drinks an' got into a game o' cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest."

Harry frowned. He was going to have to explain this to his friends later.

"But what are you going to do with it when it's hatched?" said Hermione.

"Well, I've bin doin' some readin'," said Hagrid, pulling a large book from under his pillow. "Got this outta the library — _Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit _— it's a bit outta date, o' course, but

it's all in here. Keep the egg in the fire, 'cause their mothers breathe on 'em, see, an' when it hatches, feed it on a bucket o' brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. An' see here — how ter recognize diff 'rent eggs — what I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them. And –"

Suddenly there was a loud clicking sound. It was coming from the egg.

"Ah, yes," Hagrid purred, "Excellent."

Harry then saw something moving inside the egg, and the clicks turned to cracks.

"Err... Hagrid?" Hermione said, "I think... um, I think it is..."

All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table.

"Hatching," Hermione said, wide-eyed.

It was exactly how Harry remembered it; Harry thought it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body, it had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes.

It sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its snout.

"Isn't he _beautiful_?" Hagrid murmured. He reached out a hand to stroke the dragon's head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs.

"Bless him, look, he knows his mommy!" said Hagrid.

The dragon growled.

"Er... Hagrid," Harry said, "I think it is a _she._"

"Er... how do you know?" Hagrid said.

Everyone, but Hagrid, looked at him amused. He wondered exactly how to answer that.

"Well... look at her," Harry said, "She has..."

The dragon cried out, growled and snapped its mouth, before falling over.

"... a temper?" Harry suggested.

Ginny and Hermione glared at Harry for some reason. Harry looked at Ginny questioningly as she crossed her arms against her robes.

"Look!" Ron said, pointing at the window, before Harry could ask Ginny what was wrong.

Harry turned around, stood up and headed over to the window. He could see a bright blonde head of hair, running toward the castle.

"Malfoy," he growled.

"Oh dear," Hagrid said.

* * *

Ten minutes later, the five friends were on their way back up to the castle.

"Malfoy's going to tell someone, isn't he?" Neville asked.

"He'll wait until he can get more proof," Harry said, "Until he can get us all in trouble. We have to do something. Last time, Charlie..."

Harry's throat tightened. Charlie... he wasn't exactly speaking to them.

"I'll write to him," Ron said, "He won't ignore something like this."

"Good," Harry said, "Think it'll work Ginny?"

Ginny shrugged and kept her eyesight on the ground as they reached the castle's front doors.

"Something wrong?" Harry asked, as they headed into the entrance hall, "You're awfully quiet."

"I thought you'd appreciate that," Ginny said, "Especially if you think I have a temper!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Harry asked.

"The dragon's a girl, because she has a temper?" Ginny asked.

Harry's eyes bulged. Oops... he realized what was wrong. He looked at Ron and Neville who were grinning at him. Hermione seemed interested in what Harry had to say next.

"Oh come on!" Harry said to Ginny, "I was referring to the dragon, not girls in general. I was trying to convince Hagrid!"

"So why did you blame her temper on being a girl?" Ginny asked, "And not on being a newborn dragon!"

"So this isn't a temper-tantrum?" Harry retorted, with a grin.

Ginny ignored him for the rest of the evening. She wouldn't even have one of their nightly telepathic discussions in bed before they fell asleep.

* * *

It took a good telepathic apology the following morning for Ginny to begin to talk to him again. Things then went back to normal between the couple, but Harry was very careful with what he said to Ginny over the following week.

Three days after the dragon hatched, Ron told Harry about Charlie's letter, and that Charlie requested them to bring the dragon to the top of the Astronomy tower, the following Saturday at midnight. Harry was surprised to find that Charlie had specifically asked for him and Ginny to be there. Ginny wasn't sure about accepting this. If Charlie was still against the Bond, she didn't fancy an argument with him.

Harry was adamant about only him and Ginny going. He told his friends about what had happened last time, and that he didn't want them to get in trouble for this. They reluctantly agreed to stay in the Common Room that night.

Hagrid, too was reluctant, and this lasted all the way through until late Saturday evening when Harry and Ginny came to pick up the dragon.

"We have to hurry, Hagrid," Harry said, "I swear I heard someone trying to follow us in the corridors."

Hagrid had the dragon packed and ready in a large crate.

"She's got lots o' rats an' some brandy fer the journey," said Hagrid in a muffled voice. "An' I've packed her teddy bear in case she gets lonely."

From inside the crate came ripping noises that sounded to Harry as though the teddy was having his head torn off.

"Bye-bye, Norberta!" Hagrid sobbed, as Harry and Ginny covered the crate with the Invisibility Cloak and stepped underneath it themselves. "Mommy will never forget you!"

How they managed to get the crate back up to the castle, they never knew. Midnight ticked nearer as they heaved Norberta up the marble staircase in the entrance hall and along the dark corridors.

Up another staircase, then another — even one of Harry's shortcuts didn't make the work much easier.

"Nearly there!" Harry said as they reached the corridor beneath the tallest tower.

Then a sudden movement ahead of them made them almost drop the crate. Forgetting that they were already invisible, they shrank into the shadows, staring at the dark outlines of two people grappling with each other ten feet away. A lamp flared. Professor McGonagall, in a tartan bathrobe and a hair net, had Malfoy by the ear.

"Detention!" she shouted. "And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how _dare _you —"

"You don't understand, Professor," Draco said, "Harry Potter's coming — he's got a dragon!"

"What utter rubbish!" McGonagall said, "How dare you tell such lies! Come on — I shall see Professor Snape about you, Malfoy!"

The steep spiral staircase up to the top of the tower seemed the easiest thing in the world after that. Not until they'd stepped out into the cold night air did they throw off the cloak, glad to be able to breathe properly again.

"I knew it was Malfoy," Harry said, with a sigh, "How he found out about this this time, I don't know. I burned the note."

As they waited, Harry checked the Marauder's Map and made sure he had the cloak with him. McGonagall and Malfoy were on their way toward the dungeons. Filch and Mrs. Norris were on the fourth floor.

"There!" Ginny said, about ten minutes later, as four broomsticks came swooping

down out of the darkness.

Charlie was one of the four on the broomsticks.

"Prepare the dragon," Charlie said, "I have to talk to my sister and her... friend."

Ginny narrowed her eyes, as Charlie walked over to them.

"We have to go, Charlie," Ginny said, "It is very late."

"I just want to talk," Charlie said.

"I don't want to hear a message from Mum," Ginny said, "She can write to me on her own."

"She isn't writing to me either, sis," Charlie said, "For two weeks now... ever since I told her this: I changed my mind. I thought about it, and I'm sorry. I was... angry. I didn't understand. You're my baby sister, and this is a boy I've just met. It... it shocked me to hear you say those things about him... especially at your age. But... Bill and Dad were right. You're going to need your family."

Harry looked at Ginny, whose eyes were watering. She frowned, and suddenly leaped toward Charlie and hugged him.

"I'll see if I can write to Mum," Charlie said, as Ginny backed up. "And Percy... and I'll tell them that although I want you home in June, they should not keep you from spending time with Harry during the summer. I don't want to risk our relationship over this, or your lives because I'm keeping you from each other... which would probably be impossible anyway."

"Thanks, Charlie," Ginny said, tearfully, "You don't know how much this means to me."

"Oi, Chaz!" one of the dragon trainers said, "We're ready!"

"Coming!" Charlie said, "One minute."

He turned back to Ginny and Charlie.

"I'll see you this summer, either way, I expect," he said.

"You're coming home again?" Ginny asked, grinning.

"Might have some plans," Charlie said, "Been writing letters back and forth with a girl. Hope we can start something again..."

"Ooh, do I know her?" Ginny asked.

"Course," Charlie said, "It is Nymphadora."

He winked and walked over to the brooms. Harry noticed that Ginny looked sad, as they watched Charlie and the other dragon trainers fly away through the sky with Norberta.

"I really hate foreknowledge," Ginny said, as they headed off toward the Common Room under the Invisibility Cloak.

"Pardon?" Harry asked.

"If Charlie and Dora get back together," Ginny said, "We could very well not have a certain godson in a few years."

Harry's throat tightened. _Teddy..._

Ginny nodded. "I don't really want to break my brother's heart again. But I might have to."

"Charlie never came home for Christmas last time," Harry said, "We didn't know Dora this soon because Sirius was still in Azkaban. Those three changes created the Christmas party, where Charlie asked Dora to dance."

Ginny nodded.

"Ginny," Harry said, "I think we unknowingly stepped on a butterfly."

* * *

**Whew, I love inspiration! That whole part with Dora and Charlie didn't come to my mind until I wrote it!**

**As you can see, no detention in the Forbidden Forest this time! **

**Next... the beginning of the end... of first year! (whoops and raises fists in victory.)**


	53. Through The Trapdoor

**Chapter 53  
Through The Trapdoor**

**Disclaimer: Recognizable sections of this chapter come directly from Chapter 16 and 17 of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling. I do not take claim for these, only my own additions.**

* * *

Spring continued to bring in lovely weather to Hogwarts, as April passed into May. Gryffindor Quidditch practice was, once again, three times a week, due to the Slytherins' massive victory over Hufflepuff. Gryffindor's best way to win the Cup now, was to win the match, because then they'd be the only team who had won all three of their games. If they lost, they'd have to get at least two hundred points anyway to win the cup.

In addition to practice, Harry, Ginny and Ron had to put up with the continuously growing stack of assignments as end-of-year exams inched closer every week. The first years were required to take constant notes, read chapters at a time and do an essay... and this was a repetitive cycle every week. The usual exercises during the week were cut down to once a week, and were usually dueling or strength exercises.

Most of May 2nd passed by like any other day for Harry and Ginny, because they technically had nothing to celebrate about the day anymore. There was no Victory Day yet, and if fate allowed, Victoire wouldn't exist for eight years. However, that evening, they went to the kitchens and requested two cupcakes, with a candle each, just to mark the memory of the day.

May 3rd, however, which to everyone else was just a typical Sunday full of homework or relaxation, was special to Harry and Ginny because it was the one-year mark since they had woken up back in time. That afternoon, they had a 'reflection period' where they sat together at their oak tree and looked back at the events of the past year and had discussed what had gone on, what needed to be done, and their thoughts of it all. This was now a tradition for them, and they officially labeled the day to be a 'reflection day' every year.

As May passed into the beginning of June, Harry was now keeping an eye on Professor Quirrel, on the map, every chance he could. He was quite jumpy at times too... whenever Professor Quirrel's dot would reach the third corridor, he would hold his breath, but Quirrel always passed it.

Exams began a week into June, two weeks before the end of term. Harry didn't know how he got through them, since he half-expected Quirrel's dot to make his way down to the third floor corridor every chance he had.

It was sweltering hot, especially in the large classroom where they did their written papers. They had been given special, new quills for the exams, which had been bewitched with an Anti-Cheating spell.

They had practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tapdance across a desk. Professor McGonagall watched them turn a

mouse into a snuffbox — points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was, but taken away if it had whiskers. Snape made them all nervous, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion.

Finally, at the end of the week, as Friday emerged into Saturday, the last exam of the term, Astronomy, ended, and everyone cheered into the night-sky. Argus Filch glared at everyone as they left the tower to head back to their dorms to sleep.

For most of the students, there was now only two things left to look forward to. The Gryffindor-Ravenclaw match the following Wednesday, and the Closing Feast on Friday evening where the points would be given out. But as Harry had told Ginny and his friends... they had a bigger event to look forward to. At first, Neville was sure that, maybe, just maybe nothing would happen... but Harry knew he was wrong.

* * *

That night Harry and Ginny shared another nightmare. A dark black figure was walking through the castle, away from the third floor corridor. Loud, whining moans could be heard somewhere in the distance. And the figure was holding a glimmering red stone... and was laughing victoriously.

Harry woke up in cold sweats two hours after he went to sleep. Soon, with the cloak and map in hand, he met Ginny in the Common Room. He checked the map for Quirrel whose dot was still in his living quarters. But Harry had to know. Ginny stayed in the Common Room, so he could teleport back, or she could teleport to him just in case. Then he put the cloak on and took the long journey to the forbidden third floor corridor.

The walk was nerve-wracking... his stomach seemed to twist... his feet seemed as if they were trying to walk after a poorly-placed Leg-Locking Charm had been lifted. Then he reached the door where Fluffy was... and heard loud snoring. He closed his eyes concentrating for the sound of music, but heard none.

He looked at his map again and found Quirrel still in his living quarters. Fluffy was okay... Quirrel had not come yet.

Harry teleported back to Ginny.

"Well... maybe it was – what did Dumbledore call it – a prophetic nightmare?" Ginny asked, after Harry told her his findings.

"I think you're right," Harry said, "And I have a feeling it will happen tonight."

* * *

"Tonight?" Ron, Hermione, and Neville spluttered.

"SHH!" Harry and Ginny hushed them.

They were walking across the grounds after lunch. The Gryffindor Quidditch team would be on the Pitch all afternoon and Hermione and Neville had decided they would watch, since there wasn't anything better to do.

"Yes," Harry said, "We have to stop him. All of us."

"All of us?" Hermione asked.

"Well, okay," Harry said, "It was done with three of us last time... you, me and Ron. Me and Ginny are going. And we need you, Ron, because one of the protections is a giant chess board. You play chess the best out of all of us."

"A chess match against an unseen opponent?" Ron asked, "I'm in."

"If Ron is going, so am I," Hermione said.

Neville frowned when his four friends looked at him expectantly.

"I dunno," he said, "Shouldn't we just tell Dumbledore?"

"He went to London," Harry said, "I saw an article in the Daily Prophet. There's a trial today where the full Wizengamot are needed. I bet Quirrel Imperiused someone to confess a crime or something. Could be anything."

"McGonagall then?" Neville asked.

"She didn't believe us last time," Harry said, "Thought the stone was perfectly well-protected."

"Harry," Ron said, "Why don't you just sit in front of Fluffy's door and confront Quirrel tonight?"

"If I do that," Harry said, "He'll wonder how I know he'd be there..."

"Right... bad idea," Ron said.

"I still say you should tell a Professor," Neville said.

"Well, I'm not, Neville," Harry said, "I'm sorry. Okay... after practice, I'll go over with you all everything I can remember from that night..."

* * *

Quidditch practice lasted for four hours, and by the time Harry and his friends had made their way back into the castle, it was time for dinner. However, Neville didn't join them. Ginny told Harry that she feared Neville would tell one of the Professors about what was going to happen. This didn't help Harry's mood at all.

Thinking he'd return to the dormitory, Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione (the latter with a bit of reluctance), spent the next two hours after dinner there, waiting for Neville and watching the map for Quirrel, while discussing what would happen that evening. At one moment, as Harry was talking about Fluffy, Ginny gasped and jumped up. She hurried out of the dormitory, and didn't answer Harry's telepathic questions to her when he asked her what she was doing. She returned a few minutes later, with a wood flute.

"This is Parvati's," Ginny explained, "she plays it sometimes when the rest of us girls are trying to get some sleep."

"Not very well either," Hermione giggled.

"So when you said Fluffy falls asleep with music," Ginny said, "I knew we'd need this."

"Good idea," Harry said.

He looked down at the map... and jumped up.

_Quirrel was on the move down the third floor._

"It's time!" Harry said, "Come on!"

Ron and Hermione's eyes widened as they looked at each other. They jumped to their feet, as did Ginny. As Harry led them toward the door of the dorm, Neville arrived.

"You're going to the third floor corridor, aren't you?" he asked.

"We have to get going," Harry said, "Either come with us or step aside."

"No!" Neville said, "You told me to stand up for myself, and I will stop you."

He raised his wand, but Hermione was quicker.

"Petrificus Totalus!" she said.

Neville's eyes widened, as his whole body went rigid like wood, and he fell backward.

"Sorry about this," Harry said, as he used a levitation charm to place Neville in his bed.

He then closed the curtains around the bed and the four of them hurried off down the stairs.

"Er... only three of us will fit under the cloak," Ginny said, when they reached the portrait hole.

"Ginny," he said, "Stay here. We'll go to the third floor, and then you can teleport to me."

Ginny nodded. "Hurry."

Harry smiled and hurried under the cloak. Ginny led them out so the Fat Lady wouldn't notice anything funny, and the trio hurried toward the third floor corridor. They arrived at the third floor fifteen minutes later, and it took another three to reach Fluffy's door.

_Now, Ginny, _he said, as he concentrated on the floor a few feet away.

Ginny appeared a moment later, with her wand and flute in her hands.

"Phase one," Harry said.

"Good luck," Ginny said, as she leaned toward Harry, hugged him and kissed his cheek.

Phase One was a two-part step. Ginny walked through the door first, playing a tune on the flute. Harry, Ron and Hermione followed her in. Harry and Ron opened the trap door, quietly. He inhaled and jumped down. Cold, damp air rushed past him as he fell down, down, down... then landed on what he knew was Devil's Snare.

Hermione came next followed by Ron.

"Lumos Solem!" Harry said, as the Devil's Snare started to wrap its vines around his feet.

The vines gave way, and the trio fell to the ground. Harry grumbled in slight discomfort as he stood up.

_Teleport, _he said to Ginny.

A moment later, Ginny appeared feet from them.

"Phase Two," Harry said.

They walked forward down the stone passageway, until they reached the room full of flying keys.

"This is me and Ginny," Harry said, as he spotted the two brooms in the center of the room.

Ron and Hermione crossed the room to the other door, which was locked. Harry and Ginny walked over to the brooms and looked at each other.

"Rusty key, wilted wing," Harry said, reciting what they had planned earlier.

"I catch the key, give it to Ron or Hermione," Ginny said.

"I distract the rest of the keys," Harry said.

They nodded and quickly mounted the brooms. Harry pointed his wand at a key, and hit it with a spell. The keys immediately flew toward him, and he flew off into the air. He could hear Ginny through his mind, through she seemed to be talking to herself.

_Where's the key? Where is it? Rusted, wilted... there! Can't hide from me. Ooh, nice turn, but can't fool this Chaser. Reach... reach... reach! There! Got it!_

"I got it, Harry!" Ginny yelled.

Harry flew around the room, as he watched Ginny fly toward Ron and Hermione. Ron caught the key, when she tossed it, and started to unlock the door.

"Hurry!" Hermione yelled.

The door opened Harry and Ginny headed toward it, as Ron and Hermione ran into the next room. Ginny flew in first, and Harry followed. Ron and Hermione forced the door closed, and they heard a rat-tat-tat as the keys collided with the other side. Harry and Ginny landed, and the four friends headed into the next room.

The next chamber was so dark they couldn't see anything at all. But as they stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight.

They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces.

"Am I alive?" Ron asked, "Because this is heaven."

"Very funny," Harry said, "Phase Three."

"Ginny, Queen," Ron said, "Harry, bishop next to Ginny. Hermione, Queen-side castle. As for me... I'll be a knight."

Three of the black pieces moved off the board as their human counterparts replaced them. Ron, however, climbed onto the back of the knight.

"White always plays first in chess," said Ron, peering across the board. "Yes..."

A white pawn had moved forward two squares. Ron started to direct the black non-human pieces. They moved silently wherever he sent them.

"Harry — move diagonally four squares to the right."

Then their other knight was taken. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, facedown.

"Had to let that happen," said Ron, looking shaken. "Leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on."

Every time one of their men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy. Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall. Ginny took out the last of the white pawns, and when white moved next, it had trapped Ginny into a corner. Fortunately, Harry was able to take out the castle that would have gone for Ginny their next round.

"Oh... crap," Ron said, "I was hoping I'd have to avoid this after you told me what happened... but after you saved Ginny, it gave you the way to checkmate the king... as long as the queen is out of the way. I can check the king, but the queen is blocking me too. I have to be taken."

"NO!" Hermione and Ginny yelled

"I'll be all right!" Ron bellowed, then looked at Harry, "Right?"

Harry nodded.

"Hermione has to go into the next room, as do you, Harry," Ron said, "Phase Four. You know what Phase Five is."

"Okay," Harry said, "Do it."

"I'm sorry," Ginny said, "I shouldn't have gone for that pawn."

"We can't all go into the last room anyway," Harry said, "Just me."

"I'm going," Ginny said, "You can't stop me."

"Two of us then," Harry said, "Go, Ron."

Harry saw Hermione's lips quiver as Ron commanded his knight forward. The white queen pounced. She struck Ron's knight, and he was thrown off and fell to the ground with a mighty thud as the knight exploded. Ginny and Hermione screamed but didn't move. Harry moved forward two spaces and looked at the king.

"Checkmate!" he said, in a clear voice.

The white king took off his crown and threw it at Harry's feet. They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear.

"Stay here, Ginny," Harry said, as Ginny ran over to Ron, "When Hermione comes back, teleport to me."

Ginny nodded. Harry and Hermione ran forward until they reached a door. Harry pushed it open.

A disgusting smell filled their nostrils, making both of them pull their robes up over their noses. Eyes watering, they saw, flat on the floor in front of them, a troll even larger than the one they had tackled, out cold with a bloody lump on its head.

"That smell is horrible," Hermione sad.

They hurried across the room and pulled open the next door. They entered the next chamber and found the table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line. Behind them, a large purple fire sprang up in the doorway. Black fire covered the exit. Hermione shuddered.

"Phase Four," Harry said, "Yours."

Hermione nodded and walked over to the table. Harry followed her and found the piece of parchment.

_Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,  
__Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,  
__One among us seven will let you move ahead,  
__Another will transport the drinker back instead,  
__Two among our number hold only nettle wine,  
__Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line.  
__Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,  
__To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:  
__First, however slyly the poison tries to hide  
__You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;  
__Second, different are those who stand at either end,  
__But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;  
__Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,  
__Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;  
__Fourth, the second left and the second on the right  
__Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight._

"I... take it you don't remember the answers?" Hermione asked.

"It has been ten years, Hermione," Harry said.

"Right," Hermione said, "Let's see."

Hermione read the paper several times. Then she walked up and down the line of bottles, muttering to herself and pointing at them. At last, she clapped her hands.

"Got it," she said. "The smallest bottle will get you through the black fire — toward the Stone."

"Which one will get you back through the purple flames?" Harry said

Hermione pointed at a rounded bottle at the right end of the line.

"That is yours," Harry said, "Don't wait for me and Ginny. Take Ron to the Hospital Wing."

"Should I get help?" Hermione asked.

"Dumbledore already knows," Harry said, "I hope."

"Good luck, Harry," Hermione said.

She hugged him then drank from hers, and walked through the purple flame.

Harry drank from the small bottle. It felt like ice was flooding his body. He put the bottle down and walked forward; he braced himself, saw the black flames licking his body, but couldn't feel them — for a moment he could see nothing but dark fire — then he was on the other side, in the last chamber.

He closed his eyes and opened them. Ginny was standing there.

_Ginny, he might not like two of us being in there, _Harry said, _Be ready to duel. I love you. _

_I love you too, Harry. This better not be the last time I say that to your face._

Harry took Ginny's hand in his, and they walked forward into the final chamber. Professor Quirrel stood there in front of the Mirror of Erised.

"Hello, Professor," Harry said.

"Potter! Little Weasley!" Quirrel said, "Why am I not surprised? You two are inseperable! I could see that at the Opening Feast. Youngest first year... and the Boy Who Lived."

"Expected us did you?" Harry asked.

"I knew you were a threat to me, right from the off," Quirrel said, "But I couldn't do anything to either of you. Then, one week after the term started, I see the two of you up in the air on brooms. Her broom was jinxed... and I thought... ha, someone is doing my job for me. But you saved her."

"I always will," Harry said.

Quirrel didn't seem to hear him. "I knew then you two were going to be a force to be reckoned with. Of course... I still couldn't do anything... so I let the troll in as a diversion. I was desperate, but Snape decided to stop me... a flea I cannot step on."

He scoffed.

"Then I come to find out that you defeated my troll," Quirrel said, "You and your little friends. Always hanging around them, you were. Protecting you... so I had to wait until the first Quidditch match. But what to do? Then... I figured... I'd jinx your broom. Copy whoever tried to end you first. Dumbledore had cleared me the first go-round, so I was able to do what I wanted this time. And I would have succeeded if Snape didn't mutter his little counter-curse. And then I got hexed. Still haven't figured out who did that."

Quirrel scoffed and turned to the mirror, "Wait quietly, you two. I need to examine this interesting mirror. And please... do stay there."

He snapped his fingers, and fire surrounded Harry and Ginny.

"This mirror is the key to finding the Stone," Quirrell murmured, tapping his way around the frame. "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this... but he's in London... I'll be far away by the time he gets back..."

"I hexed you," Ginny said.

"Did you?" Quirrel asked, as he walked around the mirror to examined the back, "Smart little tart, you are. I'll get you back for that one soon, mark my words. Quiet now, while I do my work."

Quirrell came back out from behind the mirror and stared hungrily into it.

"I see the Stone," he said, "I'm presenting it to my master... but where is it?"

Quirrell cursed under his breath. "I don't understand... is the Stone _inside _the mirror? Should I break it?"

"Use the boy!" the cold voice of Voldemort said.

Quirrel narrowed his eyes toward Harry through the reflection of the mirror. He snapped his fingers and the fire circled around Ginny instead of Harry.

"Come here, Potter!" Quirrel ordered, "Or her fiery hair will be more than a metaphor!"

Harry looked at Ginny and she nodded. She did not look afraid.

"Come here," Quirrell repeated. "Look in the mirror and tell me what you see."

Harry walked toward moved close behind him. Harry closed his eyes, stepped in front of the mirror, and opened them again.

He saw his reflection, pale and scared-looking at first. But a moment later, the reflection smiled at him. It put its hand into its pocket and pulled out a blood-red stone. It winked and put the Stone back in its pocket — and as it did so, Harry felt the Stone in his pocket.

"Well?" said Quirrell impatiently. "What do you see?"

Harry smiled.

"I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore," he invented. "I — I've won the House Cup for Gryffindor."

Quirrell cursed again.

_"He lies... the boy lies..."_

"Tell the truth!" Quirrel growled, "What did you see? I'll kill her!"

"_Let me speak to them..."_

"Master, you are not strong enough!" Quirrel cried out.

"_I have enough strength... for this..."_

Harry backed up toward Ginny as the flames around her died down.

Where there should have been a back to Quirrel's head, there was a face: the face of Voldemort. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake.

"Harry Potter," Voldemort said.

Harry felt warmth in his mind, and knew it was Ginny calming him down.

"See what I have become?" the face said. "Mere shadow and vapor... I have form only when I can share another's body... but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds. Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks... and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own. Now... why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?"

Harry shook his head.

"Don't be a fool," Voldemort said, "Better save your own life and join me... or you'll meet the same end as your parents... They died begging me for mercy..."

"LIAR!" Harry shouted.

"How touching," Voldemort hissed. "I always value bravery. . . . Yes, boy, your parents were brave. . . . I killed your father first, and he put up a courageous fight . . . but your mother needn't have died . . . she was trying to protect you. . . . Now give me the Stone, unless you want her to die in vain. Unless you want her to die."

His red eyes went to Ginny. Harry twisted his hand and hid his wand from view.

"Try it," Harry said.

"KILL THEM!" Voldemort screamed.

Harry yelled "Protego!" as soon as Quirrel snapped his fingers. Ginny screamed and was flung through the air. She slammed into a wall and collapsed.

"Ginny!" Harry cried out.

"Give me the stone, boy," Quirrel said, "or you are next."

_I'm alive, Harry, _Ginny said,_ but... I can't open my eyes. Something's wrong!_

Harry felt the fury rise in his mind. He raised his wand and screamed: "MALEFICTO INCENDIUM!"

Suddenly, a flame rose out of the ground around Quirrel's feet. Not just fire... Fiendfyre. Quirrel screamed in immense pain as the flame wrapped around him. Harry counted down... if he kept the fire up too long, he wouldn't be able to stop it. It would consume him and Ginny as well. Quirrel's horrible screams soon died down.

"FINITE MALEFICTUM!" he screamed.

The fire dissipated at once. The floor where Quirrel once was, was now completely black and charred. A pile of ash was all that was left of Quirrel.

_I killed him... I... couldn't control myself._

_That's okay, Harry... come over here and help me. Something's wrong with me. Everything is dark. I can feel you, but nothing else._

Suddenly, there was a whooshing sound and a mist of some kind rose into the air. It gave a great roar, and flew toward Harry. Harry ducked and the mist flew through the wall of the room.

_Was – was that –?_

_Voldemort's current form, I think._

Harry walked over to Ginny and kneeled next to her. He took her hand... it was very clammy and cold. Yes, something was very wrong. Harry held both of her hands in his, and he felt his hands grow suddenly warm, followed by the rest of his body. It wasn't from fire... the room was completely void of fire.

_Harry – I – something's happening! I think whatever your doing is helping me!_

Harry nodded and pushed strength from his mind to Ginny's through their link. As he did, he started to feel very tired.

"H-Harry?" Ginny's voice said.

Harry looked down at her. She was looking at him, with a smile. He could only return the smile, before he collapsed to the ground and all he saw was black.

* * *

**Cliffhanger! **

**Next couple of chapters are story-changing! In the span of the next two chapters, you will get two things you've been wanting, and also something that is – perhaps - unexpected will happen!**

**And that is all I'll say for now!**


	54. Fate, Year 1

**Chapter 54  
Fate, Year 1**

**Author's Note: This is another chapter that suits the rating for this story. **

**Warning: Brief vague descriptions of nudity, involving minors.**

* * *

**(Ginny)**

Ginny's eyes widened as she saw Harry collapse to the ground. She took his hands in hers. They felt cold, like ice.

_Harry, _she said, through their mind, _please speak to me. Harry?_

Ginny felt tears in her eyes. Her mind, that part that linked to Harry, felt empty.

"Harry!" she said aloud, "Please!"

She took his his face between her hands and kissed him. She could feel no warmth between them.

"HARRY!" she cried out, backing up, "Please! Wake up! I can't lose you!"

"Mrs. Potter?" a voice said.

Ginny gasped and turned her head. Dumbledore was walking toward them. Fawkes was flying overhead above him.

"Sir!" Ginny said, "Harry won't wake up!"

Dumbledore quickly walked over to Harry and kneeled next to him. He took Harry's hands in his and closed his own eyes, muttering something under his breath. He then took his wand from his pocket and pointed it at Harry.

"Diagnos," he muttered.

A globe of bright blue light floated out of Harry's chest. Inside the globe, there were two balls... one was gold, one was white... both colors were fading.

"Take one of Harry's hands," Dumbledore said.

Ginny did so. The gold and white lights brightened just a little.

"Okay," Dumbledore said, then waved his wand and the globe disappeared, "Where is the Stone, Ginny?"

"Is Harry okay?" Ginny asked.

"He'll be fine by morning if we do what is needed to be done," Dumbledore said, "We'll go to the Hospital Wing very shortly. Where is the Stone?"

Ginny moved her free hand to Harry's pocket and pulled out the small red stone. She handed it to Dumbledore, and he looked very relieved.

"Where is Professor Quirrel?" Dumbledore asked.

"You knew?" Ginny asked.

"I did," Dumbledore said, "I never leave the castle unattended. Tell me."

Ginny turned her head and looked at the pile of ash. Dumbledore did as well, and frowned.

"Harry... he killed him," Ginny said, "I...I got badly hurt and our Bond made him really angry. Harry then saved me, woke me up... and he fainted."

"Okay, thank you," Dumbledore said, "Take my hand."

Ginny did as was asked.

"Do not be afraid," Dumbledore said, "This will not hurt. Fawkes?"

Dumbledore took Harry's free hand, and Fawkes swooped in toward the three of them, singing a tune. Suddenly Ginny felt a very hot fire against her, but it was not burning her. She was surrounded in flame, but she could see Harry and Dumbledore. When the fire disappeared, they were in the middle of the Hospital Wing.

"My word!" a voice yelled.

Ginny looked up. Madam Pomfrey, who was attending someone at a bed, hurried over to them.

"Headmaster!" she said, "What happened?'

"Put two beds together now, Poppy," Dumbledore said, as he lifted Harry into his arms.

Madam Pomfrey nodded and pointed her wand at an empty bed. It slid toward its right, and merged with another bed. Fawkes flew over to the nightstand near the bed and perched himself on the lamp.

"Come, Ginny," Dumbledore said, as he laid Harry on one-half of the merged bed, "Poppy, hospital gowns, both patients. Use the spell."

Madam Pomfrey raised her eyebrows in question, but said nothing and raised her wand. Suddenly, Ginny's clothes she was wearing were gone, and replaced with a rather flimsy, body-length, blue hospital gown, which had a fabric belt in the middle to hold it around her body. She felt rather vulnerable like this. She noticed that Harry was also wearing the gown.

"Lay down next to Harry." Dumbledore said, "Please do as I say with the following instructions. You will be helping Harry."

Ginny nodded and walked over to the other side of the bed and laid down next to Harry. Then she saw Ron and Hermione laying in beds near each other. Both looked asleep.

"Are they okay?" Ginny asked, nodding to them.

"Yes," Madam Pomfrey said, "Your brother suffered a concussion, though he did not tell me how he sustained it. Miss Granger was treated for shock and exhaustion, as was Ron. They will be asleep for the rest of the night."

"I assure you they'll be fine, Ginny," Dumbledore said, "Now, I am going to put the curtains around you for few minutes. You will understand why soon. Please follow my instructions. I will explain this all when this process is done."

Ginny nodded again. Dumbledore waved his wand and the bed was surrounded in privacy curtains. Ginny could no longer see Dumbledore or Madam Pomfrey.

"Ginny," Dumbledore said, "I need you to untie your robes and open them. Then do the same to Harry."

"Headmaster?" Madam Pomfrey asked, in a shocked tone.

"Please, Ginny," Dumbledore said.

Ginny shrugged. She untied the belt on her robes, and opened them, revealing her bare body to the elements. She blushed and did the same to Harry.

"O-okay," she said.

"Put the sheets over both of you," Dumbledore said, "Then get close to Harry, so that your bare skin is touching his."

Ginny heard Madam Pomfrey mutter something, and Dumbledore shush her. Ginny did as was instructed, and moved toward Harry, under the blankets. She wrapped a leg around his and cuddled against him.

"Okay," Ginny said.

"Are you covered?" Dumbledore asked, "I will be opening the curtains."

"Yes," she said,

She laid her head under Harry's chin, as the curtains opened. She could feel a new warmth in her mind and body. Madam Pomfrey's eyes widened when she saw them. Dumbledore only smiled very briefly and pointed his wand toward Harry. He did the diagnostics spell again, and the globe appeared again, rising through the sheets. The gold and white lights were now brighter and pulsing.

"Madam Pomfrey?" Dumbledore said, "Check Ginny please... visible globe for everyone."

Madam Pomfrey nodded and pointed her wand at Ginny, and a second globe raised above Ginny. Her lights were much brighter than Harry's. Dumbledore waved his wand and the globes disappeared.

"I am pleased to report that Harry's half of the Soul-Bond is healing nicely," he said, "I ask that you remain in that position for the evening, Ginny, If possible. You will have your privacy. Tomorrow, I expect Harry will wake up bright and early, and I will be back then to check on you."

"Headmaster," Madam Pomfrey said, "When you say the Soul-Bond is healing..."

"I believe Ginny sustained heavy damage to her own soul tonight," Dumbledore said. "Harry saved her, through their bond, but by doing it, he almost sacrificed himself."

"He almost... died?" Ginny asked, tears in her eyes.

"Yes," Dumbledore said, "But he did not, because as he saved you, you now save him. This process will take more time than when he helped you. When you activated the Bond, it required a connection. As such, healing the Bond also requires a connection. However, I believe the way you are with him will heal him quicker. If you get some rest, Mrs. Potter, there are – ah – other things I will explain to you, but I wish to wait until Mr. Potter is awake to hear them as well. If you excuse me, Fawkes and I must go. We have much to do before we rest. Madam Pomfrey, Harry and Ginny only need each other tonight to heal. No potion or spell is necessary. Please give them their privacy."

"I – of course, Headmaster," the nurse said.

Dumbledore waved his wand yet again and the curtains closed around the bed again.

"Good night, Mrs. Potter," Dumbledore said.

"Good night, Headmaster," Ginny said, "Er... Headmaster, I almost forgot. If you go to the Gryffindor boys first year dormitory, you will find Neville Longbottom stuck in his bed. He is under the Full-Body-Bind Jinx."

"Oh?" Dumbledore asked, chuckling, "How peculiar. I will go and assist him. Come, Fawkes."

Ginny heard Fawkes sing. The doors opened and closed, and the room went quiet and dark.

Ginny adjusted her position and blushed when she felt her body rub against Harry's. She felt tears in her eyes, as she looked at him. She had not expected to be this close to Harry again for a few more years. Sure, she wanted to sleep next to him, perhaps in his arms, and would get to do so that evening, but she always expected there to be some type of fabric separating them... at least for a while. This feeling... of cuddling with him like this. It brought back memories, from the other timeline, to all those times they had made love.

She took Harry's glasses from his face and reached through the curtains to place it on the nightstand. Then she snuggled up against him again and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

When Ginny woke up the next morning, Harry was still asleep. She blushed when half the covers were pulled away from her, and half of their bare bodies could be seen. She quickly pulled up the covers and cuddled next to Harry again.

She looked around. The light around her told her it was barely after dawn. Her ears perked when she heard footsteps.

"Madam Pomfrey?" she asked.

"Yes, Ginny," Madam Pomfrey, "Are you awake?"

"Yes," Ginny said, "And covered up. Can you see if Harry's all right?"

Madam Pomfrey opened the curtains and walked over to Harry. She took her wand and hovered it over Harry, then smiled.

"He will wake up in a few minutes," Madam Pomfrey said, "if you wish, you may move away from him."

"I do need to pee," Ginny said, blushing.

She backed away from Harry, and covered his robe and then hers, under the blanket, then pushed the blankets toward him. She stood up and walked around the bed, then saw that Ron and Hermione were still asleep.

"They'll wake up soon as well," Madam Pomfrey said, "I do wish I know what happened last night. Four students injured, and a Professor is missing! The Headmaster told me nothing."

Ginny nodded silently, and walked across the room toward the bathroom. She walked in, and shut the door behind her.

Then she felt very weak, and everything went dark...

When she woke up again, she was, once again laying next to the still-sleeping Harry. Madam Pomfrey looked relieved.

"What happened?" Ginny asked, "I... I walked into the bathroom and blacked out! How – how long was out?"

"A minute, perhaps," Madam Pomfrey said, "I heard a great crash. Found you on the bathroom floor, and when I laid you back down here, you stirred and woke up."

"I... I didn't feel weak until I went into the bathroom," Ginny said, "I was fine!"

"Tell me exactly what happened," Madam Pomfrey said.

"I walked into the bathroom and... fainted," Ginny said. "Wait... I shut the door first."

"You shut the door," Madam Pomfrey said.

"Yeah, privacy, you know," Ginny asked, a bit annoyed.

Madam Pomfrey pointed her wand at the bed. Her eyes raised and lowered, and then widened, and she covered her mouth.

Madam Pomfrey lowered her hand and looked at Ginny. "Stay here. I will give you a portable loo to use the bathroom with. Please do not move far from this bed. I... I must tell the Headmaster. If... if I am correct... well... I don't know. If Harry wakes, make sure he stays in bed."

Madam Pomfrey pointed her wand toward the ground. Privacy curtains appeared there.

"Step inside there," Madam Pomfrey said, "Return to bed when you are finished."

Ginny raised her eyebrows, confused. She shrugged and stepped through the curtains. Her eyes widened. An object that resembled a training toilet sat there. Ginny blushed. She had to use _that... here_?

She sighed. Well... she _really _did have to go.

* * *

**(Dumbledore)**

Albus Dumbledore hummed a tune, as he sat in his chair at his desk and stared at the empty perch where Fawkes usually rested. The Philosopher's Stone was hovering over his desk in a protective orb that only he could get into.

Then, a familiar song was heard, and Fawkes appeared through a cloud of flame. He dropped a scroll and a package on the desk and flew over to the perch.

"Sleep well, my friend," Albus said, "You've done well."

Fawkes whistled gently, then closed his eyes. Albus took the scroll and opened it.

_Albus,_

_The letter you have given me deeply troubles Perenelle and I. These are unexpected events._

_So, the Philosopher's Stone was almost stolen, if it was not saved by Harry Potter? I see... yes. What I am about to tell you is one of the hardest things I've ever had to say. Destroy our stone, Albus. Yes, you read that right. Destroy it. I cannot risk it going into evil hands. Perenelle and I have enough elixir to set our affairs in order before we prepare for our next great adventure. I only hope we are not parted from each other in the next life for long._

_This other news about the Bond-mates troubles me greatly. Perenelle and I have never experienced what they have gone through. Harry actually saved his mate's soul, you say? And in return weakened his own almost to the point of death? Well, what you told me you did to assist them is wise, very wise. I imagine it was quite embarrassing for Mrs. Potter, but it is for the best._

_You say the Potters would like to speak to myself and Perenelle? Yes, I expect they have many questions for us. Unfortunately, Perenelle and I will never be able to me the Bonded pair face-to-face... technically... but there is an alternative. I make two last requests for you, old friend._

_Please see to it that it is done and quickly... before it is too late. I am giving you a package with a vial in it. Inside, is a memory. It is a message from Perenelle and myself to them. In the memory we explain to them things they will be needing to expect in the future. Please let them view this as soon as possible in your Pensieve._

_My other request is this: give the pair the information from the missing pages now. This event between them may bring things to the two of them we may not have foreseen. They are now ready to learn this, even if it will happen to them in a little over three and four years from now. They need to be ready for it. _

_This could very well be my last letter I will ever send. I feel older and older every moment now. I've never felt old, per-say, until now._

_So... I have given your phoenix a gift for you. This gift is nothing you can hold. When the phoenix sings a very mournful song, it means that the Flamels are no longer part of this world._

_Goodbye old friend. It has been a high honor to get to know you. Do not mourn myself and Perenelle too long. Live your life in the fullest, however many years that is. And remember..._

_Death Is But The Next Great Adventure._

_Goodbye,_

_Nicolas Flamel_

_Perenelle Flamel_

Albus closed his eyes, as tears ran down his nose. He allowed the few moments of emotional pain to last for his friends, then opened his eyes and blinked away the tears.

"I will grant you your final wishes, old friend," he said, "Today."

He then raised his wand and pointed it at the stone. Suddenly the stone exploded into dust and ash that rained over his desk. He then obliterated the dust and ash.

As he was about to stand, an owl flew into his office and dropped a letter on his desk. He read it and discovered that the letter was from Madam Pomfrey. A new development had happened for the Bond-mates. Albus read Poppy's theory and his eyebrows raised in surprise. This was truly a peculiar event if it was true. And perhaps even a bit unfortunate for the Bonded pair.

He left the office, in trek to the Hospital Wing. When he arrived, he heard raised voices.

"Harry, stop!" Ginny's voice said, "Ugh, fine... go see Dumbledore in your hospital gown! I warned you. Madam Pomfrey told us to stay!"

Albus raised his eyebrows and stopped in his tracks. The doors to the Hospital Wing opened and Harry walked into the corridor. As soon as he did, he collapsed onto the ground, in a faint.

In the Hospital Wing, Ginny, too, collapsed onto the bed.

* * *

**(Harry – a couple minutes before)**

Harry blinked his eyes open and looked around. He was laying in the hospital wing bed. He was surprised to find that he was in a hospital gown that, at the moment, was open to show the front of his naked body. He heard a faint, embarassed squeal followed by a pull of curtains. He pulled his gown closed and looked up, but could barely see anything beyond his body.

"Er... glasses," he said.

"Here," a voice said.

Harry smiled as he put on his glasses. Ginny was next to him, also in a hospital gown, though it was closed, and she was actually laying next to him on an extended bed!

"Is he proper yet?" Hermione's voice asked.

"Yes, he's proper," Ginny said, "Sorry, Hermione."

"I swear I didn't see much," Hermione said, as she opened her curtains.

"Er... see what?" Ron's groggy voice said.

The other bed with enclosed curtains opened, and Harry saw Ron sitting there, his mouth agape as he looked at Harry and Ginny.

"Why are you in the same bed?" Ron asked.

"I'd like to know that too," Harry said.

"Nurse's orders," Ginny said, "Something is wrong with our Bond. We have to stay close together for now."

"She figured that out?" Harry asked, "And what are we doing in the hospital wing? Where's the stone?"

"Dumbledore said last night we needed to stay close together," Ginny said.

"Dumbledore?" Harry asked, "Well, I'm going to go find him and get answers! You almost died, Ginny!"

"What?" Ron and Hermione asked.

"I'll explain later," Ginny said.

Harry stood up.

"Harry, stop!" Ginny said, "Ugh, fine... go see Dumbledore in your hospital gown! I warned you. Madam Pomfrey told us to stay!"

Harry walked over to the doors of the Hospital Wing and walked into the corridor.

Then all he saw was blackness, as he fell to the ground.

* * *

**(Harry – Present)**

Harry blinked his eyes open once again. He was laying in the hospital bed again. He looked next to him and saw Ginny sitting up slowly.

"I... really... hate you, Harry!" she growled, "I told you to effing stay! Did you listen? No! Do you ever? No!"

"Well," Albus Dumbledore's voice said, "That was most illuminating. It seems you were correct, Poppy."

Harry looked up. Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey were looking at him.

"What happened?" he asked.

"You both fainted!" Ron said, across the room, "You – you walked out of here, and fainted! And Ginny was just sitting there and she fainted!"

Harry looked at Hermione, who was nodding frantically. He looked back toward Dumbledore.

"Should we discuss this with the other patients here?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"They know about our Bond," Ginny said.

Ron and Hermione nodded.

"Of course they do," Dumbledore said. "All right. What I am about to tell you is a theory I expect is probably true. It has never been experienced, even in the other two known Bond-mates. Last night your Soul-Bond suffered its first big injury. When you saved Ginny, you almost died, Harry."

Harry looked at Ginny and she nodded.

"Ginny saved you," Dumbledore said, "But this process took all night. While you two were – ah – sleeping near each other -"

"We slept in the same bed?" Harry asked.

"They did?" Ron asked.

"Yes," Dumbledore said, "Effectively, it saved your lives... both of them. It also... might have done something else."

_Wait, Ginny, _Harry said, _When we slept... were we... naked?_

_Half-naked... but yes, our bare bodies were touching. It helped you heal._

_Oh. Um... did you see... anything?_

_Nothing I haven't seen before._

_Good... wait... what?_

Dumbledore pointed his wand at Harry and Ginny and one very large globe appeared between them. Inside the globe was two very bright lights, one gold, one white.

"Er... whose diagnostics reading is that?" Ginny asked.

"Both of yours," Dumbledore said, "If am correct, your soul that was originally in your body, is now in your mate's, and vice-versa. Your whole soul."

"We now have... each other's souls?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Dumbledore said, "I expect this is temporary. How long that means, I do not know. Hopefully soon, the process will change back to the point you each own half your soul and your mate's. I doubt you will ever completely have your own soul back."

"Er... what does that mean?" Harry asked.

"Well, let us take in the event you just experienced," Dumbledore said, "You, Harry, walked out of this room and fainted. Ginny fainted as well."

"Yeah," Harry said, "Sorry, Ginny."

Ginny scoffed.

"One of two theories is possible here," Dumbledore said, "The first theory is this... the two of you cannot be in different rooms without collapsing. Second theory... you cannot be a long distance from each other before you collapse. If the first theory is correct, it brings up the question: what happens if you are outside, say perhaps on the Grounds? Can you separate a far distance from each other? Because of this. I doubt the first theory is true. So... it seems that if the two of you separate – ah – probably ten yards from each other – you'll each collapse."

"We... have to always... be together?" Ginny asked.

"Until your Soul-Bond heals completely," Dumbledore said.

"How did this happen?" Harry asked.

"I believe the Soul-Bond is in – lets call it security mode," Dumbledore said, "You two were close to an unnatural death, meaning your near-death was caused by someone else. It is trying to protect itself by making sure you are together all the time, so you can protect each other."

"So... bathroom visits? Sleeping in the same bed?" Ginny asked.

"Quidditch matches?" Harry asked, thinking of the match in a few days.

"Bathroom visits... well... depends on the size and location," Dumbledore said, "Sleeping arrangements... I suggest the same bed, to be on the safe side. Quidditch matches take place fifty feet in the air and move around... much too far to split you two up without dangerous consequences. So... not possible."

Harry frowned. "Wood isn't going to be happy. Without a Seeker, starter or reserve, the team has to score two-hundred points before the other Seeker gets the Snitch."

"It is possible, do not fret," Dumbledore said, "Now... Harry, Ginny, if Poppy will clear the two of you for temporary leave from the hospital wing, I need you to come with me to my office. We have a few things to discuss. Madam Pomfrey, could you do me two favors? Look these two over, and see if you can give them clearance for a few hours. Then use your fireplace. Contact the Burrow and either the call-sign The Den, or Amelia Bones' house. Please make sure that Arthur and Molly Weasley, and Sirius Black will be here in the next couple of hours. Tell them they are welcome to make their way to my office without escort."

"Yes, Headmaster," Madam Pomfrey said.

She quickly checked over Harry and Ginny, and gave them clearance for temporary leave. She then summoned their outfits from the previous day. They dressed in different beds, behind privacy curtains, then followed Dumbledore out of the room.

_Harry, _Ginny said, as they followed Dumbledore toward the Headmaster's office, _I just thought of something. As long as our Soul-Bond is healing, we have no choice but to live in the same house. Looks like I'll be living in Potter Manor for a while even if Percy and Mum support our Bond._

_Ugh... your Mum. She's not going to like this... _

_Probably not. _Pause. _Harry... don't ever make me faint again. Please._

_Yes, love._

_Good. And I don't hate you. Sorry I said that._

_I love you too, Mrs. Potter._

* * *

**So... basically Harry and Ginny are more-or-less stuck together. Without actually being stuck together, like some Soul-Bond stories do. For how long? We'll see...**

**Next chapter... you guessed it! Harry and Ginny find out the information on the missing page, and hear a message from the Flamels, via a Pensieve memory. Dumbledore's no longer keeping it from them, in respect to the Flamels. Also, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and Sirius discover the newest snag in the Soul-Bond!**

**Year 1 Ends in two chapters!**


	55. The Missing Page

**Chapter 55  
The Missing Page**

**Author's Note: As you can see by the title of this chapter, the long-awaited missing page is going to be revealed. The first half of the chapter, originally seen in Chapter 18, will be once again in this chapter to flow better with the second half. **

**Disclaimer: Recognizable sections of this chapter come directly from Chapter 17 of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling. I do not take claim for these, only my own additions.  
**

* * *

"Chocoballs," Dumbledore stated.

The gargoyle sprang to life, and jumped to the left, as a portion of the wall opened up.

"When Arthur and Molly Weasley, and Sirius Black, arrive, allow them in," Dumbledore said.

The gargoyle's stone head nodded and lowered. Dumbledore walked forward, and Harry followed him up the stairs with Ginny. Dumbledore summoned, not two chairs, but one love-seat in front of his desk, and motioned for Harry and Ginny to sit down. He then walked over to a cupboard with a glass door, opened it, and took out a stone bowl with runes carved around the rim.

_The Pensieve? _Ginny asked, _Does he want to look at our memories?_

Harry shrugged and stared at the bowl as Dumbledore placed it in the center of the desk, and sat down in his own chair.

"Do you know what this object is?" the headmaster asked.

"I've seen something like it in a book," Harry said, "A... Pensieve, I believe it is called?"

"Very good, Harry," Dumbledore said, "Yes, a Pensieve. The two of you will be using it very soon."

Harry looked at Ginny, who looked at him, then looked back at the headmaster.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You will know very soon," Dumbledore soon, "But right now we must discuss other things. First things first, I want to know about the events last night that led you to Quirrel. I'm going to assume you found out about the stone through your research on the Flamels, when you received their book?"

"You know about the book?" Harry asked.

"I do," Dumbledore said, "As to that, we will discuss it soon. But first... how did you know about the Cerberus, known as Fluffy? And how did you know that Quirrel would be going for the stone last night?"

Harry used his original experience with Fluff to explain the accidental run-in with Fluffy. Then he and Ginny told Dumbledore about their shared nightmare two nights ago.

"We believed that it was a prophetic nightmare like you mentioned earlier this year," Harry said, "So we believed he would go through the trapdoor last night."

"Of course," Dumbledore said, "Then the nightmare was a gift?"

"A horrible experience," Ginny said, "but yes, you could say that."

"Continue," Dumbledore said, "I am very eager to know how four first years passed the obstacle course my fellow Professors and I laid out."

Harry and Ginny explained the obstacles: how they knew how to get past the devil's snare, Harry and Ginny's skill against the keys, Ron's skill at chess, and his sacrifice to allow Hermione and Harry into the potions room. Hermione's ingenuity at the riddle, and Ginny teleporting to Harry before they confronted Quirrel.

"This is most fascinating," Dumbledore said. "It does prove that four children can outsmart grown wizards if they work together. Next time, I might have to work a little bit harder. Yes."

Next to Harry, Ginny looked very amused.

"I assume Quirrel was not very happy to see you?" Dumbledore asked.

"No," Harry said.

He explained what happened next, and Dumbledore raised a hand to stop him halfway through.

"Quirrel jinxed your broom at the Quidditch match?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," Harry said.

"Then we should assume he jinxed your broom, Ginny, at the start of first term," Dumbledore said.

Ginny looked at Harry.

_Better that he doesn't know about Pansy, yes? _She asked.

_She's no longer a threat. She's been a good girl, as much as she can be, since then._

Ginny returned her attention to the headmaster. "Yes, sir, I believe so."

"Excellent," Dumbledore said, "He did fool even me... I had cleared his name. Odd. No matter; that long and troublesome investigation is over. Continue..."

Harry then explained how Quirrel told him to get the stone, which he did, but lied about it.

"H-how did I do that, sir?" Harry asked, so as to fool the headmaster to thinking he did not know.

"Ah, now," Dumbledore said, "I'm glad you asked me that. It was one of my more brilliant ideas, and between you two, myself, and these portraits who believe they are fooling us by snoring, that's saying something."

Phineas Nigellus-Black harrumphed.

"Sorry, Albus," Dilys Derwent said.

"Quite all right," Dumbledore said, with a smile, though he did not take his eyesight from Harry and Ginny, "You see, Harry, only one who wanted to _find _the Stone — find it, but not use it — would be able to get it, otherwise they'd just see themselves making gold or drinking Elixir of Life. My brain surprises even me sometimes. Continue..."

"Well, he found out I lied," Harry said, "Vol – err – You-Know-Who -"

"Call him Voldemort, Harry," Dumbledore said, "Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself."

"Yes, sir," Harry said, "Well... he – he was part of Quirrel. On the back of Quirrel's head."

"A leech," Dumbledore said.

"Yes, sir," Harry said, "And he talked to me... he knew I had the stone. I refused to give it to him, and Quirrel – he... he hurt Ginny. Next thing I knew, she was on the ground -"

Dumbledore looked at Ginny.

"All I could see was black," Ginny said, "Pitch black. I couldn't move or open my eyes. But I could still sense Harry, though my mind."

"I have a theory for that as well," Dumbledore said, "What Quirrel did, almost killed you, but because the other half of your soul resides in Harry – at the time, it was half – you still clung to life. I – ah, this is very hard to say – I believe the two of you will be live your lives out until the two of you die – at the same time."

"Wh-what?" Harry asked; he could feel Ginny trembling beside him.

"Bond-mates live for each other," Dumbledore said, "Not just yourselves. You cannot die unless the both of you die. Last night, while both of you almost died, neither of you were dying in unison."

Ginny was in tears beside Harry."Well, I guess that is proper. I couldn't live without Harry."

Dumbledore nodded, and gave a flat smile.

"What happened after Quirrel attacked Voldemort?" he asked. "This is what I am most eager to hear about, because it could explain... very much."

Harry's throat tightened. How could he explain his use of fiendfyre?

"Er..." he said, "I was really angry, and I-I used some kind of spell. Fire raised out of the floor, and circled Quirrel, and... when it disappeared... there was just ash on the floor. And then this mist... I guess that was Voldemort... guess I didn't kill him."

"No... I don't think you did either," Dumbledore said, "There are – ah – ways he can return, I am afraid."

"But I killed Quirrel," Harry said.

Dumbledore looked at Harry through his glasses. "Yes, Harry. I think you did."

"But it was self-defense!" Ginny said, "Harry, he would have killed you – us!"

"This is true," Dumbledore said, "Unfortunately, magic doesn't see that. It explains the predicament you are in. Murder rips souls apart... it is the worst act of nature. Because you had half of two souls, it injured them to the brink of death. But when you saved Ginny, it started the events that brought you back, and that has led you to what is happening now, with the fact that you have each other's complete soul in you. The Soul-Bond is trying to heal from the act of murder. And the only way it can do so is to latch on to the Bond-mate _again_, until it can completely heal."

"I'm sorry, Ginny," Harry said, "I should have figured a different way."

"You saved both of us, Harry," Ginny said, taking Harry's closest hand in hers, "You've done nothing wrong. We'll just face this new twist until our bond goes back to normal. Besides... I wasn't planning on letting you out of my sight very long, anyway."

Harry smiled, and looked at Dumbledore.

"Sir?" Harry asked, "What happened to the Stone?"

"It has been destroyed," Dumbledore said, and he looked very emotional.

"Destroyed?" asked Harry blankly. "But Nicolas Flamel... that means he and his wife will die, won't they?"

"They have enough Elixir stored to set their affairs in order and then, yes, they will die."

Dumbledore smiled at the look of amazement on Harry's face.

"To one as young as you, I'm sure it seems incredible, but to Nicolas and Perenelle, it really is like going to bed after a very, _very _long day. After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure. You know, the Stone was really not such a wonderful thing. As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all — the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them."

"So... can Harry and I meet them?" Ginny said, "I-I imagine they want to meet us, since we're Bond-mates, but... we still need to talk to them."

"You won't be able to talk to them," Dumbledore said, "But you will be able to meet them, and they will talk to you without actually meeting you."

"Er... what?" Harry asked.

"Like... a letter?" Ginny asked.

"Sort of, yes," Dumbledore said, "And also -"

He picked up a small package on his desk, and pushed it gently across the desk."

"- a memory," he said, "A very recent memory of them giving a message to you. I have not seen it, as they only wish you to see it. But first – I have been keeping a secret from you."

"Sir?" Harry asked, as Ginny looked surprised.

"I have recently been in touch with a certain bookshop keeper," Dumbledore said. "He is a procurer of rare and expensive books that he finds and sells for higher prices. He told me about two purchases in the last year by a goblin named Ragnok."

Harry's throat tightened. "You know about Nicolas Flamel's book?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said, "The shopkeeper told me about the problems Ragnok had. He is your vault's overseer, is he not?"

"Yes," Harry said, "We asked him to find us books on our Bond when we first learned about it. And we ended up with Nicolas' book."

"I assumed this as so," Dumbledore said,"The shopkeeper told me about a certain missing chapter from the book. So... I went straight to the source."

He pulled open a drawer in his desk, and pulled out a scroll. He then placed it on the desk in front of Harry. Harry's eyes widened. Could it be...?

"Nicolas asked me to give you this," Dumbledore said, "It is the only other copy of entire chapter you are missing. When Nicolas originally gave this to me, he told me I should keep it in my possession until the two of you were old enough to understand it. Why? Well, I have read the contents, and it is very disheartening and could trouble you. It will not happen for a three years for the first half – and only to you, Harry. In four years, it will happen to you, Ginny."

"Because of the age of consent," Harry said, "Which is fourteen."

"Yes," Dumbledore said, "The second half will come into effect when you, Ginny turn fourteen, and both of you are then of, or above the age of consent. Nicolas wishes you to read this now... but as I said, it is very troubling. Something you may fear or have trouble understanding at the moment. It is up to you if you wish to read it."

Harry looked at Ginny.

"We've been waiting for about a year to read this, sir," Ginny said. "I think we should."

"I agree," Harry said.

Dumbledore looked through his glasses at them and stood up. "Very well. Meanwhile. I will prepare the Pensieve for your visit. If you have questions, I am sure either myself, or the Flamels, through their message, will answer them."

He picked up the Pensieve then brought it over to a small desk. Harry took the scroll in his hand and looked at Ginny, who nodded. Harry inhaled and exhaled and opened the scroll. He placed it between himself and Ginny so they could read it together.

_The True Power Of The Soul-Bond_

_For the first year of the soul-bond, when I was fourteen, and Perenelle sixteen, the worst experience we went through was the nightmares (as described in Chapter 3). At that time, we thought we had faced the worst part of the Soul-Bond, and that everything else we experienced was wonderful._

_And then Perenelle turned seventeen years old - what was considered, by law, the age of consent in the wizarding world at that time._

_Note: Before I continue, I guess I should mention one thing. It is not known why, but the Soul-Bond seems to adapt to society laws and this changes the way the Soul-Bond acts. Perhaps it is so those who experience the Soul-Bond can live a relatively secret life if they wish to do so. So, if the age of consent is changed in society to a different age when you read this book, it is suggested you take that into thought when you peruse this chapter._

_When Perenelle turned seventeen years old, she started to experience things that we could not explain. Below, Perenelle describes her own experience:_

"_The day of my seventeenth birthday was a joyful one for me. I could perform magic outside my teachings without fear of getting in trouble. The first piece of magic I did on that day was hovering a simple plate, and bringing it over to the table, just to prove I could without repercussion. However, when I hovered the plate, it raised high in the air, too high, and crashed into the ceiling, shattering it to pieces. I thought something was odd right then, but when I tried again, I succeeded at my task. So I did not think about it anymore. However, later that day I tried my first attempt at Apparating by myself. I was aiming for the village, which was only five miles away from my cottage. But when I had apparated, I landed not five miles away, but fifty! That was when I realized something was wrong. My magic was powerful. Too powerful._

_There were some good things, I do admit. I could successfully perform charms I had trouble with before. But with the good comes the bad. When I went to go shopping in the village, a few days after my seventeenth birthday, a thief tried to mug me. I cursed him, only wishing to Stun him. The result was the thief ending up in a coma for three months, and no spell could wake him up. I was terrified. I didn't know what was happening to me. Unfortunately I didn't get the answer until two years later…"_

_Two years after my dear Perenelle turned of age, and the age of consent, so did I. By then, Perenelle's magic had calmed down some, but she was still a lot more powerful with spells than she had been. So the terror of those first few months after she came of age was long forgotten… until I turned of age. I experienced the same thing. I dueled an old enemy of mine, and severely injured him, almost killing him. I transfigured a rock to turn it into a small dog, and it ended up turning into a very large wolf. And things progressed from there._

_But that wasn't all that happened to me, and this time Perenelle and I learned about it together._

_Perenelle's father was not a big admirer of mine. Since we never told him or Perenelle's mother about our Bond, he believed I was stalking his daughter. I was not a good suitor for her, he said. I was nothing but middle-class who lived in a small village a town away, when his family were people of wealth. He wanted Perenelle to find a suitor who believed in what he believed in. High-class, high society, social parties, and procreating to continue the legacies of two important families in society._

_So, suffice it to say, he never allowed me to see my love. But the Soul-Bond did not like this._

_You see, when the Bonded pair are old enough to consent by society laws, the Soul-Bond advances to its final stage. In a way, it is truly worse than the heightened magical power we were given when we reached that stage. While we could control when we used our magic, this part of our Bond controlled us for a long period of time._

_During our relationship, before I turned seventeen, when Perenelle and I went on outings (most were secret outings Perenelle's father knew nothing about), our intimacy was only a proper kiss between a couple in love. Perhaps we engaged in a heated snog (as the teens as of late has referred to it) or two, but that was all._

_But on eve before my seventeenth birthday, I fell asleep in my own bed. When I woke up, I was in Perenelle's bed, in her house a town away! I did not know how I arrived there. We were both very confused. I apparated back to my own home. The next night, I woke up to find Perenelle in my own bed!_

_After the first two nights of this, it stopped for a few days. And then the following week, after an outing, I drove Perenelle home in my buggy. We kissed, as we always did when we parted, but I felt a sudden warmth in my mind. I had progressed the kiss, almost unwillingly! Perenelle was a bit frightened. We had never discussed moving our relationship that far until we found a way to get her away from her parents._

_We parted that night, and I did not see her for a few days. When I did, it was once again, because she appeared in my bed. She was very frightened. She said that our intimacy was all she could think about at times. Every night she had dreams about it. At first a pleasure, was now almost a torment._

_And that was when she kissed me, and it progressed... we couldn't stop and that night we made love... not sweet, but it was almost forced... we didn't know what we were doing at times._

_The Bond was controlling us. For continuous nights after, we either appeared in one of the other's bed, where we were once again moved into that deepest point of intimacy._

_It did not calm down for many days... until we consented with each other to make it a regular event every few nights. After that, it turned back into pleasure_.

_When I look back on it, I fear that, if Perenelle was able to have children (we discovered later, a birth defect prevented her from having children – a terrible time for us when we learned), we would have been parents before we were married. Sometimes during those intimate moments, we were so lost, we could not spare enough time to use contraception._

_It is my belief now after many, many years of experiencing the Bond, that the heightened sense of magic, combined with the deepest levels of love, is the True Power of the Soul-Bond._

After he finished the scroll, Harry looked at Ginny, who was staring blankly toward him.

_The Bond is going to force us to – to make love? _Ginny asked him, _When our – our bodies are fourteen and fifteen?_

_I... guess so._

_Harry, don't get me wrong... by then I'll very much miss what we had before we came back in time... but... I didn't expect to experience it again that soon._

Harry wished he could make a joke to lighten the mood. But he couldn't... the Bond would make them –?

_Harry, _Ginny said, _Mum can't know about this. No matter what. If she thinks what we're going through now – and she has yet to find out the newest part – is troubling enough... she isn't going to like that._

_No... definitely not. I... don't exactly want anyone to know about this part yet. Not Sirius, not even our friends... even when they know we're older than we seem._

_I agree. This is between you and me... and Dumbledore I suppose._

Harry looked up at Dumbledore, who was staring at his Pensieve.

"We're finished reading," he said.

"Do you wish to ask me what I think about it?" Dumbledore asked, "Or do you wish to see if the Flamels enlighten you further?"

Harry looked at Ginny.

"I want to hear from the Flamels," Ginny said to him.

"I agree with her,"Harry said to Dumbledore.

"Very well," Dumbledore said, "Open the package then come over here."

Harry took the package from the desk, and opened it. Inside was a flask with a silver memory inside. It was very bright, revealing it was a very new memory. Harry and Ginny then walked over to the Pensieve.

"Unseal the flask, and upend it over the Pensieve," Dumbledore instructed.

Harry did as was asked. The contents of the Pensieve swirled around as the new memory joined it.

"In order to view the memory, you must enter the Pensieve," Dumbledore said, "It is perfectly safe, I give you my word. You will dip your face into the bowl one at a time. Whoever goes last, do not be afraid if the other vanishes. It is very shocking, but means it worked right. When you are finished with the memory, when it goes black, you will then raise your wand arms, and you will appear here again."

Harry decided to go first. He slowly dipped his head into the Pensieve's consents, and soon he was falling – falling – and he stood upright in what appeared to be a sitting room. A moment later, Ginny appeared beside him.

"Whew... that's a trip," Ginny said.

Harry nodded and looked around the room. Then, a couple that looked like they were in their sixties were walking in from another room.

"Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel," Harry breathed, "The Elixir must change their appearances.

He watched the couple as they sat down together on a love-seat.

"I will assume that we are now in the presence of Bond-mates, Harry and Ginny Potter," Nicolas Flamel said, "So Perenelle and I will start our message to you now. As you probably know by now, I am Nicolas Flamel, and this is my wife, Perenelle."

"Welcome to our home," Perenelle said.

"It was a very good day for the two of us in May," Nicolas said, "when Albus Dumbledore informed us that there is another Bonded pair in this world. We are both truly grateful that we were able to experience such news, before we must part this world."

Perenelle's lips quivered and Nicolas grasped her closest hand with both of his.

"We are recording this memory," Nicolas said, "after we learned the troubling news that our Stone was almost in the hands of evil. Harry, Albus told me that you saved it, and we are truly grateful to you. Alas, we have asked for Albus to destroy the stone, and I hope that by the time you see this, he has done so. We have enough elixir to give us a little while before we move on, but we will move on before the end of the year."

Harry noticed that Ginny's eyes were full of tears.

"Do not cry for us, my new friends," Nicolas said, "We've lived very long lives... more than three times that of the life of that of even most wizards and witches. We both know that we will go together, and meet again in the next life."

Perenelle blinked and nodded but was silent.

"Last year, we learned that you have come into possession of the book I wrote about Soul-Bonds. It is very fulfilling and will teach you everything you need to know. Well, almost everything, we hear. We know that some information was removed from the book. Albus now has that information, and in my letter to him, I will ask him to let the two of you read that information as soon as possible. I will assume you have read that information now. If not, wave your wand once to pass this portion of the memory..."

He paused for a moment and smiled.

"Excellent," he said, "You have obtained the information you have been looking for, I am sure. We know that the two of you are young... and this will not affect you for a few years. I see that as a gift. Perenelle and I were not ready for either of these events to happen to us, and it was a very troubling time for us. You will be. Please be careful with the magical power given to you. If you can, get help to control it. Everyone has the occasional enemy in this word, be it a nosy bully, or someone far more sinister. Heed this warning now... if you use your spells for harm, and your heightened power is uncontrolled, there will be harsh consequences. Sometimes the damage is irreparable, sometimes it is deadly. You can use this power for good, but you must be able to control it first. If you need help from Professors, or friends, or family, use that. Trust it."

Nicolas looked at Perenelle and then looked back in their direction.

"I am sure the other half of that chapter shocked you," Nicolas said, "Especially since you will be fourteen and fifteen when the Bond will be at this step. We were not ready for it. It surprised us, and the two of us were already very much in love. I know that teens at that age now are probably a bit more – ah – open with their romantic actions. By that time, you might already experience kissing and the other lesser levels of intimacy. But the deeper levels really force you into it if you are not cooperative."

"I know the topic might be embarrassing," Perenelle said, "But this is my advice. When you are in that final year before you, Mrs. Potter, turn the age of consent, the both of you should prepare for this. Reading, discussing, learning... prepare for it. Before it forced us, Nicolas and I never thought about it..."

"I believe the Bond actually keeps you from the act before you turn the age of consent," Nicolas said, "in order to prepare you for it. So if you experience those lesser levels of intimacy before then, do not be afraid that it is the Bond's actions... just your own hormones. The only other thing we wanted to prepare you for is something that is not in my book: prophetic dreams and nightmares."

Perenelle's hand shook under Nicolas'.

"You may have already experienced shared nightmares or dreams," Nicolas continued, "though most will not be prophetic. If you truly sense in your soul and minds that your dreams or nightmares are showing events that will happen in the future, use those if they concern you to help you prepare for events. The nightmares are frightening, as they usually are, but use them... they can seen as a gift."

"If you are letting people know about your Soul-Bond," Perenelle said, "It is a good thing, though I'm sure you are only telling those you trust. Mrs. Potter, I know you have a loving family, and I very much hope they support you, but if some do not, do not fret. They will come around when they realize your bond is a gift."

"We close this memory with a final message,," Nicolas said, "and a gift. First, as we said, we are very happy to know we are not the only Bonded pair. Most of it is a gift... a true gift. And for two mates to have found each other so young, is so wonderful. We hope you are truly happy with your Bond, and with each other, and we wish you the best. We hope that there are other Bond-mates as well. It is a deep wish of ours. In fact..."

Nicolas and Perenelle stood up.

"If this memory, skips forward, do not fear," Nicolas said, "It is normal and our choice to do so."

As soon as they said, this, the memory indeed did rush through scenes, as Nicolas and Perenelle moved through their house. Soon Harry and Ginny were standing in a very large basement-like room.

"Very few people see this room," Nicolas said. "This is where our greatest inventions and secrets are kept. We invent things in hopes that the world can accept them and use them. When we leave this world, everyone of our inventions will be teleported to the Department of Mysteries in Britain's Ministry of Magic. Follow us to one of our most mysterious inventions."

They walked forward and soon what Harry saw took his breath away...

_Harry! _Ginny said, _Is... is that?_

_Yeah, Ginny..._

The pool from the Time Chamber was in the ground in front of them.

"This pool is what we hope will one day be the new setting for magical weddings," Nicolas said. "We hope that one day, all who step foot into this pool with their beloved who they will spend the rest of their life with, will be given the gift of the Soul-Bond so that they, too, may be given our gift. Telepathy, the ability to be near their love whenever they choose through teleportation, to sense their pain, emotions... that should be gifts that every couple who truly love each other should experience."

He gave a dreamy sigh.

"Alas," he said, "There are problems with this invention. Whenever we put subjects, mostly animals into the pool, they drown and vanish. We do not know why."

_They don't know they've made a time-travel device! _Harry told Ginny, i_t did create our Soul-Bond, but it sent us back in time too._

_The Unspeakables won't find out about it either until after our fifth year... it showed up in the Time Chamber sometime after that. I bet it was in another Chamber before then... one we did not visit._

"Hopefully the Unspeakables will finish this invention," Nicolas said, "It is our greatest wish now. And with that, we say goodbye."

"Do not mourn us, children," Perenelle said, "We are happy."

"Death is but the next great adventure," Nicolas said.

Suddenly, everything went black and Harry and Ginny lifted their wands. They lifted from the ground, and were soon standing in the headmaster's office. Dumbledore was standing by his desk, and he was not alone.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and Sirius were standing there, all looking at Harry and Ginny, startled by their sudden appearance.

* * *

**Cliffhanger! The discussion with the Weasley parents and Sirius is next... and (I hope) the end of first year.**

**So... I have revealed the missing page's information. While it won't be too important in this story, it will be a center-point in the planned sequel. Won't say anymore about the sequel now. We are a long way away before then.**

**What did you think? Love hearing your feedback! I am excited every time I get a Review Alert!**


	56. Another Year Gone, Year 1

**Chapter 56  
Another Year Gone – Year 1**

**Disclaimer: Recognizable sections of this chapter come directly from Chapter 17 of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling. I do not take claim for these, only my own additions.**

* * *

"Ah, excellent!" Dumbledore said, "Very good timing, the both of you. Our three guests arrived just a couple minutes ago." He turned toward the others. "You see, I promised they would return shortly."

There were now two love-seats and a chintz chair in front of the desk. Harry and Ginny returned to their spots, while Ginny's parents took the other love-seat, and Sirius took the chair in between them. Harry wondered if Dumbledore had planned to keep distance between him and Ginny, and her parents for now.

"But – return from where?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"A trip through the Pensieve," Dumbledore said, "via a memory to what I assume is the Flamels' sitting room."

"Yes, sir," Harry said.

"Nicolas and Perenelle?" Sirius asked, looking impressed, "You met them?"

"Yeah – err – technically," Harry said, "Nicolas gave us a memory, so we could hear a message from them. They were giving us some information about our Soul-Bond."

"Is that why we are here?" Mrs. Weasley asked Dumbledore, a frown creasing her lips, "To hear something about their... bond?"

Harry didn't like the way she said 'bond'. It seemed she was still upset about it.

"There has been a new unforeseen circumstance," Dumbledore said, "when it comes to Harry and Ginny's bond. Nicolas and Perenelle, experts in this subject, considering they've both experienced the Bond for a very, very long time – the two of them knew nothing about this – well, let's call it a complication. How about we start from the beginning? Do you know what the Philosopher's Stone is?"

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley nodded, as did Sirius.

"It is the reason the Flamels have lived so long,' Mr. Weasley said.

"Correct," Dumbledore said, "Ever since September, it has been kept here for its protection. Last night it was almost captured by Dark forces."

"Dark forces?" Sirius asked, "Here at Hogwarts?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said, "One of our Professors, who was being possessed by Dark forces, attempted to steal it. Fortunately, it was rescued before that could happen – by none other than Harry, Ginny, Ron, and a witch I believe you have all met, Hermione Granger."

"Ron?" Mrs. Weasley asked, alarmed, "Is he okay?"

"He is fine, Molly," Dumbledore said, raising a hand to calm her, "He suffered a concussion from a bad fall, but he will be released from the Hospital Wing today. You may see him when we finish here. Hermione was also treated for exhaustion and shock. She, too, will be released today. She could already be released, but I think she might stay there until Ron leaves."

"She is rather taken with him, I've noticed," Sirius said, with a smirk.

Mrs. Weasley frowned again. "Harry and Ginny are here, so they're fine."

"Ah, they are here, yes," Dumbledore said, "But they are not completely healed and may not be for a while."

The three other adults looked at Harry and Ginny. Harry felt his throat tighten. The news was about to break.

"Last night," Dumbledore said, "Harry rescued the Stone, but both himself and Ginny were almost killed in the process."

Mrs. Weasley gasped and covered her mouth. Mr. Weasley looked pale. Sirius looked torn between pride and fear.

"Before his defeat," Dumbledore continued, "Professor Quirrel used a spell of some kind on Ginny, and she suffered what I can only describe as a very temporary coma."

"Darkness," Ginny said, "I was in my mind. I guess. I could feel Harry, and speak to him, but I couldn't open my eyes, or move at all."

"In self-defense," Dumbledore said, "through his rage due to his Bond-mate suffering an injury, Harry was able to defeat Professor Quirrel."

"Is he somewhere here in the castle?" Sirius asked, "I'd very much love to kick his –" he cleared his throat, "- I mean arrest him."

"He's dead," Dumbledore said, "by Harry's hand."

"What?" Mr. Weasley said, "Harry killed –?"

"Through self-defense, Arthur," Dumbledore said, raising a hand again, this time to quell Arthur, "Unfortunately the event did something to Harry's soul. But not before he saved Ginny's life."

"He – he saved her life?" Mrs. Weasley asked, her eyes slowly traveling to Harry.

"Yes," Dumbledore said, smiling, "and, in the process, he weakened himself almost to the point of death. Through a process of events that took all night, Ginny was able to save Harry's life in return. But as I said, there were unforeseen complications from the process. Before this event, Harry and Ginny shared a portion of their own soul, and their mate's. After the event, Harry's soul rests in Ginny, and vice-versa."

The other three adults looked at Dumbledore in disbelief.

"Yes, it is really hard to believe," Dumbledore said, chuckling, "But there are two pieces of proof. A diagnostic spell proved it, and – well, let's call it a 'test run' - was made. A little while ago, Harry tried to leave the Hospital Wing, and Ginny was still in bed. As soon as he walked about - thirty feet, we'll say - the two of them fainted."

Mrs. Weasley gasped. Mr. Weasley was staring at Harry and Ginny, and Sirius looked rather amused.

"I carried Mr. Potter to his where Ginny was laying," Dumbledore said, "to test out my theory, and not a minute later, the two of them woke back up, perfectly fine – other than the complications, of course."

"What does this mean, Albus?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"I think I could take an accurate guess," Sirius said.

"Let's hear it," Dumbledore said.

"Harry and Ginny can't part from each other for – what was it, thirty feet?" Sirius asked, and Dumbledore nodded. "Basically, they're stuck together... without actually being stuck together."

Harry looked at Mrs. Weasley, who looked horror-stricken. He knew what she was thinking.

"Correct," Dumbledore said. "Because they were almost killed by unnatural events, their Soul-Bond panicked. It has moved, probably temporarily, into security mode. It is, in essence, protecting both of them."

"You two are being penalized by your own Bond," Sirius said, barking out a laugh, "You went and risked your lives, and made your Soul-Bond extremely mad."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Good description."

"You see what this means, Mum?" Ginny asked, "We cannot be split up without fainting. It also seems as if we're going to have to sleep in the same bed."

"Excuse me?" Mrs. Weasley demanded, looking at Ginny for a moment, then she looked at Dumbledore, "Tell me she is wrong."

"I'm afraid not, Molly," Dumbledore said, "You see... last night, Harry was able to heal because Ginny was – ah – cuddled up with him while they were asleep."

"You – you allowed them to sleep in the same bed?" Mrs. Weasley, asked, jumping to her feet.

"Mum, calm down!" Ginny growled..

"Now, see here, young lady," Mrs. Weasley said.

"No, you do not understand," Ginny said, "There is nothing wrong with what happened."

"Oh, there are many things wrong with it!" Mrs. Weasley said, "I thought you, Headmaster, would understand -"

"Nicolas Flamel said in his message," Ginny interrupted, "that our Soul-Bond is going to stop us from – from – well, Harry won't be able to 'steal my virtue' for a few years, let's put it that way."

Harry blushed. Sirius looked as if he was trying his best not to laugh, and Dumbledore looked amused. Phineas Nigellus Black laughed in his portrait.

"Oh, be quiet, Great-Grandfather," Sirius scowled to Phineas' portrait.

"Filthy excuse for a Black!" Phineas growled.

Sirius' wand appeared in his hand, and he pointed it at Phineas' portrait. The portrait flipped and turned over, so the front was now facing the wall. Phineas said something, but it was muffled.

"Sorry for the family bickering," Sirius said.

"Quite all right," Dumbledore said.

"Albus," Mrs. Weasley said, "Is – is Ginny right about – well –?"

"As I basically said before, Molly," Dumbledore said, "Nicolas Flamel is the greatest expert of Soul-Bonds. If he told Harry and Ginny this information, then I will back it up as true."

Mrs. Weasley frowned, looked at Ginny and Harry for a mere moment, then sat back down.

"Now," Dumbledore continued, "Please note that the Soul-Bond, as Sirius boldly stated earlier, is extremely mad. It is not getting what it wants."

"You speak as if it has a mind," Mrs. Weasley said, "Can think."

"I believe so," Dumbledore said, "It has been said, by Nicolas himself, that the Soul-Bond can control things if it wishes."

Harry's throat tightened as he thought of the information he read earlier.

"As such," Dumbledore continued, "as I also said, it _wants _Harry and Ginny close to each other... sleeping in the same bed could very well sate its need very quickly, and things could return to normal – well as normal as the Bond can get. This is just a theory, of course."

"It does make sense," Mr. Weasley, said, and Sirius nodded in agreement.

"So, I guess it seems I'll be living with Harry at Potter Manor for a while," Ginny said, "At least... until we go back to normal. Then... I'll think about moving back to the Burrow."

"Why can't the two of you live at the Burrow?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Because you won't like knowing we're sleeping in the same bed downstairs from you, Mum," Ginny said.

Mrs. Weasley opened her mouth to speak, then changed her mind and closed it.

"Because we'll have to spend every moment together," Mrs. Weasley said, "which also probably means bathroom visits..."

Mrs. Weasley made a faint noise of some kind in her throat.

"And because Harry probably wants to live at his house!" Ginny said.

She looked at Harry, and he nodded. "Yes, I do. More than anything."

"And you can," Sirius said, "even without the emancipation allowing you to live there with no guardian... as of last week, I have been given clearance to become your legal guardian. So... I will be moved into Potter Manor by the time you come back Saturday night."

Harry smiled and nodded. "That's... brilliant."

"You see," Ginny said, "I certainly won't keep Harry from living with Sirius. Will you?"

"She's right, Molly," Mr. Weasley said.

Mrs. Weasley sighed, and Harry heard her sniffling. "Okay... you can live at Potter Manor, Ginny. But please come back home once you're better."

"I'll think about it," Ginny muttered.

"Wonderful," Dumbledore said, standing up, and the others did so as well, "I believe the discussion is now over. Molly, Arthur, I'm sure you wish to see your youngest son, and I'm sure Madam Pomfrey would like her patients back. I believe it is best that Harry and Ginny remain in the Hospital Wing during their sleeping hours anyway, so we do not have to complicate things in the Gryffindor Common Room. Which means I must talk to their dorm-mates. Sirius you are welcome to stay with Harry until Mr. and Mrs. Weasley decide to leave."

"Of course," Sirius said, "I will need to send a message to Amelia. I was – err – at her house when Poppy messaged us."

"You can use the Floo Network in the Hospital Wing," Dumbledore said.

Sirius bowed lightly in thanks. They headed out of the office, and started off on their trek back to the Hospital Wing.

_That went better than expected, _Ginny said, _Mum was Mum, of course, but at least she understands._

_I think you solidified it with the whole virtue speech. I notice you were vague about how many years the Bond will keep us from doing anything. Nice job._

_Well, I wasn't going to tell her, was I?_

_Definitely best we left that part out. They can find it out later._

_Years from now._

Ten minutes later, the six had arrived at the Hospital Wing. The bed Harry and Ginny had slept in was no longer merged, but they were still very close to each other, though he expected they would be merged again that evening. As soon as she saw Ron, Mrs. Weasley hurried over to him.

"Mum? – ow! – no, I'm okay!" Ron stammered.

"You don't ever do that again, Ronald Billius Weasley!" Mrs. Weasley scolded, "You could have died!"

"I had to," Ron said, "It is a long story -"

"One we heard," Mr. Weasley said, "We are very proud of the four of you."

"I – yes, of course we are," Mrs. Weasley said,

"Um... thanks, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said, blushing.

"Are you okay, Hermione?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Oh, I was cleared to leave a few minutes ago," Hermione said, "But I – err – decided to stay because I – err – had nothing better to do."

"And because Ron hasn't been cleared yet," Ginny said.

Hermione went very pink. Harry and Sirius shared amused grins, as they looked at each other.

"Ah, you are back!" Madam Pomfrey said, as she walked over to Harry and Ginny, "Finally! Get in the beds, I need to check on you."

Harry and Ginny sat on the two beds that were near each other.

"They will be required to sleep in here every night for the rest of term, Poppy," Dumbledore said, "Just as they did last night."

Madam Pomfrey sighed heavily. "Of course, Headmaster."

"Excellent," Dumbledore said, "If you excuse me, I must locate a few Gryffindor first years. Molly, Arthur, Sirius, I do believe breakfast is still being held. If these patients get released soon, perhaps you can join them for a nice meal before you leave."

"Thank you, headmaster," Sirius said, "for everything."

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley nodded. Dumbledore bowed lightly, before he left the room.

"Poppy, my dear, where is the fireplace?" Sirius said, "I must send a message."

"My office, Black," Madam Pomfrey said.

"You haven't changed a bit," Sirius said, grinning, before he walked toward the office.

Madam Pomfrey harrumphed and waved her wand over both Harry and Ginny.

"I'm afraid there is no way to know when this will change," Madam Pomfrey said, as she looked at something Harry couldn't see, "I expect the only cure is that the two of you stay close to each other for a while."

"Wait," Ron said, "So... Harry and Ginny will have to live together?"

"Yes, Ron," Mr. Weasley said, "They will be living at Potter Manor this summer with Sirius – as long as they have to. You'll be able to visit them sometimes, I promise."

Ron looked very pleased to hear this.

"You can come over to if you want, Hermione," Harry said, "If your parents let you."

"I'll see what I can do," Hermione said.

"Hey... have you talked to Neville?" Ginny asked her.

"No," Hermione said, frowning, "I thought he would visit us. I'll find him in a little while."

"Well. Mr. and – ah – Harry and Ginny," Madam Pomfrey said, "You are cleared for now. As requested, please return here for the next few days every night before curfew, and you will be released each morning. And do please try to stay together, even during bathroom trips. I will make sure the headmaster alerts the Professors, Head students and prefects that your visits into the opposite gender's bathroom are not impeded. Nurse's orders. I do not want you in here because you fainted."

"Yes, Madam," Harry and Ginny said.

"Ronald, you are cleared as well," Madam Pomfrey said, "Please get some nourishment soon."

"Don't have to ask him twice," Ginny whispered.

Harry grinned. When Sirius returned, the four children and three adults headed off to the Great Hall. Fred, George, Percy and Neville were all present.

"Mum?" Percy asked, "Dad? What are you doing here?"

"Ron and Ginny were involved in something last night, Percy," Mr. Weasley said, "We have been checking up on them."

"Does this have to do with... them?" Percy said, nodding to Harry and Ginny.

"It does," Mr. Weasley said, then addressed Fred and George, as well as Percy. "If the three of you come with myself and your mother, we will discuss it. These four need breakfast."

Percy, Fred and George stood up and followed their parents out of the hall. Harry and his friends sat down with Neville.

"How are you, Neville?" Harry asked.

"Rather stiff, thank you," Neville said, frowning, "You four landed yourselves in the Hospital Wing. You could have been killed. Maybe next time you'll listen to me, eh?"

"We did what we had to do," Harry said.

"And we succeeded," Ron said.

Harry, Ginny and Hermione nodded. Neville frowned and stood up from the table, then walked off.

"He's taking this 'stand up for yourself' thing a bit far, ain't he?" Ron asked, as he started on his breakfast.

"Oi! Potter!" a voice said.

Harry looked up. Oliver Wood was walking toward him.

"What is this I hear about you AND Ginny being unable to play on Wednesday?" he demanded.

"Yeah," Harry said, slowly, "about that..."

"You do realize without our starter OR reserve Seeker," Oliver said, "that we have to win by scoring on the rings twenty times... before they get the Snitch!"

Before Harry could answer, Wood walked off. Snickers, guffaws and hoots were heard from the Slytherin table. Draco had a big ugly smirk on his face as he looked at Harry.

"You know," Harry whispered to his three friends, "I was actually hoping I'd be able to play this time."

"So you can't play?" Hermione asked.

"Ginny can't be thirty yards apart or we faint," Harry said.

"Oh... right," Hermione said, frowning, "Quidditch is fifty feet up."

"You didn't play last time either?" Ron asked.

"No," Harry said, "Last time I fainted while fighting Quirrel, Dumbledore saved me, and I was in the hospital for a few days. We had to forfeit."

"Ouch," Ron said.

"Well, we still have a chance," Hermione said, "Don't we?"

* * *

They didn't. The Snitch was caught less than half-an-hour after the match started. Ravenclaw won 210-70. Harry, Ginny and Ron were absolutely downtrodden as they watched Montague and the Slytherin team celebrate on the Pitch. To make it worse, Neville was even more upset with Harry because they lost the cup simply because he got injured.

The last week of term was interesting for Harry and Ginny. Every night, they returned to the Hospital Wing, where they slept in the merged bed, behind privacy curtains, though their hospital gowns were closed together with a belt. They were very happy to cuddle up together to sleep.

However, not everything was happy and joyful. For the first couple of days, Harry and Ginny got odd stares from the occasional boy or girl that happened to make their way into the bathroom when Harry or Ginny had to use the loo. After being caught for the sixth time, this time by Pansy Parkinson, who looked at Harry odd when he showed the permission slip that said he was allowed, they finally realized they could have used the invisibility cloak.

They were also looked at rather oddly, and rumors started, when students started to realize they were walking around together all the time. Draco and a few of his fellow Slytherins made kissy-faces whenever they passed by the pair. Hermione's advice seemed best... 'just ignore it... term is almost over.'

Neville completely ignored them, and numerous times, Harry discovered on the map that he was either in the library, or greenhouses, or Hagrid's hut.

Unfortunately, Hagrid seemed to notice this split between Neville and the others, and commented on it during Friday afternoon as they sat for tea before they were all expected to be in the Great Hall for the End-Of-Term Feast.

"He seems pretty banged up 'bout it," Hagrid said. "He was sayin' that all year you'd help him stand up to Malfoy an' then you go an' bully him, jus' like Malfoy did."

"We did," Harry said, "Didn't we?"

"I guess we should apologize," Ginny said.

"We did apologize!" Ron said, "After we did it..."

"And then we still argued with him, Ron," Hermione said.

"Oh... right," Ron said, "Yeah... okay, we'll apologize to him during the feast."

"Good," Hagrid said, "Oh, before I forget. I've got yeh a present, Harry."

He walked over to a shelf and returned with a large leather book that Harry recognized.

"I know your godfather and Remus Lupin might have pictures fer ya," Hagrid said, as he pushed it across the table. "But I've bin in contact with other people your parents knew, asking fer pictures. You can always add to it."

"Thanks, Hagrid," Harry said.

The Great Hall was already full when the four friends made their way in, and they sat down near Neville.

It was decked out in the Slytherin colors of green and silver to celebrate Slytherin's winning the House Cup for the seventh year in a row. A huge banner showing the Slytherin serpent covered the wall behind the High Table. Harry grinned, remembering what happened last timeline, then he frowned when he saw Neville looking at him, moodily.

"Hey, Neville," Harry said, "I just wanted to say... I'm sorry for what I did to you. I shouldn't have jinxed you, but we really did need to do what we did. But I hope you know we didn't do what we did to bully you."

Before Neville could answer, a loud ding was heard. Dumbledore was standing at his chair at the High Table.

"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were... you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts... Now, as I understand it, the House Cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, five-hundred and twenty-two."

A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table. Draco was banging his goblet on the table. Harry could only grin mentally.

_What do you know, Harry? _Ginny asked.

_You'll see..._

"Yes, yes, well done, Slytherin," said Dumbledore. "However, recent events must be taken into account."

The room went very still. The Slytherins' smiles faded a little. "Ahem," said Dumbledore. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes. First — to Mr. Ronald Weasley..."

Ron went purple in the face; he looked like a radish with a bad sunburn.

"... for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor House fifty points."

Gryffindor cheers nearly raised the bewitched ceiling; the stars overhead seemed to quiver. Percy could be heard telling the other prefects, "My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!"

At last there was silence again.

"Second — to Miss Hermione Granger . . . for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor House fifty points."

Hermione buried her face in her arms; Harry grinned, knowing she had burst into tears. Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves — they were a hundred points up.

"Third," Dumbledore said, "To Miss Ginny Weasley for keeping a cool head in the face of darkness... I award Gryffindor house... fifty points."

Harry smiled as Ginny blushed. He knew that Dumbledore meant, not only the part where she was in a bit of a coma, but those hours where she was with him, helping him heal.

"Fourth — to Mr. Harry Potter, said Dumbledore. The room went deadly quiet. "...for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor House sixty points."

"We're tied with Slytherin!" Hermione announced.

Harry grinned and pointed to Dumbledore.

"There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."

Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought some sort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted from the Gryffindor table. Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione stood up to yell and cheer as Neville, white with shock, disappeared under a pile of people hugging him.

"Which means," Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin, "we need a little change of decoration."

He clapped his hands. In an instant, the green hangings became scarlet and the silver became gold; the huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a towering Gryffindor lion took its place. Snape shook hands Professor McGonagall's hand, with a horrible, forced smile.

* * *

The friends numbered five again. Neville joined Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione Saturday morning for breakfast in the Great Hall, before they would pack their things (Harry and Ginny's belongings had been moved to the hospital wing the previous Sunday) and make their way out to the Hogwarts Express. Notes were handed out, reminding everyone under age to not use magic during the summer holidays (Harry and Ginny privately grinned when they received their notices, knowing this didn't really matter for them.)

Exam results were also handed out. Harry, Ginny and Hermione all had the best grades of the first years. Ron and Neville also had good grades, though Ron did better in Potions (mostly because Hermione had helped him study) and Neville, of course, did very well in Herbology.

Soon they were in the Hogwarts Express, zooming past Muggle towns, hills and forests. The five friends passed the time, eating snacks, discussing what they would do during the summer, including plans to get together at Potter Manor a few times.

Close to six that evening, they arrived at Platform 9 ¾, and Harry, Ginny and Ron said their goodbyes to Hermione and Neville, and found Sirius and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley waiting for them.

"Harry, Ginny," Sirius said, "We're going to go to the Burrow to pack your things and have dinner with the family before we head off to Potter Manor, eh?"

Even though they really wanted to get home, Harry and Ginny agreed.

Apparation platforms were available today and, after getting their belongings on carts, Sirius was able to get everyone to them first before the crowd rushed in. Mrs. Weasley went with Fred and George, while Mr. Weasley went with Ron and Percy. Sirius charmed everything to arrive at the Burrow, then took Harry and Ginny's hands and apparated to the Burrow.

Harry was afraid that Apparation would make him and Ginny faint, if they didn't arrive exactly at the same time, but he found they were okay. He joined Ginny while she packed up a few things in her room. They had already agreed that they'd be sleeping in the Master Bedroom, so Ginny knew exactly what she wanted to take to decorate it. Then Ginny accompanied Harry while he grabbed the things he had left over the summer and Christmas.

Bill had come home by the time dinner was ready. He told Harry and Ginny he had already heard what happened, and that he wished them luck and quick healing. Dinner was rather quiet, but peaceful, since it was mutually agreed that since they could do nothing about Ginny and Harry's current predicament, they shouldn't complain at all. Plans were made to celebrate Harry and Ginny's birthdays at Potter Manor, where the family would join them, as well as days where Ron could go to Potter Manor, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley made Harry and Ginny promise they would come over sometimes for the occasional meal and family time.

Dinner finished around nine, and while Sirius transported their things to Potter Manor, Harry and Ginny said their goodbyes to the Weasleys. Mrs. Weasley even gave Harry a brief hug. Then they apparated with Sirius to Potter Manor and made their way inside. Melina greeted them, and was ecstatic to hear they'd be living there (at least Harry and Sirius) permanently, except for when they'd be at school or went to one of their holiday homes for a short visit. She was in tears of happiness, as she vanished to do whatever else.

"Oomph," Harry said, as Ginny hugged him.

"We're home!" she said, before planting a kiss on his lips.

"For more then just a visit," Harry said, as he held Ginny closely.

"Okay, you two lovebirds," Sirius said, sighing, "I am meeting Amelia tomorrow morning to do some things, so I am going to bed early. I've already moved into my old bedroom. Feels just like home too. So... do what you want, play nicely, and get to bed at a decent time. And please don't faint."

"Ha ha," Harry said, "is that your god-fatherly message for the month?"

"Very funny," Sirius said, "I am technically the adult presence around here. Remember that."

"Since when have you been an adult?" Harry asked.

Sirius gave a barking laugh.

"No sneaking out late at night to see the girlfriend, mister!" Ginny joked to Sirius, "We can put bars on windows."

"Very funny, _Mum_," Sirius said, as he walked off.

Harry looked at Ginny and they both laughed.

"This is the way it should have been in the old timeline," Harry said, when he laughed himself hoarse, "Sirius and I living together."

Ginny smiled. "Shall we unpack tonight or tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," Harry said, "That very large bathtub in our Master Bath is calling me. Join me?"

"Will we be wearing swimwear?" Ginny asked.

"Every time we take a bath?" Harry returned.

Ginny harrumphed, "I'm putting bubbles in the bath, and you're closing your eyes until I get in."

"Hey!" Harry said, as he followed her up the stairs to the second level, "You've already seen _me _half-naked at this age!"

"Very briefly," Ginny said, blushing, "Shut up or it'll be a blindfold."

Harry rolled his eyes.

The bath was so relaxing, they stayed in it for over an hour (at one point, Ginny had to put a charm on the bubbles to make them permanent until she lifted it), discussing different things they wanted to do that summer. They had a little over two months before they were to be back at school, and their only solid plans were their birthday parties and making sure they ended up confronting Lucius Malfoy at Flourish and Blott's in August. The latter was easy... they just had to keep an eye out for the date Gilderoy Lockhart would have a book-signing.

"Okay, we need to go shopping soon," Ginny said, as she dressed in her pyjamas, while Harry was glancing in the other direction, "I miss having a gown for bed."

"We need to go to Diagon Alley soon anyway," Harry said, "Ragnok's going to need to know he can stop his investigation for the missing information, and he might be able to help us figure out how to get our Bond back to normal."

"Do you want it to be back to normal?" Ginny asked.

"Do you mean do I want you to be here while having an excuse to be here?" Harry asked.

"Sure," Ginny said.

"Yes," Harry said, "To both. I don't want to faint if I accidentally step eleven yards away from you. Not to mention I want to be able to play Quidditch again. But I also want you here without having to argue with your mother about it."

They crawled into bed together and Ginny cuddled against Harry, laying her head under his chin. As he turned off the lights with his wand, Harry thought he could hear Ginny sniffling.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing, I'm just really happy," Ginny said, "I missed this bed so bloody much."

"Me too," Harry said.

Ginny raised her head toward him and kissed him lightly on the lips. He returned the kiss, and Ginny grinned against his lips, then backed up and returned to her former position.

_Good night, Mrs. Potter, _Harry said, _I love you. For ever and an eternity._

Ginny sniffled again, and Harry knew these were happy tears as well. He had said that exact same thing their first night in this bed as husband and wife in the old timeline.

_Love you too, Mr. Potter_, Ginny said, _Good night._

Harry laid awake, as he listened to Ginny's breath calm down, and felt her chest slowly rise and lower against him before she fell asleep. He then closed his eyes and, too, fell asleep. That night, they shared a dream together of their wedding night in the old timeline.

* * *

**End of first year! (woo, woo, woo)**

**That last scene, after they arrived at Potter Manor, went on forever, but I wanted to show the moments of their first night together at home.**

**If you didn't notice, I gave Slytherin an additional fifty points more than they had in the old timeline. This was so Ginny could earn fifty, and they'd still be tied before Neville earned his points.**

**Summer before second year is going to be a few chapters, including (but not limited to one chapter): Harry's birthday and the answers to what was in those diaries and that secret room at Potter house in Godric's Hollow, everyone's favorite house-elf causing mischief, possibly the ring horcrux retrieval and destruction... and Lucius Malfoy! Also... someone else will discover Harry's and Ginny's secrets... very soon!**

**Oh yes... and just how long will their bond take to heal? We'll see!**

**Hope you liked this chapter. I want to know what you think about it!**


	57. Measurements and Mischief

**Chapter 57  
Measurements and Mischief**

**Author's Note: Made a mistake last chapter... I put Mrs. Weasley for a quote that meant for Ginny... I HATE when I do that! Sorry for that mistake. It was the "bathroom visit" line meant for Ginny to Mrs. Weasley.**

**Q&A Time: (One is kinda Spoiler-ish, skip if you don't wanna be spoiled.)**

**Q: Are you going to condense the events from book 2 and 3 and move fast towards the Tri-wizard tournament?**

**A: There will be a few time-skips occasionally, yes, but I have enough events to make both Year 2 and Year 3 good... rather short, I expect, but good. Year 2 will definitely be fewer chapters than Year 1, and will focus more on Sirius' and Amelia's internal investigations in the Ministry, along with Harry doing stuff... like dealing with Lockhart. But Year 3 will have an – err – similar storyline to canon. Exciting stuff for third year... already have plans... starts out with a literal bang and not one but TWO prisoners escape Azkaban!**

**Q: Er****... What happened to the 150 points taken off from Norberta incident that didn't happen?**

**A: Oh... um... err... Fate (that cruel fiend!) took them away from other students... naughty Gryffindors! (whistles, hoping nobody realizes he hadn't counted for that.)**

Edit: FFN Error.

* * *

When Harry woke up the following morning, Ginny was sitting in bed, dressed in a new outfit, and brushing her hair.

"Finally!" Ginny said, "You sleep in too long. It is close to nine-o-clock."

"You're already up... and dressed?" Harry asked, as he sat up.

"I called for Melina," Ginny said, "and she brought up a couple baskets of our clothes, toiletries and my make-up and stuff. Did you know the toilet is exactly twenty-eight feet from this bed, but the bath is – well – a lot more than thirty? I was measuring things in here from the bed while you slept."

"So... we can pee without having to watch each other," Harry joked, "But bath-time is probably a shared thing?"

Ginny stared at him with narrowed eyes. "Yeah... more or less."

"So... you measured things," Harry said.

"Well, I had to _adapt_ to our _situation_!" Ginny said, "I couldn't go anywhere out of this room because you were sleeping! And you _snore_.. more than you do nine years from now."

"Um... I love you?" Harry tried.

Ginny scoffed. "Very nice try. Sirius left by the way. He checked in on us and told me he was leaving for a few hours. Oh, and Melina offered to give us breakfast-in-bed, but I would like to do things outside the bedroom today."

"Aww, don't want to stay in bed all day?" Harry asked, grinning.

"I did tell you I wanted to go shopping, right?" Ginny retorted, "We'll have to apparate, of course, but there is an alley near the Leaky Cauldron hidden from Muggles."

"Except for the occasional tramp," Harry said, with a snort.

"They're usually smashed this early in the morning," Ginny said, "We'll be fine."

"How nice of you," Harry said, "I see early-morning grouchiness doesn't change for nine years. Or is that your older mind's fault?"

Ginny narrowed her eyes again. "You're lucky I have to stay close to you, Potter."

Harry laughed. "Close your eyes... if you want. I'm going to get dressed."

"A third of the bathroom is less than thirty feet from me," Ginny said.

"So... go do your make-up in there?" Harry suggested.

Ginny opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. "You win this round." She grumbled, snatched up her make-up bag and walked into the bathroom. "Try not to walk too far in the other direction."

Harry chortled then proceeded to change into an outfit suitable for an outing in Diagon Alley. When he finished, the two of them headed downstairs for a breakfast of hotcakes, sausage links and eggs, made by Melina. After they unpacked a few of their things with a few simple spells, they were ready to leave for Diagon Alley.

They held each other hand and Apparated to the alley down the road from the Leaky Cauldron. There were no tramps, thankfully, just a very frightened cat. They made their way down the busy street toward the Leaky Cauldron. Outside, Muggles passed by the building without even noticing it, and Harry and Ginny waited until it was clear, before they made their way inside. As they passed the bar, they heard Tom talking to a couple patrons about Quidditch.

"I'm telling you," a young wizard in his early twenties said, "They're recruiting younger and younger. They'll be recruiting kids from the schools next."

"Well, they should," a witch, also in her twenties said, "My cousin in Bulgaria, she's going to Durmstrang, you see. Big Quidditch fan... there's a young seeker who plays for one of the school's teams, fifteen or sixteen, she thinks... he could be a star Seeker in the Pro League in a year or two if they recruit him, she says. Ne'er seen anything like him. Wish I could remember his name... Krag or something."

Harry grinned privately, knowing she was talking about Viktor Krum.

He and Ginny made their way out to the back, opened the barrier and headed for Gringotts. Ragnok was speaking to an elderly couple. He caught sight of Harry and Ginny, snapped his fingers and another goblin walked up to him. Harry recognized the other goblin immediately.

"Take Mr. and Mrs. Fellows, Griphook," Ragnok said, "I have new business to attend to."

"Of course," Griphook said, "This way, please."

The elderly couple walked away, and Harry and Ginny walked forward.

"It is very nice to see the two of you," Ragnok said, "To the vault today?"

"We wish to speak to you first, Master Ragnok," Harry said.

"Of course," Ragnok said, "Follow me."

They walked over to the same room they had been in their last two visits, and sat down at the wooden table.

"I imagine you have important topics to discuss," Ragnok said, as he took a seat, "I have one or two myself that we may have in common to share. May I?"

Harry and Ginny nodded.

"Mrs. Potter," Ragnok said, "I've been working very closely with your eldest brother over the past few months."

"Bill?" Ginny asked.

"Indeed," Ragnok said, "He met with me first in January, and let me know that he knew about your Bond. He told me he is an aura-reader, like myself."

"We're aware," Harry said.

"I thought you might be," Ragnok said. "He said that he supported your Bond, but other members of your family do not."

"Just Mum and one of my brothers," Ginny said, "Everyone else supports us."

"Excellent," Ragnok said, "Just a few days ago, he told me of this new development in your bond."

Harry looked at Ginny, who didn't look surprised that Ragnok knew.

"So you know?" Harry asked the goblin.

"I do," Ragnok said, "I must say it is a very strange situation, but as I understand it, it did help you rectify the other situation of your current residence."

"We are rather happy to live at Potter Manor," Harry said, "But this new situation is still taking time to get used to."

"Do you have theories to cure it?" Ginny asked, "Get us back to the point where we share half of each of our souls again?"

"I'm afraid not," Ragnok said, "I would try to keep your Bond pleased, in order to reassure it that you will not doing anything so foolish again."

"I don't look for trouble... it usually finds me," Harry said.

"Indeed," Ragnok said, grinning, "I suggest that you do what you've been doing since the situation began. Perhaps, after a few days, you can test out the length your allowed and see if you faint or not."

"Fainting is not fun," Ginny scowled.

"We could test it when Sirius is watching," Harry said, "So he could help us."

"I suppose," Ginny muttered then looked at Ragnok, "So, wait, you know what happened with the Philosopher's Stone?

"Yes," Ragnok said, "And how it was rescued. Very impressive work, the both of you. Alas, it is tragic that the stone was destroyed. Nicolas and Perenelle will not last the year with very little elixir."

_Harry? _Ginny asked, _Do you think we could ask Ragnok if he could do anything about the Time Pool without revealing we're from the future?_

_Hmm... what should we do about it?_

_It is dangerous, Harry. We don't need someone else going back in time with it._

_So... what? Destroy it? What if we create a paradox by doing that? We've already 'stepped on butterflies', you know._

_We're not going back to our old timeline. I doubt we could if we tried. We need to destroy it._

_I have an idea._

"Master Ragnok," Harry said, "I have a request for you. Also, some other news. First, we found out what was on that missing page. Albus Dumbledore found out about it, and he told the Flamels we were looking for it. Nicolas gave him a copy of that information, and Dumbledore gave it to us."

"Excellent!" Ragnok said, "Was it – ah – illuminating?"

"Very," Harry said, "But we'll be ready for it."

"We hope," Ginny said.

"Good luck with whatever it is," Ragnok said, "And your request?"

"Nicolas gave us a memory," Harry said, "A message from him and his wife. At the end of it, he led us into his laboratory."

"You saw the mysterious Flamel inventions?" Ragnok asked

"Yes," Harry said, "One of these inventions – well – we think it is very dangerous and could be used for Dark purposes. We believe all of those inventions will be given the Department of Mysteries, when the Flamels leave this world. This invention is a pool of sorts. Is it possible for you you to track what goes into the Department of Mysteries? It will be quite a few inventions that go in at once."

"I'll have to work on it," Ragnok said, "But it is possible."

"We ask that you keep a track of this pool," Harry said, "And let us know which room it will be kept in. We wish to destroy it."

"A big mission," Ragnok said, twirling his beard, "Yes... I will work on it. As I said, we have time before the Flamels will likely part from this life. I will keep you updated, of course."

"Thank you," Harry said.

Ginny nodded, and Harry was happy to see she was pleased with this idea.

"If that is all," Ragnok said, "Shall we go to your vault?"

Harry and Ginny agreed They filled up their bags with enough Galleons, Sickles and Knuts to last them until their visit in August. They also decided to take a few things from the vault to take home. Harry took his knapsack, that he had emptied of his school things earlier that morning, and had shrunk to fit in his robes, out of his pocket, and put a temporary Undetectable Extension Charm on it. He put the jewelry box, and a few envelopes that had official papers, in the bag. They also picked out a few of James and Lily's old outfits (including a night gown, to Ginny's delight) and other things that they thought the home could use.

_Your mother's old potion things,_Ginny said, looking at a box full of vials, flasks and other various potion tools.

_We could recreate the Potions laboratory in the basement._

_Sure. Good way to pass the time, practicing for Potions we'll make in second year._

Harry nodded, and helped Ginny put the things in the knapsack. When they couldn't figure out anything else they wished to take, they returned to the surface. As they headed across the atrium of the bank, Harry heard a familiar drawling voice in one of the long queues.

"Yes, Draco," Lucius said, "I must pick up a few things in my vault, and then we can go pre-order those broomsticks for the Slytherin team, as I promised."

"The Slytherin team will definitely have me as their new Seeker when they see the new Nimbus 2001s," Draco said, "Potter won't know what hit him next term."

Harry grinned to himself, as he walked with Ginny out of the bank. Inspiration had struck.

_Come on, _he said, _I'm going to get your birthday present early._

_With me around?_

_It won't be the only thing I give you. You can still be surprised for the other stuff. Besides, it probably won't arrive until August. I have to pre-order it._

_I see what you're doing... you're evil._

Harry smiled and led Ginny toward Quality Quidditch Supplies. They waited with the queue of wizards, then were finally next.

"Yes?" the wizard asked.

"I'd like to pre-order a Nimbus 2001," Harry said.

"Very good, my lad," the wizard said, "One of seven left available at the end of July. That will be 25 galleons... half-off for the pre-order.

_Good thing I made a big withdrawal today, _Harry muttered in his mind, as he paid the wizard.

_Hey... this is your idea. Good idea... but still your idea._

Harry filled out the pre-order form and the wizard tapped his wand on it.

"It will be delivered to your address through owl-post sometime in very early August," the wizard said, thank you for your purchase."

Harry caught sight of Draco out of the corner of his eye, and he took Ginny's hand and led her deeper into the shop.

_Harry, _Ginny said, _What are we doing?  
__  
Seeing if this plays out how I hope it will. Don't let them see you._

Harry and Ginny looked at an assortment of team-insignia stickers as Lucius and Draco made their way to the counter.

"You have seven Nimbus 2001s available for pre-order, correct?" Lucius asked.

"We have six left, sir," the wizard said.

"That sign says seven left!" Draco said, pointed up to a sign that said "Nimbus 2001 Pre-orders: Only 7 left."

"Oops... it does... clumsy me," the wizard said.

"So you have seven?" Draco asked.

"Six," the wizard repeated, as he waved his wand and a large 6 replaced the 7, "One was just purchased."

"So we'll take six," Draco said.

"No, Draco," Lucius said, "I promised seven for the Slytherin team, not six. The team will have to use what they have now. I will, however, purchase one of those brooms for you, Draco."

Draco gave a deep annoyed sigh. "Fine. I-I mean, thank you Father.""Pity," Harry said, as he and Ginny walked out of the shop a few minutes later, "I was hoping Draco wouldn't get the new broom. At least he won't be able to buy his way onto the team. He'll have to try-out."

"Better than the alternative," Ginny said, "Come on. I have a night gown now, but I want to get a few other outfits."

"We have an actual pool now, Ginny," Harry said, "What about getting a new swimsuit?"

"Let me guess... a two-piece?" Ginny asked, with a smirk.

Harry shrugged innocently.

Ginny rolled her eyes, and sighed. "Fine. I'm sure I can find one that has size-changing charms. Literally one-size-fits-all."

Harry snickered and Ginny glared at him, and smacked him on the shoulder.

"I _meant _so I wouldn't have to buy another one in a couple of years!" she growled.

"I knew that," Harry said, grinning.

"You're standing outside the dressing rooms," Ginny said.

"Are they thirty feet away or less from where I'm allowed to be?" Harry asked.

"Much less," Ginny muttered.

At the clothing store, Harry was forced to sit in a chair for about an hour while Ginny tried on, not only two-piece swimsuits, but other summer outfits. He was getting all kinds of looks from other patrons... the most annoying were those whose facial expressions screamed 'aw, how cute' whenever Ginny would show him different outfits she had on. Obviously some of these people knew they weren't siblings... and he wondered exactly what they thought. Many times he had to stop himself from using Legilimency.

After she was finished, they decided on getting a couple butterbeers from the Leaky Cauldron; it was a fairly stifling day out. But first, Ginny said she had to use the restroom. Harry instantly regretted forgetting his invisibility cloak, and he knew the bathrooms were disillusionment-proof to protect patrons from attackers or peeping toms (Tom had a few jokes thrown his direction whenever he used this latter term). He used his Auror-trained stealth to follow Ginny into the bathroom. Thankfully nobody saw him... or so he thought.

He stood there at the sink as he waited for Ginny to finish, when all of a sudden Amelia Bones walked in.

"I thought I saw you follow Ginny in here," Amelia said, "What are you doing, Harry?"

_Damn, _Ginny said, _Sorry. Say something, I'll be out of here soon._

"Er... protecting Ginny from harm?" Harry asked.

"Where's your godfather?" Amelia asked.

"What?" Harry replied, "Sirius said he was meeting you this morning."

"I'm meeting him tonight," Amelia said, "I'm visiting Potter Manor for dinner. He told me you and Ginny were living there – you, I understand, but Ginny...?"

"Er... yeah," Harry said, "about that..."

Before he could say anything, Ginny appeared... not by walking... _she teleported to his side! _Harry blinked, feeling a moment of weakness from the split-second she was away from him.

_Wait... what? _Ginny sounded rather confused. _How did I...?_

Ginny! Harry growled in his mind.

_I didn't do that on my own, Harry. I promise. I was walking out!_

"Did you just Apparate, Ginny?" Amelia asked, raising her eyebrows.

Harry saw something in the mirror, out of the corner of his eyes. He looked closer and his eyes widened. Dobby the house-elf was poking his head out from under a cubicle door. Dobby's eyes widened, and he disappeared.

_That was Dobby! _Harry said, _He's trying to get me in trouble again... like last time._

_Dobby? Oh dear... what do we do about Amelia?_

"Er... yeah, Amelia," Harry said, "We have something we need to tell you. But first we need to go to Potter Manor and find out where Sirius is."

Amelia blinked. "He's keeping secrets from me, isn't he?"

"Nothing that concerns him... specifically," Harry said.

"Come with me," Amelia said, "I'll get my bags, then we can Floo there."

"No!" Harry and Ginny said.

Amelia narrowed her eyes.

"I can't leave Harry," Ginny said.

"I'm sure you know Floo is very quick," Amelia said.

"Apparating is quicker," Harry said, "You'll understand why we're acting this way soon, we promise."

Amelia tapped her foot and crossed her arms.

"Apparation it is," she said, "But it better be good. Sirius Black, you are in so much trouble for letting kids shop out here without supervision!"

Harry looked at Ginny, who looked rather amused, as they followed Amelia into the main part of the room.

"Do you need to pick up your bags or anything before we go?" she asked.

"It is all in here," Harry said, motioning to his miniature knapsack.

"Shrinking Charm and an Extendable Charm?" Amelia asked, eyeing the bag, "Please tell me Sirius did that?"

"Er..." Harry said, "Yes?"

Amelia sighed and shook her head.

"You do realize I am the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement," Amelia said, "Which reminds me... I wonder how long before we hear from your parents, Ginny, for that apparent solo apparation trick you did."

"I don't think they will know," Ginny said.

"Oh, Ginny," Amelia said, "Just because you're ten, does not mean you're able to be excused from the restriction for underage wizardry. You're a student now. Of course, how I could explain solo Apparation without it being seen as accidental..."

"We'll explain that to you," Harry said.

"I'm going to regret this," Amelia said, "Take my hands."

They did so, and soon they were standing in front of Potter Manor.

_Er... Harry? _Ginny asked, as they walked toward the house, _Exactly what are we going to tell Amelia? Just our Soul-Bond... or...?_

_We'll discuss it with Sirius. He knows Amelia a lot better than we do._

_'Kay. So... Dobby is trying to get you into trouble?_

_He still thinks the Chamber will open. I should have expected this. Well... there goes the boring summer._

_Summer's just begun, Harry._

_Thanks for reminding me._

* * *

**Woohoo! How much will Amelia hear? Everything? One secret? Dobby's already creating mischief... what else will he do? All that and more coming soon... as Ginny said, summer's just begun!**

**Hopefully it only lasts five chapters or so... I have three or four ideas I could do, so it should.**

**This was a shorter chapter than I usually do, but I hope you liked it!**


	58. Chapter 58: No Title

**Chapter 58  
No Title**

**Author's Note: First, this story has reached 500+ reviews! Thanks so much, always glad to hear from all of you!**

**If you read a bold version of the last chapter or any chapter in the future, it is a technical error and not my own. Also, this story WILL go all the way through fourth year, and end before the summer between fourth and fifth. The sequel will begin during the summer of fifth year. I also made a mistake a few chapters ago. I mentioned Amelia's sister, her brother-in-law, and niece. It would be her brother, sister-in-law, and niece, because her niece's surname is Bones. **

**Q&A Time (regarding Chapter 57)**

**Q: I have a few issues... not bad just odd. I don't know any 10 year olds who have makeup and why wouldn't they change their appearance while going into Diagon Alley? That would have been in the news knowing Skeeter's obsession with writing about him and the fact that they are so young and by themselves.**

**A: It is very minor make-up things. She's 19 (her mind's age is static until she reaches that age) in her mind, and make-up, even just a little bit, is just something she wants to feel normal again. As for Rita... she isn't currently following them at the moment... and only Amelia realized they were there without an adult, because she knows who they live with.  
****  
Q: ****Why is Ginny so "nudiphobic"? Even if they have no hormonal desire to get naked with each other, and no bond driven desire for same, intellectually they should not be opposed to nudity - especially at Potter Manor instead of the Burrow.**

**A: Fun word - nudiphobic, ha. Harry never saw Ginny naked at the bodily age she is now, and she's a bit embarrassed by that. It is mostly comic relief, but I am sure some can understand her reasons.**

* * *

Waiting for Sirius to arrive was nerve-wracking for Harry and Ginny.

As soon as they had arrived, they asked Melina to get Amelia whatever she wished for, then they hurried back to their bedroom, and Harry wrote a letter to Sirius explaining what was going on. Harry asked Hedwig to make haste and find Sirius as soon as possible. Then they returned downstairs and joined Amelia in the sitting room.

At that moment, there was absolute silence . Neither Harry nor Ginny knew what to say yet, nor were the discussing anything through telepathy. The thought that the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was about to discover one or both of their secrets, even though said person was in an intimate relationship with another person who knew about it, made them anxious.

Harry wondered if this would affect Sirius' relationship with Amelia. He knew that his godfather loved Amelia; there was a rather good chance they would get married some day. But what if this upset Amelia? He didn't even want to think of that.

At last, after nearly an hour since they had sent Hedwig, Harry's owl returned and perched herself on the bookcase across the room.

"She didn't bring a letter back?" Ginny asked.

"She didn't have to," Sirius said, as he walked into the sitting room, "I came with her. Ah, Amy, my love, how very good to see you. I didn't expect you until tonight."

"You told us you were meeting her this morning," Ginny said, and Harry nodded and crossed his arms.

"Blimey, its like James and Lily scolding me all over again," Sirius said, as he shuddered, "I – ahem – I'll tell you about that later. It is supposed to be a birthday surprise for you, Harry. So much for the surprise portion."

"Don't 'Amy, my love' me, Sirius," Amelia said, "These two children were shopping in Diagon Alley... by themselves! And I found your godson in the ladies' restroom at the Leaky Cauldron."

"So you were together, right?" Sirius asked Harry and Ginny.

"Of course," Ginny said.

"That's good," Sirius said.

"Did you not hear me?" Amelia asked, "He was in the restroom with her!"

"I trust you gave her her privacy, yes?" Sirius asked Harry.

"Yes," Harry said, grinning, "I stood by the sink."

"A regular gentleman, then," Sirius said.

"Only you would call him a gentleman for walking into the ladies' restroom!" Amelia said.

"Wow," Sirius chuckled, "This is a rather serious situation – no puns, Potter -" he looked at Harry AND Ginny while he said this, "- when you're looking at it from an outsider's point. Hmm..."

"An outsider?" Amelia echoed, "You call your own girlfriend an outsider?"

"Good point," Sirius said, "Will you excuse the three of us for a moment? I must talk with my godson and his – err – friend. Have you had anything to drink, Amy? We do have strong beverages."

"Out of the children's reach, I do hope," Amelia said.

"Amy, you injure me with accusations!" Sirius said, dramatically, clutching his heart, "Melina?"

Melina appeared and bowed. "Yes, sir?"

"Please bring a bottle of firewhiskey, Ogden's Old, I think, and two glasses," Sirius said.

"Of course, sir," Melina said, "Anything for you, my Master and Lady?"

"Butterbeer," Harry and Ginny both said.

Melina bowed and vanished a moment later.

"Did that house-elf just call Ginny 'Lady'?" Amelia asked.

Sirius sighed and closed his eyes. "I'll explain that very soon. You two, come with me for a few moments."

Harry and Ginny quickly followed Sirius out into the hallway.

"Okay, I understand a lady's need to shop," Sirius said, "And of course 'when nature calls, you must answer'... but did you _have_ to get caught by _her_?"

"I was getting ready to make an excuse when Lucius Malfoy's house-elf decided to interfere," Harry said.

"Lucius Malfoy's house-elf?" Sirius barked.

"Actually the house-elf was a friend of mine in the old timeline," Harry said, "But he did try to continuously get me in trouble and/or attempt to kill me during second year and the summer before."

"And you forgot to tell me this?" Sirius asked.

"He didn't try to get me in trouble until my birthday last time," Harry said, "Lucius and Draco were in Diagon Alley today...I bet Dobby was there with them, and he saw us... damn."

"Language, young man," Sirius said, grinning, "Okay... so... how much should we tell her?"

"That is what we were going to ask you," Ginny said.

"Hmm," Sirius said, then grinned, "If she knows you two are from the future, she could really help us, you know. She _is _the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement."

"That is a double-edged sword, Sirius," Harry said, "She might help _or _hinder us."

"She's with me, Harry," Sirius said, "She'll listen to me."

"Really?" Ginny asked, "She looked like the one with the pants on in the relationship in there."

Sirius grinned and looked at Harry.

"Don't you dare say that relates to Ginny and I," Harry said.

"You're no fun," Sirius said. "So... shall we tell her both secrets and see where it goes?"

Harry looked at Ginny, and she shrugged.

"You're no help," he said to her, and she glared at him. He ignored her and said, "I suppose we should. But we're going to regret this, aren't we?"

"Oh, most definitely," Sirius said, then led them back into the living room.

Amelia was staring at a glassful of firewhiskey in her hand. Another glass and a tall bottle were sitting on the coffee table, along with two bottles of butterbeer. Harry and Ginny grabbed the butterbeer and sat down together on the vacant couch on the other side of the table.

"Amelia, how are you this fine day?" Sirius asked, as he sat next to her, and draped an arm around her shoulders.

"I haven't drank a drop, Sirius," Amelia muttered.

"Blast," Sirius said, frowning.

"So... exactly what are you going to explain to me?" Amelia asked, looking at the three individually.

"Two secrets very few people know," Harry said, "And both you will probably have a hard time believing. First, I must ask this. Are you skilled in the art of Occlumency?"

"He's serious?" Amelia asked Sirius.

"We both are," Sirius said, grinning, "in two completely different ways."

Amelia rolled her eyes and looked back at Harry. "It is a job requirement for my position, Harry. I am a skilled Occlumens."

"Good," Harry said, "because under no circumstance can this information be discovered by Dark forces. I'd ask you to take a wizard's vow of honor, but that ritual alone would reveal things before we'd give the to you, so it can be done afterwards."

Amelia looked dumbstruck, possibly at the fact that he was holding information that could be used for Dark purposes, or because he spoke of using a vow of honor.

"Okay, you captured my attention, Harry," Amelia said.

"We'll start with the easiest first," Harry said, "Do you know what a Soul-Bond is?"

"Sort of," Amelia said, "I've read a story -"

"It is more than Bartemius F. Able could have ever dreamed of," Harry said, "It is real. Ginny and I are connected by the Soul-Bond."

Amelia looked back and forth between Harry and Ginny, then looked at Sirius, who nodded. Harry then explained what Bonded mates could do, including telepathy, sensing emotions and pain, sharing dreams and nightmares. Ginny explained her sight share she seemed to only be able to use.

"And we can also teleport," Harry said. "It is silent, extremely quick, and cannot be blocked by wards. However, we are limited to teleporting to each other."

"Once I teleported elsewhere without thinking," Ginny said, "And it was very jarring for me. I'd never do it again."

"So... you teleported to Harry today?" Amelia asked.

"I don't know," Ginny said.

"I think a house-elf made her do it," Harry said, "to get us in trouble or something. I saw him in the bathroom, before he vanished. I recognized him too. His owner is Lucius Malfoy."

"Why am I not surprised?" Amelia muttered, "So you two have many special gifts. Anything else?"

"Earlier you heard our house-elf refer to Ginny as her Lady," Harry said, "That is because Ginny and I are, by all magical laws – not Ministry laws – a married couple."

Amelia's eyes grew to saucers. She slowly looked over at Sirius, who nodded again. Amelia took a drink from her glass of firewhiskey and stared forward. She was silent for almost a minute before she spoke.

"Married through magical law, and severely underage," she said, "Am I correct to say you two are, by all means, emancipated?"

"Yes and no," Harry said, "I accept that Sirius is my guardian. At this moment, Ginny lives here, but she has the option to go home... sorta. But Ginny and I have entry into my family vault, which had the deed and key into this house. Ginny and I own this house. We also do not have the Trace on us."

"You are the envy of your generation with that last bit," Amelia said, shaking her head.

Sirius barked out a laugh.

"You asked why I was in the bathroom with Ginny," Harry said, "Why we could not use the Floo Network."

"Yes," Amelia said, "Does this have something to do with your Bond?"

"It is a recent complication," Harry said, "Last Saturday, Ginny and I almost died."

Amelia covered her mouth with a hand.

"What do you know about the events surrounding the Philosopher's Stone that happened a week ago yesterday?" Harry asked.

"Very little," Amelia said, "I know a Professor at Hogwarts was killed attempting to steal it, and that it was rescued, and later destroyed. The fact that the stone was at Hogwarts was a surprise to me until this past week."

"I killed Professor Quirrel in self-defense," Harry said, "And rescued the stone."

"It was you?" Amelia asked, "Albus was saying it was a student who saved it, but I -"

"You expected an older student," Ginny said.

Amelia shrugged.

"Professor Quirrel injured Ginny, and she was very close to death," Harry said, "In my rage, through our Bond, I killed him. You know the theory that murder rips a soul apart, yes?"

"Yes, I suppose," Amelia said, frowning.

Harry explained how his half-soul was injured because of that, and bringing Ginny back from the brink of death weakened her half-soul in his body, bringing him close to death. Ginny explained how she saved him.

"You had to sleep in bed with Harry?" Amelia gasped.

"Wait, there's more," Sirius said.

"That night, the process I used to save Harry, did something to the both of us," Ginny said, "When we woke up, we had each other's complete soul in our bodies. The Soul-Bond is trying to keep us protected, so, I think we're having to protect each other's complete soul, before it trusts us to protect our own half again."

"I haven't thought of that," Harry said, impressed, "Makes sense."

"But surely having each other's soul would mess you up," Amelia said.

"It does," Harry said, "We cannot walk thirty-one feet from each other without fainting," Harry said, "And we don't know how long it will last."

Amelia chuckled. "That explains why you were in the bathroom with her."

"Believe me, I wouldn't go into a girl's bathroom if I had the choice," Harry said.

Ginny coughed, but Harry heard her say "Myrtle's bathroom!" Harry scowled.

"Anyway, for the past week," Ginny said, "we've had to share a bed... and last night we took a bath together..."

Sirius snickered into his firewhiskey.

"I was always covered by bubbles, Sirius!" Ginny scowled, "And it is a very big bathtub."

"I thought you'd be used to taking baths together," Sirius said.

"Shut up, Sirius," Ginny said, glaring at Harry when he grinned.

"Do your parents know about all of this, Ginny? Amelia asked.

"Mum's not very happy about any of it," Ginny said.

"I'm not surprised," Amelia said, "You're ten years old, married, and sharing a bed with a boy. She's probably scared to death that you're going to end up – well -"

"My godson is a gentleman, Amy!" Sirius said, acting wounded.

Ginny snorted. Harry ignored her again.

"We learned from an expert," he said, "that the Soul-Bond will prevent us from experiencing – er -"

"Sex," Sirius said, in a rather loud whisper.

Harry and Ginny blushed and Amelia rolled her eyes.

"We won't be able to make love until the Soul-Bond allows us to," Ginny said, "Uh... damn. Harry... should we tell them-"

"Huh?" Harry asked, then realized what she meant, "Oh... _oh... _er..."

"He is your godfather," Ginny said, "He'd understand."

"Are you keeping yet another secret from me?" Sirius asked.

"We learned something new about our Bond a week ago," Harry said, "Shortly before you and her parents came to Dumbledore's office."

"Oh?" Sirius asked.

"Very troubling information," Ginny said, "And if we tell you, you can _not _let my family know. Not even Ron."

"This sounds very... yes, that," Amelia said.

"Bugger," Sirius said, "She got me that time."

Harry snickered then sobered up. First he explained the heightened magical power. Sirius and Amelia's eyes gradually went bigger as he explained it.

"So at fourteen years old," Sirius said, "You're going to be some kind of super-wizard."

Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Basically," Harry said, "And it only gets better... or worse. When Ginny turns fourteen, not only will she gain these powers, but our Bond is going to move into a deeper stage."

Harry inhaled and exhaled, then explained the second part. When he finished, Sirius and Amelia both looked pale.

"Well, I didn't expect that," Sirius said.

"Fourteen and fifteen and this bond will make you -" Amelia said, slowly, "My Merlin, you're still kids even then!"

Sirius upended his glass of firewhiskey through his lips and poured another glass. "We still haven't told you the rest of their secret, Amy. It might change your mind about the two of them in this situation."

"How could it change my mind?" Amelia asked, "They would still be kids..."

"Go on, Harry," Sirius said, then refilled Amelia's glass, "You'll need this, Amy."

Amy raised her eyebrows and her eyes moved slowly from Sirius to her glass to Harry and Ginny.

"For Ginny and myself," Harry said, "A little less than a year and two months ago, we were living in this house... and it was the year 2001."

Amelia's glass shook in her hand and Sirius held her hand to calm it down.

"Thank you, honey," Amelia said, though she did not take her eyes off of Harry and Ginny, "You... say you're from the – the future?"

"I didn't believe them at first either, Amy," Sirius said, "But they told me things they shouldn't have known at the time. They... said they knew about that night near the end of our sixth year... with Severus."

"It took you ages to tell _me _about that," Amelia said.

"I barely knew you in our timeline," Harry said, "The only real things I know about you is that your brother, Edgar, died in the First War, and that your niece, Susan, looks up to you and wants to be in your department when she is older."

"She does," Amelia said, nodding.

I think I only saw the other you once in the old timeline," Harry said, "and that day I was being tried for using magic in front of a Muggle that I saved from Dementors. Thankfully I was cleared, and Ginny..."

"I never met the other you," Ginny said.

Sirius' eyes widened and he put a hand to his mouth. Harry saw his eyes sparkling.

"Yes, Sirius," Harry said, "Exactly."

"What?" Amelia asked.

"I guess we should start a bit earlier before we get into that," Harry said.

Harry explained what happened to Sirius and Peter Pettigrew in the old timeline.

"The other Sirius wasn't seen as innocent until right before my sixth year," Harry said, "Unfortunately... he never got to see that day."

Amelia's lip quivered as she looked from Harry to Sirius.

"After Peter escaped our grasp," Harry said, "He started on a journey that would end up bringing Voldemort back to life in June of my fourth year."

"Voldemort?" Amelia gasped.

"He's not dead, Amelia," Harry said, "But I know how to truly destroy him. I am well on my way to doing it. Me and Ginny – and Sirius has been a big help too. I'm going to make sure he never makes it out of that night alive."

"But you said Peter Pettigrew is the reason he came back," Amelia said. "Pettigrew's in Azkaban now."

Harry frowned and looked at Ginny, who nodded. Sirius nodded as well.

"The events of my third year have to play out to make sure I can destroy Voldemort that night, Amelia," Harry said, "The timeline needs to be similar. Sirius escaped in the old timeline around a year from now. Because of that, Hogwarts was given stronger protections. Peter has to be out of Azkaban, by that time. We can control him to not do anything before he needs to, but... Fate has a way of becoming unpredictable. If he stays in Azkaban after that day, he could end up killed by somebody inside. Then Voldemort would not come back, and I would not be able to destroy him."

"You're planning on breaking him out in a year?" Amelia asked.

"Yes, and we must," Harry said, "If Voldemort isn't destroyed that night, and he comes back some other way without my knowledge, people will die. Last timeline, he wasn't killed for another three years. Sirius was killed as was Ginny's brother, Fred. Dora, Remus, Dora's father and countless others were all killed. And Amelia... your other self was said to be personally killed by Voldemort himself."

Amelia went extremely pale. She didn't speak for two minutes. "How did you destroy him?"

"Do you know what Horcruxes are?" Harry asked.

"Oh, good Merlin's name, he has a horcrux?" Amelia asked.

"He had six, plus himself," Harry said, "I've destroyed three, know where two others are, and one will fall into our hands by the end of this summer if Fate allows."

"Six?" Amelia echoed, clutching her chest.

"Lucius Malfoy currently, unknowingly, owns one," Sirius said.

"And he will give it to you?" Amelia asked Harry, incredulously.

"He'll give it to me," Ginny said, "because he thinks – he thinks it will harm me. Last timeline, I was unknowingly possessed by it and I opened the Chamber of Secrets without knowing I did."

"The Chamber of Secrets is real?" Amelia asked.

"Yes," Harry said, "As was Slytherin's monster, a Basilisk. It was killed before Christmas, because I needed its fangs and venom to destroy the Horcruxes."

"You – you killed a Basilisk?" Amelia asked, and even Sirius looked surprised.

"Technically, the towel that got transfigured into a rooster and crowed actually killed it," Harry said, grinning.

"Hmm," Amelia said, "So you will take this Horcrux, destroy it..."

"And I can destroy another one as well," Harry said, "But it is heavily protected – how, I do not know. I'm sure we could figure it out together sometime. Doesn't matter when.. probably better I don't destroy it until this complication between me and Ginny is solved. But nobody besides me, Ginny and Voldemort know where it is, and he isn't telling anyone. There is another catch. Fiendfyre could burn down the house it is being held in, but I need the ring when I destroy the Horcrux inside it."

"Why?" Amelia asked.

"That's a story for another time," Harry said, "Ginny and I have yet to give up that secret,"

"Harry, the prat that he is, didn't tell me the entire story until after we were married," Ginny said.

"You were married in that timeline too?" Amelia asked.

"Last Halloween was our first anniversary," Ginny said, as she clutched Harry's closest hand in hers, "when we were sent back in time, Harry was twenty, I was nineteen, and it was two and three months before our birthdays."

She looked at Harry. _Should we tell them about the Time Pool?_

_Yeah... they can help us._

"They're speaking telepathically, aren't they?" Amelia asked Sirius.

"A bit unnerving, isn't it?" Sirius asked, "I bet it will make their – err – future intimate moments more fun."

Harry and Ginny blushed, and Amelia smacked Sirius' knee.

"Well, pardon me," Sirius said, "But as far as I can tell, before they were sent back in time, they were just as – err – _active, _as we are now, or more, you know how young people – ow!"

Amelia had slapped his knee again.

"You deserved that one," Ginny muttered.

"Anyway," Harry said, "Amelia, we still haven't told you how we were sent back in time."

"Well, it can't be a time turner," Amelia said, "You're in your younger bodies, and older minds? Even if a time-turner could go back this far, you'd still be your older selves."

"Exactly," Harry said, "Recently we discovered that the object that sent us back exists in this timeline, and is not in its resting place yet."

"You know where it is?" Sirius asked.

"The laboratory of Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel," Harry said.

He explained the memory to them, and how they saw the pool in the laboratory.

"Without the stone able to create their Elixir," Harry said, "The Flamels will die by the end of the year. All of their inventions will be sent, through their Will, to the Department of Mysteries. What room, we do not know. The pool wasn't in the Time Chamber until after the end of my fifth year. Today, we asked my vault's overseer, Ragnok, to track the pool and locate it when it gets moved. It cannot exist for much longer. It could be used for Dark the way we're using it for Light."

"But when we find it, we will need access into the Department of Mysteries," Ginny said, "We know how easy it is to get lost in there."

"Only Unspeakables, and occasionally the Minister of Magic," Amelia said, "are allowed to roam that place without getting lost."

Harry frowned, then was struck by inspiration. "You two are trying to take down corruption inside the Ministry, correct?"

"Yes," Sirius said, and Amelia nodded.

"After Lucius Malfoy gives us the Horcrux," Harry said, "You are free to arrest him. Charges: Death Eater, blackmail, bribery, ownership of a mass treasure of Dark artifacts in a room under his manor, you name it. When you arrest him, you will have the proof you need to take down the big fish: Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge. Charges: Accepting blackmail, treason, name it."

Amelia's eyes brightened.

"The wizarding world will be looking for a trusting Minister, Madam Bones," Harry said, "You really want to change the Ministry? Who better for Minister than the witch who captured Death Eaters and took down the corrupt Minister himself?"

Amelia opened her mouth and closed it. She picked up her glass of firewhiskey and drank down the whole contents in one gulp.

"I'm in!" Sirius said, laughing, "My girlfriend, the Minister?"

Amelia's eyes were sparkling. "If you're correct, Harry, about all of this, we could change the wizarding world. Stop another war before it starts... clean up the Ministry..."

"Save lives," Harry said, and Ginny nodded.

"So you believe us?" Ginny asked.

"It is too incredible to be false," Amelia said, her eyes glistening, "and your parents don't know this either, Ginny?"

"No," Ginny said, "Only you two, Ron, and our friends Hermione and Neville."

"So that is why you are all right with all of this, Sirius," Amelia said, "Living together, sleeping arrangements, that they are married..."

"They are more of a couple right now then you and I at the moment, Amy," Sirius said, "Even if they won't have the – err – pleasures of it again for a few years."

"A little over three," Harry said.

"That bit still scares me,kid," Sirius said.

"We have a little over three years to prepare for it," Ginny said.

"So, now you know our two deepest secrets," Harry said. "We trust you with this information because we know how much you mean to Sirius, and how much he means to you."

"I'd never betray you, Harry," Amelia said, "This is a gift. It can save lives."

"And start others," Sirius said.

Amelia nodded. "I'll take the vow of honor."

And so they did. Because of the new information Sirius heard, he was added in on it.

Afterward, Amelia decided to stay around the house to spend time with Sirius. Soon, the older couple were out on the patio, laying together and discussing their corruption investigation. Harry and Ginny gave them their privacy and unpacked the rest of their things as well as their new purchases, and things they took from the vault. Harry put the jewelry box, and folders of important documents, in a drawer in his nightstand, then charmed it so only he or Ginny could open it. He laid back on the bed and watched Ginny put her clothes away.

"Harry?" Ginny asked, as she draped her nightgown over the headboard at the back of the bed, "Are you happy that Amelia knows our two secrets?"

"Why do you ask?" Harry asked.

"She probably didn't get spared a thought in our original plans, did she?" Ginny asked.

"When we discussed those plans, we had no clue as to what she meant to Sirius," Harry said. "She's... well, she's family."

"So...you think they'll get married sometime?" Ginny asked.

"I'd be surprised if Sirius doesn't pop in a couple years or less," Harry said, "They dated for three years before they broke up, and they were almost engaged. They realized they shouldn't have split up. They're both really happy, that is easy to see. Yeah, I think so... Sirius really wants that life with her he could have had."

"Kids?" Ginny asked, with a grin.

"I''d give them usage of my old nursery," Harry said.

Ginny grinned, and laid down next to Harry.

"So yes, to answer your question," Harry said, "I am completely fine with the fact she knows."

"Me too," Ginny said.

She then leaned toward him and kissed him softly. He grinned and leaned into the kiss.

"Mmm," Ginny said, backing away, "Want to go swimming?"

"Will you wear your new swimsuit?" Harry asked.

"Already disposed of my old one," Ginny said.

"Count me in," Harry said.

Harry changed in the bathroom and when he walked back out, Ginny was in her new two-piece. It was the one he liked the most – red and gold, Gryffindor colors.

"I was afraid it would clash with my hair," Ginny said, as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"So you like it?" Harry asked.

"It'll grow on me," Ginny said.

Harry snickered and Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Prat!" she said, slapping his bare chest.

His snicker turned into a laugh and she scoffed and shook her head.

"And Sirius called you a gentleman," she muttered, as they headed off out of the bedroom.

* * *

**So this was another one of those 'secrets revealed' chapters. This one was important because it paves the way for one of the big story-lines for year two – the corruption investigation, which will in turn set up more story-lines that set up year 3, and even year 4 going all the way into the climactic conclusion! So yes, for those of you wondering... Sirius and Amelia play a very large role in this story.**

**I think I am going to do a bit of a time-skip in the next chapter, because for the events I have planned, I need Harry's birthday to happen, and then the other events take place the last month of the summer. Also, I do have a way to solve the 'Soul-Bond Security mode' story-line, but I want it to last a while too. I think I have the perfect situation for it, and it is the type of scene needed for this part of the story: a good, suspenseful way to set up the second year.**

**Hope you liked this chapter. More to come!**


	59. Potter Family Secrets, Part 1

**Chapter 59  
Potter Family Secrets, Part 1**

**Author's Note: I've decided to split this into two chapters...**

**The long awaited answer to Chapter 49's cliffhanger takes place in this chapter. There will be a flashback scene that continues that cliffhanger scene, so if you want to reread that scene before you read this chapter, here's your chance.**

* * *

Over the next couple of weeks, as June turned into July, Harry and Ginny became more and more adjusted to their current situation.

They mostly stayed at Potter Manor, because the alternative was allowing Dobby to get them in trouble again. Harry gave Melina Dobby's description so that she could watch out for him if he ever came around the lot. Melina was happy to watch out for the "bad house-elf, who only wants to get the Master in trouble!" Harry was rather unhappy to hear her call Dobby a bad house-elf, and this made him strengthen his resolve to free the elf from the Malfoys again.

Because Sirius was either working on a secret project, or busy as an Auror, Harry and Ginny usually spent their days alone at the manor, so they had to come up with different things to do. where they spent the days swimming, working on their strength exercises, planning different things for Potter Manor, or working on things to do to keep themselves busy in their Second Year, since the Chamber of Secrets was not going to be a threat. Harry joked once that he'd just like a normal year at school, but Ginny retorted asking him if he was ever that lucky. He figured she had a point.

They received a letter from Ron one week into the summer, where he said he was "extremely bored at the Burrow without his best mate or, yes, even his sister, and that he really wanted to play Quidditch against someone that were not the twins." So they invited him over, and he spent a few hours over at Potter Manor every couple of days. He thoroughly enjoyed having a clean swimming pool to swim in, and a place where they could actually play Quidditch with rings (Sirius knew some good spells for some temporary rings that raised fifty feet in the air, and they found an old set of Quidditch-rules balls to use.

Hermione wrote to her friends, saying she was on holiday in France for a few weeks, but she promised she had permission to come to Northampton for Harry's birthday party at the end of July. Neville, was able to come over once or twice, where he admired the garden: the second weekend of the summer, Ginny had convinced Harry to help her put together a small garden (he knew she missed it from the old timeline), so that Saturday evening Harry and Ginny went to Diagon Alley with Sirius and picked up a few magical and Muggle plants and they spent Sunday putting together the garden.

On a couple occasions after getting letters sent from Errol, or fire-calls in the Floo Network from Mrs. Weasley, they visited the Burrow for a few hours to have dinner and spend time with the Family. Once Luna had come over as well, but Harry and Ginny privately decided they would tell Luna about their time-travel secret when they were in school. Luna, of course, would be starting her first year in September.

Every three or four days, to see if their Soul-Bond had healed, Harry and Ginny had decided to test out their distance allowance, while Sirius was there. Ginny would stay in their bed, while Harry would walk out into the hallway, onto a mat that had cushioning charms placed thirty-one feet away from the bed. Every time they would faint and wake up next to each other a minute or two later. There were times when Ginny would get upset, because she wondered if they would be stuck like this forever, and Harry calmed her down every time, even though he wondered the same.

Ragnok had given weekly updates about information he could find on this new predicament, or theories he could figure they could try out, though nothing was successful. Harry was sure there was something they weren't thinking of... it almost seemed too obvious, but he couldn't figure it out.

* * *

_July 31__st__. 1992_

**(Harry)**

When Harry woke up the day of his birthday, Ginny was still asleep next to him. He smiled to himself as he looked at her, and brushed her hair away from her face. It was a rare moment in the past month when he woke up and she was still asleep. Usually, she was awake, reading or something, while she waited for him to wake laid back against his pillow, enjoying the comfortable weight of his sleeping love cuddled up against him, and filled his head with thoughts.

He looked back at his 12th birthday in the old timeline. It was one of his worst birthdays he ever had. The Dursleys, of course, forgot his birthday, was hosting a dinner get-together with a couple who was was interested in helping Vernon's company out. Dobby had come, ruined the dinner, and Harry had been blamed for underage wizardry he had not done, and ended up in his room with bars on his window. Harry wondered if, since it was going to be different this timeline for the Dursleys too, if they would have a successful dinner, and Vernon would get that raise he wanted. Had Harry's emancipation from the Dursleys made them just as happy as he had been, and had changed so much for them too, without him there?

Harry chuckled softly. He hadn't thought of the Dursleys since his birthday last year, and here he was wanting to know what they were up to. Was he going mad? Would he ask himself about them every year? He didn't know how to answer that.

Ginny moved beside him and slowly opened her eyes. When she saw him awake, she smiled and nuzzled her head against his chest.

"Mmm... you're up already?" she murmured.

"Mmhmm," Harry said, "Just woke up a couple minutes ago. I should make a habit of waking up before you. You're adorable when you sleep."

Ginny blushed and crawled up closer toward his face and kissed him lightly on the lips. Before she could back away, he leaned back to her and deepened the kiss. Ginny giggled and backed up.

"Happy birthday, my love," she said.

"I still feel twenty in my mind," Harry said, "I don't... feel older."

"I think we're going to be our mental ages until our bodies catch back up," Ginny said.

"So you'll be nineteen for ten, eleven years," Harry said, as she grinned at Ginny, "Oh, the humanity!"

Ginny glared at him and he chuckled and kissed her again.

"That's a freebie, birthday boy," Ginny said, as she backed up again. "Is Sirius up?"

"Amelia stayed last night, didn't she?" Harry said.

"Today's Sunday, yes?" Ginny said, then she nodded, "She's been staying here on the weekends lately, so I assume so."

"Then Sirius is probably still asleep if it was a late night for him," Harry said, grinning.

"For them, you mean," she said, chuckling, "Mmm... good, so that means we have time before he'll probably come in yelling 'happy birthday' or something. Bath then?"

"I'll prepare the bubbles," Harry said.

"Leave them," Ginny said.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "I thought you were embarrased to let me to see you like that at this age."

"Well, lately I've been thinking," Ginny said, "If this 'security mode' lasts into September, I'm sure we'll have to get special permission from Madam Pomfrey to take showers together or something. The only baths there are in the prefects bathrooms. So I better get used to it. Besides... it is just you, isn't it? If you're comfortable with it, then I should be. And it isn't like our hormones can affect us right now or anything... even if you are a growing boy."

"Yeah, thanks," Harry said, blushing, "So... this isn't just a birthday present then?"

Ginny backed up and slid off the bed. "I have a better present."

"Unlikely," Harry said.

Ginny narrowed her eyes, and Harry raised his hands in surrender, and followed her into the bathroom.

* * *

An hour later, as Harry and Ginny were just finishing up getting dressed, a large black dog bounded into the bedroom and jumped up onto Harry's bed. Harry looked amused at Ginny, as she chuckled.

"You gave me a Grim for my birthday?" he asked her, "How could you, Ginny? I thought you loved me!"

Padfoot growled, jumped off the bed and turned back into Sirius.

"Our bed better not have fleas," Ginny said.

"I do not have fleas!" Sirius said, then frowned, "Anymore. And how could you, Harry? Calling me a Grim!"

"Oh really, you're complaining?" Harry retorted, "Exactly how many times did you joke to my father and Remus they were going to die twenty-four hours after they saw you as Padfoot."

Sirius looked wounded for a moment, then he grinned. "Fifteen times... maybe sixteen."

"Ha!" Amelia said, "Maybe in the first year you became an Animagus. Happy birthday, Harry, what are you, twenty-two now?"

"Twelve," Harry said, "Or twenty... Ginny and I decided our mental ages are the same until we return to that age in our bodies."

"Probably would mess you up if it wasn't that way," Amelia said.

"Melina's making a small breakfast," Sirius said, as the four of them headed off down the stairs, "She's very happy to be hosting your birthday party today."

"She's been looking forward to this for a couple weeks now," Ginny said.

"Your party will be in about four hours," Sirius said. "Basically all the guests that were here for Christmas Eve, minus Andie and Ted, will be here for your party. Amelia's bringing one other person over though, I hope you don't mind that I gave them the Secret. They're fine, believe me. You probably know them too. Then later this evening, I want to take you somewhere for the last part of your present, Harry. It is what I've been working on for quite a while now. But I'll keep that a surprise for now. Oh... and Dora said she's coming with someone, but she says it is one of the invited guests. I thought it was Remus, but he didn't say anything."

"I think it is Charlie," Ginny said, frowning.

"Ah," Sirius said.

"You don't look happy about that, Ginny," Amelia said.

Ginny looked at Harry, and he nodded.

"Harry and I think we've stepped on a metaphorical butterfly," Ginny said. "Charlie rarely came home from Romania in the last timeline. He never reunited with Dora. She was together with someone else in our old timeline before she died, and they had a child... their child was our godson."

"Yeah, I can see why that would upset you," Amelia said.

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Wait... Remus? He was her husband, the child's father?"

Harry nodded. "His son had her Metamorphmagus genes, but not his lycanthropy."

Sirius smiled. "He's always so worried about that."

"Remus and Dora didn't get together until my sixth year last timeline," Harry said, "And they married and were pregnant just months later. Teddy was born in early April of 1998, Remus and Dora died a month later. Andie raised the kid."

"Well, we can only hope," Amelia said, "You may have to be ready for different fates."

"We are," Ginny said, nodding, "It is just hard."

Harry felt emotions rise in Ginny's mind, so he took her hand and she smiled lightly.

_Thanks, love. I needed that._

_Everything will work out as it should._

Ginny nodded.

* * *

Most of the Weasleys, minus Charlie, were the first to arrive around eleven, and they had also brought Hermione, Luna and Neville with them, all of whom, as Harry learned, had spent the previous night at the Burrow. Hermione was supporting a light tan, which Ron seemed to think was quite amusing.

"Wasn't sure if I could be here!" Hermione said, as the six friends sat together at one of the umbrella-covered tables near the swimming pool,"I just returned from France a couple days ago. Ron sent me a letter last week, and invited me to come to the Burrow... I guess he really misses you two."

Ron blushed and scowled, seemingly embarrased at the fact that Hermione had said this.

"I told her I was having a sleep-over with Neville and Luna," Ron said, "And I invited her over as well. I was surprised she said yes."

"I had to talk to my parents about it," Hermione said, "Mr. Weasley took him up to Oxfordshire, where I live of course, and talked to my parents."

"I bet Dad loved that!" Ginny said, laughing, " He loves Muggles."

"It took him half-an-hour to explain what his intentions were," Ron chortled, "Kept asking what the vellytision and this wave thingy was."

"Television and microwave, Ron," Hermione said, rolling her eyes, "I told you that twice! So, yes... I was excited to visit Ron's family. Ginny, your house is cool! Ron didn't believe me when I told him I like it."

Ron blushed.

"Did you like my room?" Ginny asked.

"i only got a peek at it," Hermione said, "We had a sleep-over in the living room."

"Mum let the four of you sleep in the living room?" Ginny asked, Ron, "Two boys, and two girls?"

"Mmm... I think she was rather happy just having more kids around," Ron said, "She misses the two of you."

"Did they explain what happened to us, Luna?" Harry asked.

"They did, but I understand it better now that I see it," Luna said, "Girl's souls are usually just pure white, but now you have the whole white soul. Are you a girl now?"

Ginny, Ron and Neville laughed. Hermione was torn between amusement and incredulity.

"No... we just have each other's soul until our Bond trusts us again," Harry said.

"Daddy's kind of sad right now," Luna said, frowning, "It has been a tough summer. I'm going to Hogwarts in September, so he'll miss me, but he also looked up to Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel. He wanted to interview them for the Quibbler for years now, and now that he's discovered they're going to the land above the clouds before too long, he's lost that dream."

"Excited about going to Hogwarts?" Ginny asked, "I'm sorry we won't be in the same year, like we always talked about."

"It is better that you are with your soul-mate," Luna said, "We're not all that lucky. But yes, I am excited. Daddy thinks I'll be in Ravenclaw. I'm not sure though."

"Gryffindor's the best, you know!" Ron said, "I've been saying that to you all summer."

"It is good to be brave," Luna said, "But wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure."

"Um... what?" Ron asked.

"I was almost in Ravenclaw," Hermione said, "But um..." she looked at Harry, then Ron and blushed, "The hat decided it was best if I was placed in Gryffindor."

"That hat laughed – laughed! – when I just told it to get it over with and put me in Hufflepuff," Neville said.

"Because you were meant to be a Gryffindor, Neville," Luna said.

"You would have been welcome in Hufflepuff, Neville," a voice said behind them.

Harry turned around. Amelia's niece, Susan Bones, was walking over to them.

"Hi, everyone!" Susan said, "Happy birthday, Harry."

"Hi, Susan," Harry said, "Your aunt invited you?"

"Mmhmm," Susan said, "She's very close with your godfather, so she said she wanted me to get to know him."

Harry looked at Ginny, who smiled. He knew she was thinking the same thing he was: Susan might be as good as family if everything goes right.

"Susan, meet Luna Lovegood," Ginny said, "She'll be a first year in September."

"Nice to meet you," Luna said, and Susan smiled.

"So, Susan, how has your summer been?" Hermione asked.

* * *

Dora and Charlie indeed arrived together, around half-past-eleven, holding hands when they found him on the patio to wish him a happy birthday. Dora's hair was a rather odd color today, black with orange stripes. Ginny told Harry when she noticed the hair color, that Charlie's favorite colors were black and orange. He noticed she was rather upset about that. It seemed Charlie had come home for the summer, as promised, three weeks prior, and he and Dora had been on at least three dates since then.

Remus arrived shortly before noon. He was carrying two rather large presents: a box and a rather large square that might have been a painting. Harry had accidentally spotted them before Sirius ushered him and Ginny into the event room where the party was being held. Sirius walked out of the event room soon after and Harry thought he heard growling and a sound of Remus apologizing about something.

Lunch was all of Harry's favorite things he had requested for Melina to make for lunch and dinner over the past five weeks he had been at Potter Manor. Melina, herself, was wearing a party hat that Harry thought Sirius had asked her to wear... but when Ginny looked at it rather fondly, he realized she must have been responsible for it. There was also a couple of dishes of food that Mrs. Weasley had made.

Harry wondered if these five weeks of separation from Harry and Ginny, when they could have been at the Burrow, was actually really hard for Mrs. Weasley, and she had grown accustomed to them.

"She has been talking more and more about you two," Ron said, when Harry asked him. "So she might be coming around. Percy, on the other hand, doesn't discuss it. But he's been rather distracted... probably polishing his badge."

"He has a girlfriend, I think," Ginny said, "Penelope Clearwater, a Ravenclaw Prefect. They started dating last year."

_I remember wanting to yell at him, _she added to Harry,_because he was off kissing her before he complained to me about kissing you that day before the second Quidditch match._

"He has a girlfriend?" Ron asked, "Hmm... perhaps I should let Fred and George know."

"Good thinking," Ginny said, "Maybe once it is out, he'll leave us alone."

Lunch moved onto dessert, and surprisingly enough, Harry had two birthday cakes: one from Melina, and one from Mrs. Weasley. Then it was time for presents. There seemed to be a theme this year... Harry's home:

He received a large air-inflated raft for the swimming pool from Ron ("hated always having to bring mine over!"), a book on _Common Charms For Complicated Home Quests _from Hermione, a magical timed sprinkler system for the garden from Neville, and a scarecrow from Luna that apparently made very loud noises if anything from rabbits to crows to other unwelcome animals came into the garden.

Mrs. Weasley had made a few jars of Potpourri Potion, and Mr. Weasley had done a huge project over the past month... he made a "Friends" version of the Weasley Family Clock for Harry. On the clock were Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna, as well as Sirius. Fred and George gave him a Professional Level Golden Snitch that was much faster than school level. Charlie gave him a picture of Norberta who had grown about to twelve feet over the past few months ("Everyone loves her... she's part of the family"). Bill gave him a new extendable safe that Gringotts was selling now: voice activated by those who had permission. Whoever didn't have permission and opened it, were bound, stunned and mute so they could be caught.

In tradition with her Auror-style gifts, Dora gave Harry what he recognized as an Auror Corp Cadet Level Target: a statue of a wizard with a wand that he could Disarm, Stun and hex, and it would light up on parts of its body when hit successfully. It would also from time to time shield itself so it couldn't be hit with spells. Amelia gave Harry a book on the Ministry of Magic.

As for Remus and Sirius, they had had collaborative presents, and most, they said were to be opened private between him, them and Ginny (the latter to Remus' confusion). However one present was actually for Harry and Ginny, as well as Ron, Hermione and Neville. So while most of the guests were talking to each other about different things, Remus and Sirius brought the five friends outside.

"Okay, Harry," Remus said, "What I am giving the five of you is something that, while you can use now, it will take a few years before we allow you to complete these."

He opened up a small box that had five vials in it, all of the same substance.

"These potions reveal what you will become," he said, "if you were to choose to become an Animagi."

"Wicked!" Ron said.

"Animagi?" Hermione asked, "That takes years to complete."

"Myself, Harry's father and Peter Pettigrew successfully became Animagi in our fifth years," Sirius said. "It took three years to complete at that age."

"It could take less than a year if you were about sixteen or seventeen," Remus said, "Which is why I am telling you this. It is very dangerous at a young age. But in a few years, if you decide, we will teach you to become Animagi. For now, we just want to let you know what animal you will become. Your animals are something that were chosen when you were born. Every witch and wizard can become Animagi, but only a few choose to do so. It is rumored your animals know what your life will become as you grow older, so do not be surprised with those that choose you. So... when you take this potion, you will kind of hallucinate. Perfectly safe, only lasts about a minute. A number of animals will appear in front of you. The only one that makes a noise and steps forward is what you would become. Do you wish to have it?"

Harry, Ginny and Ron instantly nodded. Hermione thought about it for a minute, and Neville looked a bit confused.

"Well... it does sound exciting and could be really difficult to learn," Hermione said, "I'm in."

"So... this is just a vision, right?" Neville said, "It wouldn't cement the fact that we'd have to go through with it. We can change our mind?"

"This is just what you would become if you choose to go through it," Remus said.

"Okay, I'll take the potion," Neville said.

Remus handed out the five potions and instructed that they needed to put a strand of their hair in the potion, then shake it up. They all did so.

"Drink up," Remus said, "Then look at the empty field. You'll see all kinds of animals. Which ever steps forward and makes a sound is yours."

Harry drank his while the others did as well. He gulped down the potion which tasted something between sweet and sour, and then he closed his. When he opened them, he saw a herd of hundreds of different kinds of animals in front of him. It didn't take long before his animal pranced up from the group and looked at him.

The stag, tall, magnificent, and graceful bellowed.

"A stag," Harry said.

He blinked and the animals disappeared, leaving only the stag in front of him.

"A doe," Ginny said, chuckling, after a moment.

"Why am I not surprised?" Sirius asked, chuckling.

"Blimey... a lion?" Ron asked.

"Oh... a lioness," Hermione said, blushing.

Ron raised his eyebrows as he looked at Hermione. Harry wondered what he thought about his and Hermione's animals being basically the same.

"That's mine...?" Neville asked, surprised, "Really?"

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"A white wolf," Neville said.

"Awesome," Ron said.

"These are your animals," Remus said, "The effects should wear off soon."

"Harry," Sirius said, "We have two other presents for you, then we're going to take you somewhere. Ginny can come too, of course."

"Really?" Remus asked, "Well, I suppose... we can't split the two of you up, it seems."

Remus raised his eyebrows as everyone else laughed.

* * *

**(Sirius)**

As Ron, Hermione and Neville walked off, chatting about their animals, Sirius and Remus led Harry and Ginny inside. Sirius led them up the stairs and into his bedroom, where a large box was laying.

"That is one of your presents," he said to Harry.

"I'll prepare the other present," Remus said, then whispered to Sirius, "where should it go?"

"Hallway outside the Master Bedroom," Sirius whispered.

Remus nodded and left the room. Harry walked over to the bed and started unwrapping the box. Sirius watched as he opened it and looked through it.

"Have you seen any of these things before, Harry?" Sirius asked.

Harry shook his head. "Should I have?"

"You never went inside the house in Godric's Hollow?" Sirius asked.

Harry looked at Ginny. Both looked surprised.

"We were... planning to go on my birthday before everything happened," Harry said, "I was working on getting ready to go inside."

"Last Christmas," Sirius said, "Remus went inside. We... we found a few things that were salvageable. Most of it is in that box."

Sirius watched as Harry pulled out a chest of silverware, followed by decorative plates.

"Nature's Nobility," Harry said, "I have a copy... it is in our small library here now."

"That is your grandfather's copy, passed to your father," Sirius said.

Harry nodded, then pulled out a small book that had photos in it.

"Every salvageable photo we found at your house," Sirius said.

"I'll -" Harry said, then cleared his throat as he put the photos in the box, "I'll look at these later."

Sirius nodded. Harry then picked up what Sirius wanted him to find.

"A Diary?" Harry asked, "A few of them."

"Your parents' diaries and journals," Sirius said, "It seems they were keeping a lot of them over the last year or two."

"I'll read these later," Harry said.

"That is why I gave them to you," Sirius said.

He then closed his eyes and smiled.

"Come on," he said, "I have one last present for you."

Harry put the gifts back in the box, and stood up with it. Sirius blinked and led Harry and Ginny out of the room, and down the hall.. and his mind went back to his and Remus' discovery on Christmas in the Potter's old basement at Godric's Hollow.

* * *

_December 25__th__, 1991_

_Sirius closed his eyes and transformed into Padfoot. He walked over to the stone door, stood up on his back two paws, and pressed his paws onto the door. The door pushed backwards and slid to the left before it melted into the stone. Sirius backed up and transformed back into his human self._

_Remus walked forward, his wand alight, into the room._

_"Sirius," he said, breathless, "You're going to want to see this."_

_"What is it, Moony?" Sirius asked, as he lit up his wand again, and walked through the doorway._

_He was standing in what looked like what Muggles would call a "darkroom". Photos hung up on walls... most were of James and Lily alone, or standing together posing in proper positions. There were some photos from what Sirius recognized as the wedding or celebrations. Nearby, another bookcase stood, with a few books in it. One read_

_"Wizarding Paintings – How To".Across the room, Remus was looking at something on a very large easel whose back was facing Sirius. Remus' eyes were sparkling._

_"What are you looking at, old friend?" Sirius asked, as he crossed the room._

_The easel and painting on it were larger than life, taller than Sirius and Remus. Sirius clutched his chest as he saw what was on the portrait... the top half of one of the pictures hanging on the wall nearby..._

_"He didn't finish it," Remus said, "But I wonder if he already put the spells on it that would be needed to..."_

_Sirius found a book laying nearby and picked it up. Remus smiled when he looked at it. It was a book on painting and what were called 'life preservation charms."_

_"Prongs, you genius," Remus said, "Sirius... what if we can finish this? Someone could do it... might cost a bit."_

_"It will be one hell of a birthday present for Harry," Sirius said._

* * *

Sirius blinked as he heard Remus' voice coming around the corner in the next hallway.

"He'll be here shortly," Remus said, "Wait until you see him..."

"Who is Remus talking to?" Harry asked.

"Is someone else here for Harry's party?" Ginny asked.

"You'll see," Sirius said, as they rounded the corner.

Remus was standing at the end of the hallway, near the doorway to the Master Bedroom. Across from the door, Harry's birthday present was hanging on the wall. Sirius motioned Harry forward and Harry looked as if he was breathing hard as he walked forward. His eyes widened as he looked at what was standing in front of him.

"Mum?" Harry said, as tears began streaming down his face, "Dad?"

* * *

**I told you it would be worth waiting for! This is only part 1, I promise you! More to come! Next chapter will come Sunday or Monday (June 3****rd**** or 4th).**

Also, Ginny's present will come next chapter too.


	60. Potter Family Secrets, Part 2

**Chapter 60  
Potter Family Secrets, Part 2**

**Author's Note: 200,000 hits in just over a month! Thank you all!**

**One of the things mentioned in this chapter MIGHT have been actually true to canon, but I can't remember if JK Rowling mentioned it, or it MIGHT just be a "Fanon" theory, but I liked it so much I decided to use it.**

**When reading the beginning of this chapter, take this into thought (from HP-wiki, concerning portraits): "However, if the portrait painter is drawing themselves, it is most likely that the portrait being could have exactly the same personality and memories of the subject (depending on which aspects of themselves the subject wants to be portrayed)."  
**

* * *

Inside the large portrait that stood nearly from floor to ceiling on the wall cross from the door of the Master Bedroom, the echoes of James and Lily Potter were sitting down on a tan couch that took up the width of the the lower third of the portrait. James was dressed in silver and black wizarding robes, and Lily, in a peach dinner dress with a pearl necklace around her neck. They were smiling as they looked at Harry.

"Oh, James," Lily said, "He looks just like you."

"He still has your beautiful eyes, Lily," James said, "Hello, son."

"Hi, baby," Lily said, "You are so handsome."

"H-hi," Harry said, wiping the tears from his eyes.

Harry looked at Ginny, whose eyes were very wet, as a solitary tear fell down the bridge of her nose. She smiled when she looked at him.

"How is this possible?" Harry asked, looking from Sirius to Remus, then back to the echoes of his parents, "I-I didn't know you had a portrait."

"A wizard painter who specializes in wizarding portraits lives in Southampton," Remus said, "Your parents were basing their painting on a photo they had taken at your home in Godric's Hollow. So we were able to take the portrait and the photo to the painter, and he was able to finish it. Luckily, enough was painted by your parents, because if the painter is drawing themselves, the portrait being, or beings could have exactly the same personality and memories as those who painted them. The painting was halfway complete. They painted most of themselves, and part of the background and couch. Luckily, they must have also placed, what is known as, the 'life preservation' charm on it so their echoes could have their personalities and memories. We've discovered they'll also remember any conversation you have with them."

"We found their portrait in a hidden room in the basement," Sirius said, "We were very lucky to find the room."

"I knew you'd find it, Padfoot," James said.

Sirius smiled. "We'll let you and Ginny talk to them alone, and make sure you have your privacy."

Harry nodded, then immediately hugged Sirius, and quickly hugged Remus as well.

"This is the best present I've ever received," Harry said.

Remus bowed lightly, smiled at the portrait, before he walked back down the hall.

"By the way, Harry," Sirius said, "They know what is going on with you and this little lass over here."

"Everything?" Harry asked, as he looked from Sirius to his parents' portrait.

"Yes," Sirius said, "I'll let you two talk to them about that."

Harry nodded, and Sirius looked at the portrait once more, before he made his way back down the hall. Harry looked at Ginny, and she walked over to him.

"Mum, Dad," Harry said, "This is Ginny, my soul-mate."

"It is an honor to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Potter," Ginny said.

"Another ginger," James said, "Attaboy, son."

"Behave, James," Lily said, "It is nice to meet you, Ginny. Sirius has told us so much about you."

"So you know," Harry said, "About... our Soul-Bond, and... that we're from the future?"

James and Lily nodded, and Lily said, "You're very brave to have gone through so much. But we're not surprised... you're our son, of course you're brave."

"Now, son," James said, "What is this I hear about you being the youngest Seeker in a century?"

"Well, it depends," Harry said, "Ginny is only ten at the moment, technically, and she's the reserve Seeker and Chaser."

"You're the better Seeker," Ginny said, "You get the title."

"Attaboy!" James said, "Definitely my son."

"Remus and Sirius found your diaries and gave them to me," Harry said, as he looked at the box at his feet, "I'll probably read a few entries tonight."

"If you have any questions about what you read," Lily said, "We'll try our best to answer them."

Harry nodded. "Do you two remember Melina, the house-elf?"

"Millie's baby girl?" James asked.

Harry smiled. "Melina?"

Melina appeared a few feet away. "Yes, Master Harry?"

"Come," Harry said, "Say hello to the newest portrait in our house."

Melina stepped forward and looked up at the portrait. She gasped. "Master James? Lady Lily?"

"Melina," James said, "You've grown."

"Hello there, young lady," Lily said.

"Melina is watching over Master Harry and the new Lady of the house for you," Melina said.

"Thank you, Melina," James said, "I trust your mother has... passed on?"

"Yes, Master," Melina said, her ears drooping.

"I am sorry, little one," James said, "Best elf I've ever known."

Melina smiled.

"Melina, you have permission to speak to my parents whenever you wish," Harry said, "But for now..."

Melina nodded and bowed. "Oh, yes, Master Harry, Melina can see you wish to speak to them. Happy Birthday, Master. My Ladies, Masters."

She vanished with a pop.

"Is it your birthday, son?" James asked.

"Yes, I'm – well – 12, technically," Harry said.

"So, it's been a bit less than eleven years," James said

"So," Harry said, "You know when – when..."

"When we passed?" Lily asked, "Yes, baby, we do. We don't remember it all, but Remus and Sirius have been able to fill in the blanks."

"Peter..." Harry said.

James sighed and looked at Lily. "We never would have guessed he would do what he did."

"I'm sorry," Harry said, and he felt like he was back in the old timeline, back in the Forbidden Forest before his trek to meet Voldemort, "I'm sorry that -"

"Do not worry about it, son," James said, "We're happy that you are alive."

"Live your live, Harry," Lily said, "You found such a beautiful girl to live it with."

Harry sniffled, fighting more tears as he looked at Ginny. She smiled and took his hand.

"Um," Ginny said, as she looked at James and Lily, "Before everything happened... we were married. Our wedding was on Halloween. It was our wish to have some good memories to mark that day and -"

"I'm very happy you chose that date, Ginny," Lily said, "i can see you make my son happy. He deserves to have good memories that day every year."

"Were you worried?" James asked.

"I've thought about it now and then," Ginny said, "I wanted to ask that question for quite a while now. Thank you. And – " she lifted up her hand. "- we used your wedding rings for the ceremony. We found them again in the vault. I hope you don't mind."

"It looks beautiful on you, dear," Lily said, "I am proud that you have it."

Ginny smiled. "Thank you."

"Sirius said he's going to do one more thing for me today," Harry said, "So... I'll talk to you later."

"Whenever you need us," James said.

"Don't forget to live your life though, honey," Lily said.

"I won't," Harry said, then closed his eyes and sniffled, "I love you Mum, Dad."

"Oh darling," Lily said, "I love you too."

"I love you too, son," James said, "I'm very proud of you."

Harry nodded and wiped the tears falling from his eyes. He picked up the box, then placed it just inside the Master Bedroom. With a final look at his parents, he took Ginny's hand, and they walked down the corridor. It took a lot of force for Harry to move his feet before he was able to get too far. Most of the guests were now outside in the backyard. Ron, Hermione and Neville were the first to see Harry when they returned.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione said, "Remus and Sirius told everyone what you were doing. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Harry said, "I am."

"I think Mum wants to talk to your mother – or – you know – your mother's portrait," Ron said.

Harry looked toward Mrs. Weasley, who was talking to her husband and Sirius. He then looked at Ginny.

"What do you think?" he asked her.

"We could tell her to try to avoid any drama," Ginny said, "Maybe she just wants to get your mother's opinion."

"Wait," Hermione said, "Do your parents... know? About -"

"Yeah," Harry said, "Everything."

"I'm not sure if your mother's portrait," Hermione said, "would know whether or not to not tell Ginny and Ron's mother about information she isn't suppose to know. I read about the portraits after I saw all of them for the first time on the Grand Staircase last year."

"Mmm... I have an idea," Harry said.

He led Ginny toward Sirius and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"Sirius?" Harry asked, "Could we talk to you for a moment?"

Sirius smiled and nodded, then followed Harry and Ginny away from everyone.

"Ron told us that Molly wants to talk to my parents' portrait," Harry said.

Sirius closed his eyes. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have told everyone without asking you."

"It's okay," Harry said, "But... we're allowing her to speak to them, in case it solves things. But... she doesn't know about our... other secret, and Mum and Dad might say something. So... I want you to go up there with her... and Arthur if he wants to go. Try to... ward them away from the subject if it comes up."

Sirius nodded. "I'll try my best, Harry. Are you sure?"

He looked from Harry to Ginny.

"If it can change my mother's mind," Ginny said, "I'll go for anything."

"Okay," Sirius said, "I'll take your parents up now. When the party ends, we'll go to your last surprise."

Harry nodded. Sirius walked back to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and talked to them for a moment. Mrs. Weasley looked at Harry and Ginny with an expression of surprise, and she nodded. The three of them then headed into the house.

Harry looked around at the other guests. Neville and Luna were setting up the scarecrow in the garden, and Bill was talking to the twins. Tonks was laying in Charlie's lap on a chaise chair and laughing at something he was saying. Harry looked away from them just as Charlie kissed her, and his eyes found Remus, who was talking to Amelia and Susan; Remus' eyesight seemed to be avoiding Tonks' direction.

When he and Ginny walked back over to Ron and Hermione, they seemed to be in the middle of a conversation.

"- would love to as well, but it is rude to ask him, you know!" Hermione said, "We'll just wait until he says we can."

"Okay, I suppose," Ron said, then jumped when he saw Harry and Ginny, "Oh, hi... how long have you been there?"

"Something wrong?" Harry asked.

"No!" Hermione said, quickly, "Er... so what do you think of the animals you saw for your Animagi?"

Harry raised his eyebrows... he recognized the change of subject but he decided to play along.

"I knew mine would be a stag," he said, "It was my Dad's, and it is my Patronus."

Ron raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Your what?"

"Er... right... not important until next year," Harry said.

"It was obvious mine was going to be a doe," Ginny said, "Harry's my soul-mate."

Hermione blushed. "Are you sure it goes by soul-mates?"

"A stag and a doe, Hermione," Ginny said, "Harry and I?"

"Oh... well... right," Hermione said, and she looked away from Ron's direction.

Ron looked back and forth between his three friends and looked rather confused. Then he cleared his throat and said, "So... mine is a lion!"

"Gryffindor's mascot," Harry said, "Suits you."

"Yeah, but Hermione's is a female lion," Ron said, then blushed and looked at Hermione, "Well, you're very brave of course... but... you're also quite smart. So... I thought you'd have a really smart animal. Like... a chimpanzee."

Hermione giggled, then cleared her throat. "A lioness suits me, believe me."

Ron shrugged. "If you say so... I'm going to go get a drink."

Ron walked away, and Hermione looked at Harry and Ginny.

"Are you sure the other me was married to the other him?" Hermione asked, in a soft voice.

"Very happily," Ginny said.

"And... you're sure that... well," Hermione said, frowning, "what if something changes this time?"

"He's a boy, Hermione," Ginny said, "a twelve year old boy with a twelve year old mind. At the moment, to him, you're a really good friend. He's oblivious to girls in that way right now. Wait a couple more years."

Hermione bit her lip. "Okay... I mean... I wouldn't want to do anything about it right now. I just want him to notice me the way I notice him. A hint or something. Just so I know that... you know, when I do want to talk to him about it, I'll be sure. Though... I do suppose I would want him to tell me first.. proper that way."

"Give it time," Ginny said, "I promise. If he doesn't get his act together when you do get up the courage, I'll knock some sense into him. I know it is meant to be."

Hermione chuckled nervously and nodded. "Okay... I just... I hope you're right. Er... I'm going to go see if he found a drink."

Hermione walked away and Harry noticed that Ginny was looking in Tonks and Charlie's direction. The couple was locked in a kiss.

"I hope I'm right too, Hermione," Ginny muttered, with a sigh.

"Ginny!" Sirius said, as he walked over to them, "Your parents want to talk to you and Harry."

"Now?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah," Sirius said.

Ginny looked at Harry and he shrugged and motioned toward the house. She rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Something up with Hermione?" Sirius asked, as he led Harry and Ginny into the house, "She looked rather down as she passed me."

"Like you said, she's rather taken with Ron," Harry said, "And she hoped he would have realized something was up with their similar Animagi visions. He thought a chimpanzee would suit her instead."

Sirius chortled. "Poor girl."

"She's going to be thirteen in September," Ginny said, "It is a tough time for girls. The boy she has a crush on sees her as a best friend and not as a girl yet. She's taking it hard. And... well, add on to that... I'm sure if she hasn't starting having... issues, lately, she'll have those soon."

"You do realize you're talking to two guys here, Ginny," Sirius asked.

"Ha!_" _Ginny scoffed.

"I am not envious of you, Harry," Sirius said, "Especially when _she _starts having 'issues'."

"Er... I really hope our Bond behaves by then," Harry said.

_"Men!" _Ginny harrumphed.

"Okay," Sirius said, steering the topic away from dangerous waters, "Luckily I was able to keep the topics between your parents from – you know – time. So it was just parents talking about your Soul-Bond... as much as your parents' echoes could talk about it."

"And?" Harry urged.

"You'll see," Sirius said.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were in the sitting room on one of the couches. Harry and Ginny walked in and sat down on the other couch. Sirius looked between the four of them.

"I'll... go see what Amelia's up to," he said, and backed out of the room.

Mrs. Weasley frowned as she looked at Harry and Ginny.

"We... ahem... talked to your parents, Harry," she said, "err – their portrait."

Harry nodded. "They know about our Bond. And they met Ginny and – well – they love her."

Ginny smiled.

"Yes, they do," Mr. Weasley said, "That was easy to see."

"I talked to them about – ahem – issues that I was having trouble with," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Sleeping in the same bed," Ginny guessed, "Living together... married. Sharing a bath."

Mrs. Weasley paled.

"Oh.. err... plenty of bubbles and our bathtub is pretty big," Ginny said, "Harry's a gentleman... closes his eyes when I get in and out."

"Well, I'm glad you're adjusting to these things nicely," Mr. Weasley said.

_Nice save, Ginny, _Harry said.

_They don't need to know about today, prat! Now, hush, or I'll buy a case of bubble bath._

_Yes, love._

"So... what did my parents say to those issues?" Harry asked.

"They said that they trust you around our daughter," Mrs. Weasley said, "And that as long as that continues, we should have no issues, because they have none."

_They were probably saying that because they saw us as our older mature selves, _Harry said.

_Definitely... but Mum doesn't know that._

"They also said that you're welcome to stay here as long as you wish, Ginny," Mr. Weasley said, and he, too, went a bit pale. "They do understand that you have a family..."

Mrs. Weasley nudged her husband's shoulder.

"And they said that you're just as much a part of their family as you are ours," Mr. Weasley said, "So they had no objections about you living here."

Ginny sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I do miss my family," she said, "But... this situation Harry and I are in... it tells me that if we separate for so long during summers, it could pull us back together. There are issues and annoyances with having to be together all the time, but none of those have to do with me wanting to be away from Harry. I'm spending my life with him... and I'm perfectly fine with staying here."

Mrs. Weasley frowned and looked at her hands.

"I know you miss having me home, Mum," Ginny said. "And I know you didn't expect me to be away from home this long while I'm this young, but... I am married for all intents and purposes. And... who knows...? We might make that official to the world when we're allowed to, or we'll wait until after we leave school. But how ever long it takes, I will still be moving away from the Burrow and into this house permanently. It is better if I start out now, isn't it? Even if temporarily. I want it to be my choice where I live... and I will be with Harry either way. Nothing can change that. Living with him these past five weeks have proved that. So... if I choose to move back to the Burrow next June, I'll do that. But I'd still be visiting Harry as much as possible. So... perhaps it is better I live here and visit you from time to time."

"Ron misses you," Mrs. Weasley said, "The boys miss you."

"I miss them," Ginny said, nodding, "But, they are all welcome to visit us too. We haven't taken them off the guest list, even when there aren't parties like this."

Mrs. Weasley nodded. "We'll talk more about this later. The both of you are welcome at the Burrow whenever you want to go. It is your home."

"We'll have my birthday party over there," Ginny said, "How's that?"

Mrs. Weasley smiled briefly. "Maybe... maybe we can have another sleepover and invite your friends."

"Mum... you can't make Harry and I sleep in different beds," Ginny said, "We've tried once or twice to sleep on different sides of the bed, and we end up in each other's arms. We think we're making our Bond happy, and if we want it to be healed by the time we go to Hogwarts, something like parting us even a few feet more than it is used to during the night may only cause problems."

"The sleep-over offer still stands," Mrs. Weasley said, and she stood up and walked out of the room.

_Did she just... accept us sleeping in the same bed? _Harry asked.

_I doubt it._ _She just wants this to blow over so she can have me home. If it means us sleeping in the same bed temporarily, she'll... allow that. _

"Well... that went better than I expected," Mr. Weasley said, "I know Sirius wants to take the two of you somewhere, so we'll probably be leaving soon. Happy Birthday, Harry... and many happy returns."

"Thank you, Mr. Weasley," Harry said.

* * *

Most of the guests did leave shortly after. Hermione told Harry, Ginny and Ron that she was planning on going to visit Diagon Alley on the day Lockhart would be there, and she hoped to see them there. Harry and Ginny said they'd be there, though they said nothing about the diary horcrux being the reason.

Soon, it was just Harry, Ginny, Remus and Sirius there. They helped Melina clean up the event room, then Sirius took Harry and Ginny's hands to apparate with them.

When Harry opened his eyes, he was standing in Godric's Hollow. He looked around and realized they were standing on a familiar street. Then he looked to his left, and almost didn't recognize his old house.

It looked brand new. There was no large hole in the roof on the right side of the house, the paint didn't look chipped anymore, and the windows and front door were brand new. The grass was mown, the fences were no longer covered with ivy, and there was a completely new gate.

"There was another gate here," Remus said, as he opened it, "But it was covered in graffiti. However, most of it was good messages, so we kept it and made it into a wall-hanging for the living room."

"We found an old picture of the way the house looked before," Sirius said. "We tried to make it look the same."

"It is beautiful," Harry said.

"Wait until you see the inside," Sirius said.

Ginny took Harry's hand, and she smiled when she looked up at him.

"Been working on this for a few months," Sirius said, "Any chance we can get."

"Which for me was quite a bit," Remus said, sounding a little regretful.

When they arrived at the door, Remus tapped his wand on the door, then put a key in the padlock and another in the doorknob and turned the knob. The door opened, and he motioned for them to go in. Harry walked inside and stood at the spot as he looked around. He had only seen portions of the inside from photographs and visions of that terrible night, but the carpet looked the same, even if it was new.

"We tried to restore everything," Sirius said, "We couldn't restore books or some of the things, but we got lucky on the furniture."

They gave Harry and Ginny a guided tour, in which they went on all three floors, including the basement. Everything was restored or new... it didn't look as if it had been in disrepair and standstill for over a decade.

Finally, they went to the top floor last and Harry and Ginny followed Sirius into one of the rooms... Harry's nursery. It was completely restored, minus children's toys and stuffed animals. A crib, baby table, and small dresser were all there. There was no physical sign of the events that happened that fateful night.

"I know this may be another holiday home later," Sirius said, "But... well, I knew we couldn't take away the nursery."

"It might be used in the... distant future," Harry said.

Ginny grinned and nodded.

"This is your other birthday present, Harry," Sirius said, "We wanted to you to have this house back."

"Just in case you wanted to come here," Remus said, "and... remember or something. It has protective wards on it. I imagine Dark Arts supporters won't be happy to find out this house looks normal again. It marked something for them too."

Harry nodded and walked over to where the crib was sitting. He sat down at the exact spot he knew his mother had stood.

"We'll give you some time, Harry," Remus said.

Remus and Sirius walked out.

"Do you want me here with you?" Ginny asked, "I can wait outside the room."

Harry patted his hand on the floor beside him. Ginny smiled and kneeled down. Harry looked at her, and he felt tears falling down his face.

"If we have any bad dreams tonight," he said, "I'm sorry."

"Can I get closer?" Ginny asked, softly, "I want to try something.

Harry nodded silently.

Ginny moved toward him and straddled his lap. She put her arms around his neck, and laid her head on his shoulder, then proceeded to softly hum something that sounded like the wedding march.

Harry sniffled. "I know what you're doing. Think of our wedding, right?"

"Is it working?" Ginny asked, as she raised her head to look at him.

Harry shook his head.

"Let it out, Harry," she said, "It is only me."

"I thought seeing my parents in that portrait would make me miss them less," Harry said, "I... it isn't working. Not when I'm back here."

She laid her head back on his shoulder, and he hugged her against him and looked around the room. He didn't dare close his eyes for long in case the memory came back to him. He was able to hear his mother's calm, loving voice today. He didn't want to hear her again from that night...

After about five minutes, he squeezed Ginny lightly and she backed up.

"Want to go?" she asked.

Harry inhaled and exhaled. "When we arrived, I thought about seeing their graves. But... I can't. Not today. Not when I have them back in a way."

"This isn't our only visit forever, you know," Ginny said, "We'll be back."

Harry nodded and stood up. He helped Ginny up and she took his hand and they walked out of the room.

* * *

For the rest of the day, as he and Ginny hung around Potter Manor, Harry tried to distract himself from thoughts of the diaries and his parents' portrait.

_Live your life, _his mother had said.

So he and Ginny did other things. They sorted through his presents, then spent most of the day outside. They set up the sprinkler system he received from Neville. They placed the the Auror Cadet Target in the Dueling Area hidden in the ground under the shed, and tried it out for a while. They watched the sunset from the raft Ron had given him, and took a moonlight swim, before they had a small dinner on the patio, consisting of leftovers from the party.

Finally, it was time for when they normally headed up to their bedroom to get ready for bed. When they arrived in the room, Harry's throat tightened as he looked at the box sitting near the bed.

"Oh, you know," Ginny said, "I almost forgot my birthday present to you. I didn't want to give it to you at the party... sort of private. I had Sirius pick it up, of course, so you wouldn't see if I bought it. Well, them I should say. They're for both of us."

"I'm guessing it isn't anything like lingerie," Harry joked.

Ginny glared at him. He laughed, and she shook her head and crossed the room. She opened the drawer in her night stand and took out a small box. Harry sat down on the bed and she handed the box to him. He unwrapped the box and opened it. Inside was a small cut ruby.

"It is your birthstone for your bracelet," Ginny said, "It can go with the half-a-heart. And..."

She lifted up her arm to reveal her own bracelet. A jewel was there.

"I bought mine," she said, "Peridot. Here, I'll help."

She sat down on the bed and picked up the ruby, and a small chain under it. Soon the small ruby was hanging from his bracelet. She looked up at him and he nodded in admiration. She smiled and kissed him.

"Happy birthday," she whispered, backing up.

"Thanks," Harry said, "But... to be honest, I think you're distracting me."

She raised her eyebrows questioningly, and Harry leaned toward the box and picked up the diary that read:

_Lily Potter's Diary. STAY OUT JAMES  
July 1981 –_

There was no end date, and Harry knew this was his mother's last diary. Ginny nodded, looking a bit resigned, and took the nightgown from the headboard.

"You're right," she said, "I just... seeing the way you acted in your old nursery scared me today. You looked lost. I don't like seeing you like that."

"I'm sorry," Harry said, "I'll try not to get so lost in these."

"Okay," Ginny said; she pecked him on the lips again, and backed away from the bed, "Go ahead. I'll distract myself... brush my hair... or teeth, the sink is close enough."

Ginny slowly walked into the bathroom.

"Don't trust your measurements?" Harry asked, as he opened the diary and turned a few pages, "I'll tell you if I feel dizzy,"

Ginny said something, but Harry didn't hear her. The date on the page he had turned to read:

_31 July 1981 – 10:30 PM_

Harry smiled and began to read.

_Dear Diary,_

_Hello, old friend. One year ago today, I went through the hardest hours of my life, and I was given the best reward for my work I ever received. Today we celebrated that day – Harry's first birthday._

_The boys are finally asleep, so I can finally write about it. It was rather lonely. Paddy and Moony couldn't come over because – well, you know. Wormy was here, but he was distracted. I told you about the McKinnons. Wormy knew them... so he's probably as sad as I am. I was able to write to Paddy though... a note of thanks. He gave Harry a toy broom. Of course, James let Harry try it out. Scared me... and it scared Snitch... he is probably still under the bookshelf, poor dear._

_Harry loved his cake... the portion that wasn't on his face or down his front, but we all had fun for what it was._

_And then... oh, Diary, James told me something that surprised me tonight... after we had our 'us' time, you know... he said he wants another baby. Another baby! Well, I'd love a little girl... Harry could use a sibling... but... we're in hiding, aren't we? Hopefully it will all blow over soon and we can think about another baby... but..._

_Merlin. Now I want another baby as much as he does._

_I'm going to bed._

_Lily_

Harry frowned as he looked up toward the door of his bedroom, where the echo of his parents were probably asleep in their portrait. A sound of spitting and water running told Harry that Ginny had just finished brushing her teeth. But Harry wanted to read more. He flipped through the pages until he landed on October. There were over half a dozen entries on two pages.

_13 October 1981_

_Weird dream last night... I haven't had one like that since..._

_Well, for a while now._

_Lily_

* * *

_16 October 1981_

_Dear Diary,_

_Had to throw out the chicken today. Think it was bad... food poisoning sucks._

_Lily_

* * *

_20 October 1981_

_Okay... I don't know if I should say anything... writing would make my thoughts look real._

_Well, that was a pointless entry..._

_Sorry, Diary._

* * *

_21 October 1981_

_Dear Diary_

_Er... hmm... well..._

_Hm._

_Er..._

* * *

_24 October 1981_

_Okay... I need a real entry for you now... past two were... pointless._

_How should I say this... let's see..._

_Halloween decorations are up... look pretty good. Muggle kind... James wanted scarier wizard types. He doesn't understand we have Muggle neighbors and..._

_I'm distracting myself... aren't I?_

_Dear Diary, haven't said that, have I...? Okay..._

_Dear Diary..._

_Here goes... I think I might be pregnant again. I was trying to find other excuses. Like I was just sick... or it was nerves... or you know... cabin fever from being stuck in this house all day. But... I think I'm pregnant._

_Now, where is that potion book with pregnancy test recipes in it?_

* * *

_24 October 1981 (Again)_

_Did I put that in the Vault with our jewelry?_

_Damn. Now I miss my wedding ring... WHY did we put those in the vault? First thing I get when we can leave._

_My hands might be too swollen by then._

_If I'm pregnant._

_Hmm... ohh... wait..._

_I know where the book is! I'll get it out tomorrow. Too tired... head too full of thoughts. James fell asleep early tonight. Poor dear... kind of my fault. I haven't felt very intimate lately. Too nervous about all of this..._

* * *

_25 October 1981_

_Dear Diary,_

_Made the potion today. Really awkward peeing into a glass to put it in the potion... nothing like a good ol' Muggle pregnancy test. And..._

_Well... I'm pregnant. Yep. There. I said it. The potion was correct, don't doubt me diary! You do that a lot._

_Don't know how many weeks, because, well... I can't remember the last time I didn't use contraceptive potion... Hmm... There had to be once or twice... at least. James isn't THAT potent._

_Gonna tell James on Halloween. If he asks me if it is a trick and not a treat, I'll throttle him._

_Throttle? Great... I'm in sixth year all over again._

* * *

_28 October 1981_

_Apparent morning sickness again. James found me in the bathroom too. Tried to make a show of throwing out the left over pork chops... pity, because, Merlin, those were good!_

_I'm still telling him on Halloween. Can't wait. I want to tell someone... Wormy? No... he's busy, I think. He hasn't written lately. Same for Paddy... and Moony, well.. er... I don't know. Maybe Harry. He's a good listener._

* * *

30 October 1981

_I caught James picking you up! Think he knows? Still telling him tomorrow... meanwhile.. I'm hiding this somewhere... hmm..._

_Told Harry tonight. He didn't understand me, I think. Or he was too focused on his bottle. I might have seen a smile on his face when I said it. He'll be an brilliant big brother... he'll look so cute in his little costume too!_

_Tomorrow. You know... an hour from now is tomorrow, actually... But... I can wait for a few hours._

_I think I'll pamper James tomorrow to ease him into the news. Romance... the works, you know? He deserves it for being the best husband and father ever. I just hope my nausea behaves._

_I can't wait... going to be a good day. I can feel it._

_Love,_  
_Lily_

* * *

That was the last entry. There was none for Halloween.

"Are you okay, love?" Ginny asked, as she sat down next to him on the bed.

Harry's throat tightened. His tongue seemed to stick to the room of his mouth. He handed her the book, keeping it open on the same page. He watched her as she read it. She was now dressed in her nightgown. His mother's old nightgown, though 's eyes widened as she looked at each entry. Then they begin to water. When she got to the end of the page, she looked up at Harry.

"Harry," she said, as tears fell down her nose, "I'm so sorry."

"I was going to be a big brother," Harry said.

Harry felt his lips quiver... he was able to say it, and that made it more real. He took his mother's diary from her and set it back in the box. He then laid down in bed and inhaled and exhaled, trying to keep the tears from coming.

Ginny waved her wand, and the room darkened. She kissed him lightly on his shaking lips and put her head under his chin. He held his arms around her and buried his face into Ginny's hair.

He thought he might have heard the echo of his mother in her portrait crying. Had she heard them? Or was that Ginny? No... Ginny was quiet, trying to calm him down most likely. It was definitely his mother...

And that was when the tears flowed into Ginny's hair.

* * *

**Lily's Diary (especially the October 21****st ****entry) was inspired by Commentarius by B.C. Daily. Read it if you're a James/Lily or Marauder's Era fan and haven't. So good!**

**Whew boy, the last few bits of this chapter were emotional to write. I had fun writing the diary entries, but man, that last entry... (sniffle)**

**As I said, I have no idea whether her pregnancy was Canon or Fanon. But I wanted to add that to my story. This really doesn't have much to do with the story in general, just more of a birthday event. Might have more diary entries later. Like I said, they were fun to write.**

**Hope you liked it as much as I loved writing it!**


	61. Diary Drama

**Chapter 61  
Diary Drama**

**Disclaimer: ****Recognizable sections of this chapter come directly from Chapter 4 of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" by J.K. Rowling. I do not take claim for these, only my own additions.**

* * *

That night Harry had a dream. He was at Potter Manor, walking down the stairs to the bottom floor. He walked into the sitting room, and it looked different. There was one couch, facing a fireplace on the southern wall of the room. Ginny was sitting on the couch, the fireplace a few feet in front of her was lit, and blazing, bringing warmth and a beautiful orange light into the room.

"Come here, love," Ginny said, though she was staring at the fire.

Harry walked over to the couch and looked at Ginny. She was older... perhaps twenty-four or twenty-five. Harry looked at the mirror above the fireplace. He was older too. Twenty-six, he thought. Harry sat down and looked at Ginny. She took his hand and smiled at him.

"I've been wanting to tell you something this past week or so," Ginny said. "I'm pregnant again. We're going to have another child."

Harry raised his eyebrows and felt a smile at his lips. Suddenly, he heard a banging noise from the direction of the front door.

"They're here!" Ginny said, standing up, "We have to get James!"

Ginny ran out of the room, before Harry could even move, and he heard a blood-curdling scream...

… and he woke up, gasping and panting. Ginny murmured next to him, and he looked down at her. She was still curled up against him, her hand clinging to the front of his pyjama shirt, but she seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Had she not shared that dream with him? He thought back to the dream... if she had shared the dream with him, she would have probably woken up... it was _her _scream he had heard.

With a bit of difficulty, he moved his hand toward the nightstand and turned the alarm clock to him. It was just after three in the morning. He frowned, and wondered if he wanted to go back to sleep. He could have another five hours if he tried, but would he have another dream like that?

He laid there, very still so he wouldn't wake Ginny up, and softly stroked her hair. She murmured again, but stayed asleep. He watched her for a while, and he wasn't sure what time it was when he was able to fall back to sleep.

* * *

He didn't tell Ginny about the dream that morning, nor over the next few days as the beginning of August rolled by. He didn't read anything else from his parents' diaries either, as he was afraid he'd find something else. He could imagine all kinds of things they could have written in the diary... things that had to do with him as a baby that might upset him or... things about their best friends he might regret knowing.

Every time Ginny looked like she wanted to talk about them, she decided to talk about something else, or Harry changed the subject. He didn't talk to his parents' portrait much either over those next few days. Every time he tried to, he'd want to talk about the contents of the diary, but he couldn't find the words, so he usually just said some form of 'hi' or something to them, or attempted to talk about something else, then find an excuse that he needed to do something else. Unfortunately, because Ginny was always there with him, she noticed this too.

Ginny's new Nimbus 2001 came four days after Harry's birthday, and he let her have it as an early present, even though her birthday wouldn't be for another week. They flew together in the back yard, so she could test it out. Either she flew with him behind her, his arms around her waist, or they flew on separate brooms, but made sure they were always close by. It felt good to fly... Harry needed this, because it helped him forget about the diary and the dream.

But it wasn't enough, so he innocently suggested that they should practice against the Training dummy in the dueling room. It felt really good to practice different spells, and even better when the dummy would use shields, making him work harder. He wondered if Ginny would feel this rage, and hoped she would only think it was the adrenaline rush of practicing against the dummy. Once or twice he saw the training dummy as a real opponent... a person he knew. He actually scared himself when he felt more angry when his mind saw Peter Pettigrew then when it did Voldemort.

On the Tuesday morning the week after Harry's birthday, he woke up to find that Ginny was awake, dressed, and reading from a scroll of parchment.

"What's that?" Harry asked.

"Mmm, morning love," Ginny said, her eyes still on the parchment, "Errol arrived a little while ago with a letter from Mum. She got my brothers' book lists came very early this morning, and says we should expect ours today too. She was relieved, because she wanted to go to Diagon Alley to get my birthday present before too long, and stuff to plan for the party. She's planning on taking Ron, Fred, George and Percy there tomorrow and wondering if we will go as well."

"Tomorrow is when Gilderoy Lockhart is going to be there, right?" Harry asked.

"That's what the Daily Prophet said yesterday," Ginny said.

"I imagine Hermione will be there too," Harry said.

"And the Malfoys," Ginny said.

"Right," Harry said.

"You forgot about them, didn't you?" Ginny asked, rolling her eyes, "About the diary -"

Harry cringed when she said 'diary'. He tried to hide it, but Ginny had seen it. She narrowed her eyes and rolled up the scroll.

"Harry, we need to talk about this," she said, "You haven't mentioned anything about it your mother since -"

"Please, Ginny," Harry said, "Let me deal with this."

"Deal with it how?" Ginny asked, "Tonks isn't going to like it if you blast apart that training dummy because you think it is Voldemort or – or -"

She trailed away and looked away from Harry.

"Say it," Harry said, his voice raised, as he crossed his arms, "Peter Pettigrew? Is that what you were going to say? I think the dummy is Peter Pettigrew because he has just enough blame for the reason I don't have a –!"

"Whoa," a voice said at the bedroom door.

Harry and Ginny jumped, when they saw Sirius appear.

"I heard raised voices," he said, as he walked in, "Is something wrong?"

Harry frowned and looked at Ginny.

"You need to tell him," she said, "If you're not going to talk to me about it, talk to him."

"All right, kid," Sirius said, as he sat at the end of the bed, "What's on your mind?" Tell me... and I'll give you these."

He dropped two envelopes on the bed.

"Our book-lists?" Ginny asked, grinning.

"Indeed," Sirius said, "Harry?"

Harry frowned and looked past Sirius at the open door. He lowered his voice to a whisper and said, "Close the door... they don't need to hear this yet. I don't know if portraits are affected by the Muffliato Charm"

Sirius raised his eyebrows and looked from Harry to Ginny. She shrugged and nodded. As Sirius got up, Harry picked up his mother's final diary. Sirius closed the door and walked back over to his spot on the bed.

"Your mother's diary?" he asked, looking at the book.

"Entries from the last few months of her life," Harry said; he inhaled, exhaled, and opened the diary to the two pages with the last half-dozen-plus entries and handed it to Sirius. "Go ahead. Read it."

Ginny leaned over toward the two cream-colored envelopes and picked them up, then handed one to Harry. However, he didn't open it. He only watched his godfather's eyes as they traveled through the entries. Sirius' expression went from wonder, to shock, to sadness. He blinked rapidly and stared forward out the window.

"Did you know?" Harry asked, even though he could see the shock in Sirius' eyes.

"I received no letters from Lily that last month," Sirius said, "I've always wondered why... she wrote at least one or two letters a month right along with James. James wrote me two that month and – he – he might have had a theory or two about it. But he said exactly what she said in here – he thought it was an illness, or nerves because of their situation. He always wrote about wanting another child. Prongs loved you so much, and he loved being a father. He -" Sirius swallowed and looked back at the diary, "Have you read anything from his journal during these dates?"

"After I read that the evening of my birthday," Harry said, "I couldn't bring myself to reading any more."

"You've been busy ever since then with your Auror duties, Sirius," Ginny said, as she looked up from her book-list, "So you probably haven't noticed. But I have noticed... he's been different all week because of this."

"How would you feel, Ginny?" Harry asked, "I knew nothing about this! I was already trying to get past this in the old timeline. I was trying to get my nerves settled enough to step into that house in Godric's Hollow. And now... this?"

"Harry," Ginny said, "You need to try to get past this – if only for a couple days. Tomorrow, we're going to Diagon Alley. Tomorrow, we have a chance to get the diary Horcrux."

"Really?" Sirius asked.

"Gilderoy Lockhart's autograph session is tomorrow," Ginny said, "it happened that day in the last timeline."

"Well, buck up kid," Sirius said, as he slid Lily's diary back across the bed, "You have a mission to prepare for."

Sirius stood up and then looked back at Harry.

"If it means anything," he said, "I'm sorry you had to find out like this. I wish she would have wrote to me or Moony about it. I can see she wasn't sure about Moony, like I thought, but... she wrote to me every couple of weeks. I should have noticed something, but I was busy with the Order... we were dealing with Death Eaters, and losing our – our own friends right and left."

"You don't need to apologize, Sirius," Harry said. "It isn't your fault. I shouldn't have sounded so accusing when I asked if you knew. I could see you didn't, and the other you would have told me if he had the chance."

Sirius nodded and wiped a tear from his eye. He nodded behind him to the doorway. "I can see you haven't mentioned a word about it to them?"

"They may not know everything about it," Harry said, "I thought I heard Mum – her echo – crying when she heard me on Sunday night. I said out loud that – that I could have been a big brother. Sirius, what if she had forgotten about that? Or it just came back to her? Or... she was afraid I'd find out when I told them I was going to read their diaries. I'm – Sirius, I'm afraid to talk to them about it."

"I understand, kid," Sirius said, "I still haven't been able to talk to them about the whole Secret Keeper business."

"Sirius," Ginny said, "Something Harry said earlier frightened me... are you going to be okay helping us get Peter out of Azkaban so the timeline can course-correct itself? I mean... with this new information -"

Sirius closed his eyes and lowered his head. He swallowed audibly and looked back at Ginny and Harry. "I have a little less than a year to convince myself not to kill him when I see him. So we'll see..."

He then turned and left the room. Ginny looked at Harry, and he shrugged.

"Sorry for yelling at you earlier," he said, "I'm mad, but I'm not mad at you. I should never be mad at you."

"And I'll always forgive you if you are," Ginny said.

Harry smiled. He looked at his book-list and frowned as he perused the Lockhart books.

"Load of Lockhart books," Ginny said, with a snicker, "Must be a witch."

"Or a fraud in a wig," Harry said, with a wink.

Ginny laughed. She leaned toward him and kissed him softly. Harry caressed a cheek with his hand and deepened the kiss then backed up.

"Come on," he said, "Breakfast first... we can't plan on an empty stomach."

* * *

Tuesday afternoon Harry wrote a short letter to Hermione confirming his and Ginny's appearance at Diagon Alley the following day, and he told her they would be meeting Ginny's family around ten-o-clock, so they would have enough shopping time before Gilderoy Lockhart appeared at half-past-noon. Hedwig came back with Hermione's reply that evening, and it sounded like Hermione was very excited. She said she could meet them there at that time, and she was really looking forward to meeting Gilderoy Lockhart.

"We're going to have tell her he's a fraud soon, aren't we?" Ginny asked.

They were in the sitting room, waiting for Melina to call them in for dinner, and Ginny had just finished up reading Hermione's letter.

"She won't be happy about that," Harry said.

"Nope," Ginny said, giggling.

"Ah!" Sirius' voice said, "There you are! Excellent."

Sirius and Amelia walked hand-in-hand into the sitting room and sat on the couch across from them.

"Amelia's staying for dinner tonight," Sirius said, "We were wanting to talk to you about tomorrow's events centering around Lucius Malfoy. It is happening tomorrow, yes?"

"We hope so," Harry said, "What's going on?"

"Tell us about Malfoy's collection of Dark artifacts," Sirius said, "How do you get to it?"

"Trap door under the carpet in the sitting room at his Manor," Harry said, "Why?"

"Amelia is signing a warrant tomorrow morning for a search and seizure," Sirius said. "I'm going with you tomorrow under the cover that I am just a lowly godfather escorting his godson and a couple friends through Diagon Alley to get their school things. A couple Aurors in street clothes will be in the area. After you confirm – a simple nod or something – that you have the Horcrux, I'm going to serve the warrant, and the two Aurors will escort Malfoy to his house, where a group of experts in Dark artifacts will be waiting. This will be the first move in our chess game known as 'cleaning up the Ministry'."

Sirius reached into his robes and took out a large cream-colored folder and handed it to Harry.

"List of our targets," Sirius said, "Could you look through it and tell us if you recognize anyone, and if we are missing anybody?"

Harry took the folder and looked through it. He recognized a few names, including Cornelius Fudge, as well as some of the Wizengamot and members of other departments.

"Patroclus Nott," Harry said, thinking of Theodore's father.

"Of the High Council of Lords and Ladies?" Amelia asked, "We were hoping for a few there. Sirius can't become Lord Black until spots are open."

"He's a Death Eater," Harry said, "He was there in the old timeline the night Voldemort returned. Walden MacNair of the Beasts Division was there as well."

"Dolores Umbridge, if you can," Ginny said, "She was a pain in our backsides in the old timeline. Don't know what you can get her on yet. Look for Muggle-centered crimes or possibly bribery."

Harry turned the pages and saw Bartemius Crouch's profile. Harry showed it to Ginny, and she frowned.

"Something wrong?" Sirius asked.

"Barty Crouch, like Wormtail," Harry said, "is a key to my endgame."

"How?" Sirius asked.

"Remember his son by the same name?" Harry asked.

"Sure," Sirius scoffed, "Was in Azkaban with me. Died about a year after they threw him in."

"It wasn't him, Sirius," Harry said, "Do you remember seeing his mother and father visit him?"

He told Sirius the same story Sirius had told him in his fourth year in the other timeline.

"Barty Crouch, Jr. is a prisoner in his father's house right now," Harry said, as Sirius and Amelia looked at him in shock, "Under the Imperius Curse and the ever-watchful eye of Crouch's house-elf, Winky."

He then told the story of what happened during his fourth year.

"Crouch, Jr. is the reason I was in that graveyard," he said.

Sirius blinked and shook his head as if was clearing his ears.

"We'll... we'll leave Crouch alone," Amelia said, "But I don't like knowing a Death Eater is not behind bars."

"With the two names I'm giving you and the three you have in this folder," Harry said, "There are five Death Eaters, including Malfoy, that you're putting in Azkaban. You wouldn't have these two, and a Death Eater would be on the Council without my knowledge."

"True," Amelia said, nodding, "Okay... you've convinced me. Let's get the first piece tomorrow, shall we?"

"His arrest will frighten his allies," Harry said, "Watch for anyone who doesn't show up for work for days on end after his arrest. It is likely they are hiding something."

"You were definitely an Auror in the old timeline," Sirius said, "I can't wait until you're back in Headquarters. Right out of Hogwarts if I have it my way."

"Let's just get me through Hogwarts first, Sirius," Harry said.

* * *

The next morning at a quarter to ten, Harry, Ginny and Sirius apparated straight into the Leaky Cauldron. Harry saw Ron and Hermione sitting together talking eagerly at a table a few tables away from where most of the Weasleys, besides Bill who had to work today, were sitting. Even Charlie was there.

"Go talk to your friends," Sirius said, "I'll go see what we're doing."

Harry and Ginny walked across the room to Ron and Hermione's table.

"... will you stop looking at your pocket-watch, Hermione?" Ron asked, "Oh, there they are! Finally! Hey!"

"Let them sit together, Ron," Hermione said, "Sit with me."

Ron grumbled and stood up, then sat next to Hermione. Harry smiled and sat down with Ginny across from them.

"Are you here with your parents, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Nope!" Hermione said, grinning, as she picked up a duffel bag, "They dropped me off with enough money to exchange at Gringotts, then after we get done shopping, I am spending the rest of the week until Sunday at the Burrow. Mum and Dad are attending a three-day Dentists convention in Ireland starting later today, and I would have had to spend time with my cousins, who know nothing about my magic side, of course. And I asked Mum and Dad how they expected me to read my school books in front of family. So I wrote to Mrs. Weasley about the situation, and she had already invited me to your party on Friday, so she said she'd be happy if I came over for the rest of the week. Mr. Weasley will take me back home on Sunday."

"Friday night we're having another sleep-over," Ron said, "she wants you two to spend the night after your birthday party."

"Of course she does," Ginny grumbled, "We never exactly said we were going to accept."

"So you're _still _stuck together?" Hermione asked, as she lowered her voice.

"Yeah," Ginny said, "We're at the point where we're about to write to Professor Dumbledore and tell him to set up a room for us to be in together... could last into term!"

"Hey, before I forget," Ron said, "Don't mention anything about Tonks to Charlie today."

"Did they break up?" Ginny asked, and Harry heard the hope in her voice.

"No, but they had a bad argument," Ron said, "Right in the living room through the Floo Network. Tonks had her head in the fire, and was shouting at Charlie. He has to go to Romania tomorrow... because a dragon is close to laying eggs."

"He won't be here for my party?" Ginny asked.

"Sorry, he's pretty bang up about that," Ron said, "Anyway, Charlie didn't expect to have to go back until shortly before we head off for term, and he and Tonks had apparently planned to spend this weekend together... they had planned on renting a room here."

"Long-distance relationships must be tough," Hermione said.

"It is the reason they broke up last time," Ginny said, "Because of long-distance."

"Wait, there's more," Ron said, "Remember that Christmas trip to Romania Mum and Dad were planning last Christmas before – well, you know. Anyway, they are planning it this year. Charlie won't be coming back to England for Christmas either. So we're all staying at Hogwarts this year."

"How did Tonks take that?" Ginny asked.

"I... don't think she knows yet," Ron said, "Charlie must not have gotten that far. Apparently she cut him off and ended the fire-call."

"And you think they're still together?" Harry asked.

"Charlie does," Ron said.

Harry looked at Ginny, who was looking rather gleeful.

"Hermione!" Ron growled, "It is at twelve-thirty. It won't come sooner because you're looking at your pocket-watch!"

Hermione blushed and dropped her pocket-watch in her bag.

"I don't know why you're excited, though," Ron said, as he looked up at a picture of Lockhart on a advertisement on the wall near the table, "He looks like an awful prat."

"No, he doesn't, Ron," Hermione scowled, "I think he's rather–" she blushed "- well, he's wrote a number of books. I'm so looking forward to meeting him. Do you think he'll sign all my books?"

Ron scoffed. "Harry, tell her... I mean... you must have met him – you know – last time."

"Um... yeah," Harry said, "I did."

"Oh, tell me about him!" Hermione said, looking excited, "I bet he knows so much. I have a couple of his books already. That household book, the one I gave to you for your birthday? He wrote it."

"Did he?" Harry asked; he hadn't looked at that book yet, and probably never would now, "Great."

"Oh, come on," Hermione said, "What is he like? Ginny, did you know him?"

"The truth hurts sometimes, Hermione," Ginny said.

"What?" Hermione asked, raising her eyebrows, "Why do you say that?"

Harry took his wand from his pocket and cast the Muffliato Charm.

"Gilderoy Lockhart is a fraud, Hermione," he said.

Hermione's expression was somewhere between disbelief and shock, and Ron snorted.

"He specializes in Memory Charms," Harry said, "And steals other people's information, then takes away their memory."

Hermione looked at Ginny, who nodded. Hermione bit her lip and looked thoughtful.

"And we have to read his books this year?" Ron asked, "Why?"

"Simple," Harry said, "Lockhart is our new Defense Professor."

"Really?" Hermione and Ron asked; Hermione in excitement, and Ron in a whining moan.

"You still don't believe us about him, do you, Hermione?" Harry asked her, and she frowned, "When you buy his book list... take a look at the years he mentions. In one book, he was in the Amazon in March of one year, but according to another book, he was in the Himalayas chasing a Yeti from December of the previous year, to May of that year."

"Could have been a editor issue, you know," Hermione said, "Happens all the time."

Harry rolled his eyes. He'd let her see the evidence herself.

"The mental bloke's our new Professor?" Ron asked.

Harry nodded.

"Well... at least he'll be better than Quirrel," Ron said.

"Not by much," Harry muttered.

He saw Sirius walking over to them, and he lifted the Muffliato Charm then stored his wand back in its holster.

"Good news," Sirius said, "You four rug-rats are with me for a couple of hours. Need to stop off at Gringott's, Harry?"

Harry nodded. When they arrived at Gringotts, Sirius stayed with Hermione and Ron, so he could help her exchange her money for wizarding money. Harry and Ginny went down to the vault with Ragnok, where they refilled their money bags. Twenty minutes later, they were back on the surface, and the four friends started shopping for everything they needed on their booklist minus the books they would buy later. Harry and Ginny restocked their potion supplies, and then bought some more for their own supply at home. Ginny also bought a new cauldron plus a tattered old school book in a second-hand shop, to aid in the events that they hoped would soon happen. Sirius distracted Ginny as Harry, Ron and Hermione bought her birthday presents at different shops.

Finally, at a quarter after twelve, they made their way into Flourish and Blott's. The line was extending all the way out the store, but they found the rest of the Weasleys in the queue. Charlie looked rather upset about something, and Harry soon discovered why: Tonks was standing in street clothes by herself, and he thought he saw her talking to herself. Her eyes widened and she looked over to Harry, and smiled and waved. When she saw Charlie, though, she narrowed her eyes and looked elsewhere.

"I think Alastor is underneath his Invisibility Cloak near Tonks," Sirius muttered to Harry, "Stay in the queue, I'm going to have a family reunion."

"Here's your books," Mrs. Weasley said as she passed four shopping bags to Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione, "It is a madhouse in here, so I made sure to get some for you."

"I hope you don't plan on buying mine, Mum," Ginny whispered, "Harry and I have money, and you can save what you would pay for mine for other things."

"I – of course, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, though she frowned.

"I don't mind, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said, "If you want to use the money for her, get her a good birthday present."

Before Mrs. Weasley could respond, the crowd began to applaud, cheer and murmur. Gilderoy Lockhart walked out of a backroom, and smiled and bowed to the crowd.

_Want me to hide you? _Ginny asked.

_No... he has to see me in order to spark off the chain of events today._

_Right... hoped we could avoid this part._

_Me too, but we can't._

"Well if it isn't Harry Potter," a voice that was not Gilderoy Lockhart said loudly.

Harry turned and saw Rita Skeeter standing there with a cameraman and her Quick-Quotes Quill, and a pad of parchment.

"Harry Potter!" Lockhart said, just as loud, "How about that? Come on lad. You get the first autograph!"

Rita's cameraman flashed a picture of Harry. Harry twisted his hand as he walked forward to Lockhart. He said a spell, and the cameraman tripped and fell to the ground. A great crash came next, and Harry knew the camera was destroyed. He grinned when he heard Rita's commotion.

"Yes, Harry, nice big smile!" Lockhart said, as Harry walked over to him, "Together you and I are worth the front page! Ladies and gentlemen. What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time!"

"Let me guess," Ginny said, out loud, "Defense Against The Dark Arts Professor?"

"Who said that?" Lockhart asked, raising his eyebrows.

_What are you doing? _Harry asked.

_Can't explain now, _Ginny said as she stepped out of line and into Harry and Lockhart's vision.

Harry noticed she looked rather relieved to walk closer to him.

"Come here, young girl," Lockhart said, "Didn't I see you standing next to Harry Potter?"

He said Harry's name louder than the rest. Ginny shrugged and nodded.

"You look like you're around eleven, almost eleven," Lockhart said, "Starting school this year?"

"Second year," Ginny said, "But I'll be eleven on Friday."

Many of the patrons were whispering.

"Extraordinary!" Lockhart said, "Youngest student Hogwarts has ever seen!"

"You seem to like that word," Ginny said, ignoring the rest.

Many of the patrons laughed and Gilderoy only smiled.

"This young spitfire is correct!" Gilderoy said, "This September, Harry, his young classmate here, and the rest of the students will be getting the real Magical Me, because I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

The crowd cheered and clapped. Since they already had two bags of books, Lockhart called over the attendant from the front desk, and told her that their books were all free of charge on him. Then he signed them all, and placed Ginny's in her cauldron, as she pushed it forward.

_Let's get this over with, Ginny, _Harry said, as they headed back toward the main part of the shop, _then you're explaining to me what you were doing._

_I felt faint! If you moved back any more, you'd be more than thirty feet away from me. I needed to get closer. Rita Skeeter's quill and Lockhart himself would have had a field day if we fainted and woke up only because we were beside each other._

_Oh... yeah... right._

_Besides... Lockhart targeted you for popularity last time... this time we're together... like we should be._

_Have I said I love you today?_

Ginny giggled. _Love you too._

"Oi! Potter!" a voice said.

Harry almost grinned when he saw Draco Malfoy marching up to him.

"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" he snarled, "You and your little girlfriend there getting Daily Prophet time."

Harry heard scratching behind him and saw Rita Skeeter looking at Harry with a smile.

"Go play on your new Nimbus, Malfoy," Harry said.

Draco narrowed his eyes.

"Surprised I know about that?" Harry asked, "Who do you think bought number seven?"

Draco's lips turned up in a snarl. "You cost the Slytherins –!"

"What's the matter?" Ginny interrupted, "Scared you won't make Seeker by talent instead of money?"

Draco harrumphed and gave an ugly smirk.

"Bet you're happy you got your books for free, Weaselette," he said, grinning, "This lot might have had you and your family on the street by next week."

"Ginny!" Mr. Weasley said, "There you are! It's too crowded in here, let's go outside."

"Well, well, well, Arthur Weasley," the drawling voice of Lucius Malfoy said.

Harry grinned privately. He looked out of the corner of his eye and caught Sirius standing with Tonks. Sirius smiled and winked. Harry could see his wand waiting in his hand.

"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear," said Lucius. "All those raids... I hope they're paying you overtime?"

He reached into Ginny's cauldron and extracted, from amid the glossy Lockhart books, the very old copy of _A Secondary Guide to Transfiguration, _that Ginny had bought earlier.

"Obviously not," Lucius said. "Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"

Mr. Weasley flushed red. "We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy."

"Clearly," said Lucius, then looked at the spot where Hermione was standing, "Stealing children from Muggles now, are you? And I thought your family could sink no lower."

Lucius dropped the book into Ginny's cauldron. She picked it up and looked at it.

_Ginny? _Harry asked, as he put up a silent shield spell between Mr. Weasley and Lucius.

_I got it Harry! Go!_

Harry looked at Sirius and nodded. Sirius smiled and walked forward.

"Lucius Malfoy!" he said.

Lucius turned his head quickly, as did Draco.

"I've been looking everywhere for you today," Sirius said.

"Is that so, Black?" Lucius asked.

"That is Auror Black to you, Mr. Malfoy," Sirius said, "I have a warrant for you – that raid you mentioned that the Ministry was holding... you're a part of it today. From Madam Amelia Bones, Lucius Malfoy, your Manor in Wiltshire is warranted for a random and completely legal search and seizure."

Lucius' eyes narrowed. Sirius raised his wand and Tonks walked up pointing her wand at Lucius.

"Take him, Cadet," Sirius said.

"Pfft... you brought a Cadet to arrest me?" Lucius asked.

"Resisting arrest, are you, Malfoy?" a gruff voice asked, as Mad-Eye Moody appeared from under his Invisibility Cloak, "In front of witnesses...?"

"I thought you could sink no lower," Sirius said, grinning at the snarling Lucius, before he looked at Tonks, "Auror Cadet, as I was saying?"

"Sirius," Harry hissed, "His cane... it has his wand in it!"

"Wait a moment!" Sirius said, then walked over to Lucius and snatched his cane and took off the snake head on the tip, revealing the wand inside.

"I'll take that for now," Moody said, and Sirius handed him the wand.

"Come with us, Mr. Malfoy," Tonks said, "We'll take your little boy there too... we're heading to your house anyway. I'm sure Auntie Narcissa can look after him on her own."

Lucius growled as he was led out by Tonks and Moody. Camera clicks were heard all around the shop, and Harry saw two more Aurors follow the Malfoys when they walked outside.

"A raid, you say, Sirius?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Wiltshire," Sirius said, "Malfoy Manor... team there already, waiting for the off."

"Molly... can you and Charlie take the kids home?" Mr. Weasley asked, "I have just been called in for work."

"Are you sure, Arthur?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Nobody speaks to me or my family like that," Mr. Weasley said, "I want to be there if they find anything on him."

Mrs. Weasley nodded and kissed her husband on the cheek, before he walked out of the shop.

"Harry, Ginny and I better be off too, Molly," Sirius said, "I should be on the scene in case Lucius causes trouble."

Mrs. Weasley frowned and nodded again. She hugged Ginny, then Harry as well, told them she'd see them Friday, and they left with Sirius. Ten minutes later, they were walking up the sidewalk to Potter Manor.

"Let me see it, Ginny," Harry said.

Ginny smiled and reached into her cauldron, then took out the diary. Harry looked at the back of it and saw Tom M. Riddle's name on the back.

"This is it," Harry confirmed.

"Of course it is!" Ginny said, "Think I'd forgot a bloody book like that?"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that language, Ginny," Sirius said, with a smirk.

Ginny scowled. Suddenly, there was a crack behind them and they turned around. Rita Skeeter stood there, but she was looking surprised as she looked around.

"What is she doing here?" Harry asked.

"She can't see the house," Sirius said, "she must have found the location from the records, but she still can't see it because of the Fidelius Charm. She's lucky I need to go soon."

"Sirius, if you go to her right now, she'll know we're here," Harry said.

"Let her stay," Ginny said, "If she runs into the wards, she won't be back here anytime soon. Come on, we have a diary to destroy. And I am going to do it."

"I'm still worried about Rita," Harry said, as the three of them headed into the house, "She looked rather giddy when Draco called you my girlfriend, Ginny. I know you had to do what you did today because of our Bond, but... I don't like this."

"Harry," Ginny said, "Did you forget? She's an illegal Animagus! She writes one piece about you... and... well... Sirius?"

"If she does anything to ridicule you," Sirius said, "She'll have to face me."

Harry nodded, but he still knew nothing good could come out of this.

"See you two soon," Sirius said, "I have to go take care of business. Good luck with the book."

He apparated with a crack. A few minutes later, Harry and Ginny were standing in the basement and Ginny was holding the Sword of Gryffindor. The diary was laying on the ground feet from her.

"Ready, love?" Ginny asked Harry.

Harry stood feet behind her, ready to grab her if anything happened. He nodded.

"Here goes," Ginny said, "Goodbye, Tom!"

She growled and drove the sword straight through the diary's cover and all the way through the book. Harry pulled Ginny away from the book, as the ghostly memory of the teenage Tom Riddle appeared for a little more than a second before it screamed and exploded in a burst of white light. Black ooze spilled from the diary's pages.

"Good riddance," Ginny said.

* * *

**Slightly cheesy ending, but Ginny needed her revenge on the diary. Four Horcruxes down!**

**Next Chapter: Sirius' PoV of Lucius Malfoy's arrest and Malfoy Manor Raid, Two Daily Prophet articles, and a sleep-over at the Burrow!**

**King's Cross in two or three chapters! Dobby returns then, but what he does you won't expect! He also has a brief cameo next chapter.**

**Hope you liked this chapter!**


	62. Arrests, Requests, and Articles

**Chapter 62  
Arrests, Requests, and Articles**

**(Sirius)**

Ten minutes after he left Potter Manor, Sirius appeared on the cobbled road just south of Malfoy Manor, via an authorized Portkey. Tonks and three other Auror Cadets were standing guard a few yards from the open gate.

"Hello, cousin," Tonks said, "Thought I might see you here soon."

"Escort me inside, Cadet," Sirius said, as the walked through the gate, "I want to discuss something with you anyway. We can do that on the way."

"Oh?" Tonks asked.

"What's this I hear about a bicker battle you held with Charlie Weasley today?" Sirius asked.

"Did Charlie's sister put you up to this?" Tonks asked.

"I heard it from Arthur and Molly," Sirius said, "Spill."

Tonks frowned as she looked at the ground. "Charlie and I were going to have a romantic couple of days together this weekend. He knows I was looking forward to it. I really wanted to try to repair our relationship, but I guess it just isn't meant to be."

Sirius tried to hold back a smirk. He figured she might be right about that.

"Now he has to go back to Romania tomorrow," Tonks said, "I was giving him a fire-call to see if I could go to his sister's party on Friday, and then we could have rented out a room above Tom's bar that night. But I suppose he loves his dragons more than he could ever love me. There's a dragon reserve fifty miles from London, Sirius! But no... the bloody git says he's made something of himself in Romania. Bill transferred for his own family... Charlie can't transfer for them or me? I'm going to write to him and tell him this is an open relationship. If he finds someone over there in Romania, he can have her. Because if I find someone here before he decides to come home to me, he and I are over."

"If you find someone?" Sirius echoed, "Sounds like you have that someone in mind."

"It's a bloody crush I've had for a while, Sirius," Tonks said, "He'd never accept me."

"You never know unless you talk to him, cousin," Sirius said.

Tonks' hair changed from pink to red, as she punched Sirius in the shoulder. "You know who I'm talking about, don't you?"

"Depends," Sirius said, grinning, "Exactly how long have you had this crush?"

Tonks blushed, and her hair turned even redder.

"Cadet!" Moody's voice growled, "What are you doing away from your post?"

"I asked her escort me, Alastor," Sirius said.

"I'll get back to my post," Tonks said, "Sirius... I'll... think about what you said."

Sirius nodded. It seemed his young cousin was in love with two people and she didn't know who she wanted to be with. Tonks smiled and turned and headed back down the road. Sirius turned toward Moody.

"What have you found so far?" he asked, as they headed inside..

"Less than squat," Moody said, "Haven't looked everywhere though. I was hoping for a big one here. Between you and me, I am retiring at the end of this year, and I wanted to nab someone like Malfoy."

"Retiring, eh?" Sirius asked, "Well, how about that! Well, I tell you what... I think I know exactly where to look. Send Arthur Weasley and a group to the sitting room."

"I searched there," Moody said, as his magic eye spun around.

"Did you happen to look down?" Sirius said, with a smirk.

Moody raised an eyebrow and harrumphed, then walked off through a room. Sirius walked down the corridor, and found Kingsley Shacklebolt standing with Lucius outside the sitting room. The Auror's wand was pointing straight at Malfoy. Inside the room, he saw his cousin and her son sitting together on a couch. He then saw the large carpet and grinned.

"Shacklebolt," he said, "Come with me. Bring Mr. Malfoy with you."

"Aye, aye," Kingsley said, "In you go, Mr. Malfoy."

Sirius walked into the large sitting room. He looked around and saw a house-elf standing in a corner of the room. He turned to Narcissa and smiled.

"Dear Cissy!" Sirius said, "It has been a while. And young Draco, I believe?"

"Hello, Sirius," Narcissa said, "Draco, manners! Say hello to your cousin."

"Hello, sir," Draco said, stiffly.

"Young man," he said, "I was wondering if you could give me the name of your dear elf over there."

Draco raised his eyebrows and looked at the house-elf.

"His name is Dobby," he said.

Sirius nodded. So that was the house-elf who was causing mischief at the start of the summer?

"Do you know if the house-elf has been outside this residence in the past two months?" Sirius asked.

"How dare you question my son, Black!" Lucius snarled, "This is a search and seizure order, not an interrogation of my family!"

"He is my family too, Lucius," Draco said, "But fine... I take back my question."

He heard footsteps and looked over his shoulder. Arthur and a group of men were walking into the room.

"We already searched this room, Sirius," Arthur said.

"Aye, I heard," Sirius said, as he took out his wand, "But have you looked..."

He pointed his wand at the carpet, which disappeared instantly, revealing a large trap door in the direct center of the room.

"...there?" he finished.

"Well, what do we have here, Lucius?" Arthur asked, as he waved the men forward.

Lucius looked murderous and Draco looked frightened. Narcissa, however, was staring at Sirius, and looked lost in thought.

"Sirius," she said, standing up, "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"How long will it take to get in there?" Sirius asked Arthur.

"Few minutes to check for all types of curses on the door," Arthur said, "A few more to get through the door depending on how secure it is."

"You have that long, Cissy," Sirius said, "Kingsley, watch the boy and the house-elf as well as Lucius. If the house-elf moves, make Lucius bring it back."

"Of course," Kingsley said.

Narcissa walked over to Sirius, and followed her out into the hallway.

"What do you want, Cissy?" Sirius asked.

"You're the Head of the Blacks now, are you not?" Narcissa asked.

"Aye," Sirius said.

"As soon as your men get through that door," Narcissa said, "The Malfoy name is ruined. I've wanted to leave Lucius for years now, but he's... well, I couldn't do it. I stayed because of Draco. I never wanted to marry Lucius, you know. He was meant to marry Andie, until she married that Tonks fellow and got burned off the family tree. So Lucius became my suitor... I would have lost my inheritance and my name if I hadn't married him. Now, that doesn't matter anymore with someone as good as you as Head of the family. It may take weeks to get out of this marriage, even if Lucius is not around anymore. But... I'll do it. What do you want? I'll do anything for immunity from this, and the name of Black back. Draco might want to keep his father's name... his father's influence is too deep. I don't know what I'm going to do with him."

"What do you know about Lucius' connections with Cornelius Fudge?" Sirius asked.

Narcissa smiled. "Get me complete immunity first. Then you'll be known as the man who took down the Minister himself."

"I'll have to talk to Madam Bones," Sirius said.

"I assume that will be easy," Narcissa said, "Isn't she in your bed almost every night these days?"

"That doesn't help you, Cissy," Sirius growled. "Now... I have one more question for you. That elf, Dobby... has he left this residence in the past two months?"

Narcissa nodded. "He's disappeared from the house once or twice. Lucius won't tell me anything. Dobby usually does stuff for Draco, but it is Lucius who owns him. If I did, I'd give him clothes and hand him over to you. I can tell the elf is unhappy here."

"I'll keep your word on that," Sirius said.

"Sirius!" Kingsley's booming voice called, "It is open."

Sirius smiled and looked at Narcissa whose eyes were staring at the floor. "Go back to your son. If you have any last words for your husband, say them now."

Narcissa walked back into the room and Sirius followed her. She looked at Lucius for a moment, and harrumphed then walked across the room to her son. Lucius glared at his wife rather murderously, then looked at Sirius. Sirius only shrugged as if clueless, and walked over to the center of the room, where the trap door was now open. Arthur climbed out of the hole and wiped his brow with a handkerchief before he looked at Sirius.

"Arrest him," he said, proudly, "Possession of Dark Artifacts. Dozens of them."

Sirius smiled victoriously and looked at Malfoy, who narrowed his eyes.

"Lucius Abraxas Malfoy," Sirius said, "You are under arrest for multiple counts of posession of Dark Artifacts. You are hereby subject to open investigation into the possibilities of other illegal acts you have been involved in. If you say anything, it can and will be used against you in front of the Wizengamot.. as I'm sure you know. Take him away, Shacklebolt. Portkey is arranged for you outside the gates, straight to the prison cells in the Ministry. Make sure you have three Aurors with you for the ride, and at least two Aurors watching the prisoner at all times."

"Yes, sir," Kingsley said, "Come with me, prisoner."

Sirius smiled as he watched Lucius get marched out of the sitting room. He turned to Arthur, who looked very pleased.

"What about Narcissa, Sirius?" Arthur asked, "She's implicated in this, isn't she? She must have knowledge of this."

"More than you think," Sirius said, "But she's making an immunity deal and has some very valuable information to hand over. I just have to speak to Amelia."

"So you're done here, Sirius?" Arthur asked.

"I believe so," Sirius said, then eyed Narcissa, "For now."

"Do me a favor and go by the Burrow," Arthur said, "Tell Molly I'll be late... give her the good news."

"Of course," Arthur said, "We'll see you Friday."

Arthur smiled and Sirius looked at Narcissa and Draco. Narcissa bowed slightly, and Draco looked downtrodden, though Sirius noticed he had narrowed eyes for him.

"I'm sure I'll talk to you soon, Narcissa," he said, "Keep an eye on your elf for me. If he vanishes again, let me know."

"Of course," Narcissa said.

Sirius turned and looked at Dobby.

"Leave Harry Potter alone if you know what is good for you," he said.

Dobby shrank back toward the corner, and his ears drooped. Sirius shook his head and walked out of the sitting room. He smiled as he headed back across across the long walkway toward the road where the Apparation/Portkey area had been set up, feeling very happy with the events of the day. Lucius Malfoy was in Ministry custody, and his wife was the key to taking down an even bigger fish.

The chess match had begun.

* * *

**(Harry)**

Early the next morning, Harry and Ginny were having breakfast outside on the patio. Sirius had gone in early to the Ministry stating he had a "very busy day today". When he had come home late the previous night, he had said the raid was successful, and Lucius Malfoy was arrested but he wouldn't give any more information than that.

So there Harry and Ginny sat, waiting for the Daily Prophet. Then they heard a hooting sound, as an owl swooped in from the sky and dropped a rolled up Daily Prophet between them at the table. Ginny snatched it up first, and spread out the front page over the table. A large moving picture was the first thing Harry saw. In the picture, Lucius Malfoy was snarling in Flourish and Blott's, as camera flashes surrounded him. A small arm, who Harry knew belonged to Tonks, was gripping Malfoy's shoulder. As the picture progressed, it showed him being marched out of the shop.

In large, black letters above the picture, the title of the article read:

**WIZENGAMOT MEMBER LUCIUS MALFOY ARRESTED  
FOR POSESSION OF DARK ARTIFACTS! FOLLOW-UP  
INVESTIGATIONS AGAINST MALFOY EXPECTED!**

Harry smiled, as his eyes traveled below the picture, and he started to read the article.

**Lucius Malfoy, 37, of Wiltshire, has always been seen as a leading  
member of society: generously donating gold to Hogwarts and the  
Ministry of Magic over the years; a member of the Wizengamot, a  
Hogwarts Senator, a Member of the High Council of Lords and Ladies,  
and was named as a 'possible choice for Minister of Magic in years to  
come'. ** **But today, all of that may be over.**

**On Wednesday afternoon, in Diagon Alley, crowds gathered in Flourish**  
**and Blott's expecting to meet the famous author Gilderoy Lockhart, and**  
**received another show at their visit. Lucius Malfoy was helping his son**  
**shop for school books and supplies for the upcoming school year in**  
**which the young heir-apparent will be starting his second year, when**  
**Aurors confronted the head of the Malfoy house and gave him a warrant**  
**for a random search and seizure of his house in Wiltshire.**

**"I was not disappointed at all that such a scene took place during my**  
**autograph session!" Gilderoy Lockhart stated when he was asked his**  
**opinion on the spectacle that interfered with his event, "I am very proud**  
**of our Auror Department, and they have every right to do what they did."**

**Lockhart, who is taking the role of Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor**  
**at Hogwarts this year, also stated that he will take the young Malfoy boy**  
**under his wing if he needs advice on this terrible ordeal.**

**Lucius Malfoy was escorted to his magnificent manor, where the search**  
**and seizure took place. Not much is known about what happened inside**  
**the house, because media was not allowed inside. However, Aurors and  
****members of three artifact departments were seen taking boxes of objects  
****from the house all afternoon. Arthur Weasley, of the Misuse of Muggle  
****Artifacts Department was quoted to say that they discovered "a treasure  
****trove of Dark Artifacts," and went on to say, "It is believed Mr. Malfoy has  
****had these artifacts in his posession since even around the time of the First  
****War. There is also evidence that Mr. Malfoy has attempted to get rid of more  
****of his artifacts over the past few months alone as well. We will be talking to  
****shop owners in Diagon and Knockturn Alley, as soon as possible."**

**Not long after he returned to his manor, escorted by Aurors, Lucius Malfoy**  
**was escorted back out in magical bindings, under arrest.**

**"We will be doing a very thorough investigation when it comes to Lucius**  
**Malfoy's past in relation to the Dark Arts," Madam Amelia Bones, Head of the**  
**Magical Law Enforcement stated to the Prophet, "Old cases will be brought**  
**into light. This could be the beginning of a wider investigation into the Dark**  
**Arts, which has long been thought as dormant over the past decade."**

**Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, who has been a long-time friend to Mr.**  
**Malfoy, and had the support of Mr. Malfoy when he ran for office as Minister**  
**was unavailable for comment, as was Malfoy's wife, Narcissa, and Sirius**  
**Black, the Auror who served the warrant that led to the arrest.**

Harry grinned widely as he took a sip of his orange juice.

"This is just the beginning," he said, "Won't the Daily Prophet be pleased to find out just how much 'support' Lucius gave someone like the Minister?"

"Mmhmm," Ginny said, as she browsed through other articles, "I imagine we'll be seeing a lot in the Daily Prophet over the next few – bloody Merlin! She didn't!"

"What?" Harry asked.

Ginny pointed to another article and Harry looked down at it. He narrowed his eyes, and his throat went tight as he saw the title.

**Has the only heir to the Potter Legacy and famed  
"Boy-Who-Lived" already found young love?**

**Reporter Rita Skeeter, Corresponding**

**Gilderoy Lockhart's autograph session and Lucius**  
**Malfoy's arrest wasn't the only juicy gossip this reporter**  
**found in Flourish and Blott's on Wednesday.**

**Famed "Boy-Who-Lived" and the only living member of**  
**a well-known family, Harry Potter, was seen amongst the**  
**crowd waiting for Gilderoy Lockhart to sign an autograph.**  
**The young boy, aged twelve, was spotted by yours truly**  
**and the famous author. Lockhart asked the boy to come up**  
**front so he could sign first, and during an important**  
**announcement, a young girl interrupted the event, and Harry**  
**actually looked happy about it. Why?**

**Well, soon after Harry and this young girl accepted their  
****autographs, they were seen talking to Lucius Malfoy's heir,  
****whom accused the girl of being Harry Potter's girlfriend! Potter  
****neither accepted nor declined this information, and the young girl  
****even defended Potter against the boy. So what does this reporter  
****make of this?**

**Well, soon after this confrontation, Harry Potter's godfather, the**  
**apparently innocent ex-convict Sirius Black, was seen escorting him**  
**out of the bookstore, but they weren't alone. This young girl, who is**  
**apparently the youngest child of the Weasley family, known as Jenny,**  
**was tagging along with them... and apparently the three were going**  
**to Harry Potter's family home!**

**Miss Weasley seems to be a dear friend of Harry Potter, but is she more**  
**than that? She is the youngest student ever at Hogwarts, and will soon**  
**be a second year at the age when students are usually first years! Did**  
**Harry Potter already find love during his first year at Hogwarts? Or is**  
**this an arranged courtship already taking place between the young**  
**pair, sanctioned between Sirius Black and Miss Weasley's parents, who**  
**seem to be friends and acquaintances? Was Miss Weasley just visiting**  
**the Potter home, or does she live there instead of her home many miles**  
**away in Southern England?**

**Famed author Gilderoy Lockhart had this to say about the apparent pair:**

**"The young lass did seem very close with the famous boy, but who can**  
**blame her? He is a very famous boy, and every child knows him. Good for**  
**her if this is what is going on. The young spitfire knows exactly what she**  
**wants. I'll, of course, be giving them as much advice as I can this year**  
**at Hogwarts where I will be their new Professor!"**

**Miss Weasley's family declined to comment.**

"What did I tell you, Ginny?" Harry asked as he finished the article, "I knew she smelled something. We're going to have to deal with this at Hogwarts, mark my words."

"Relax," Ginny said, "When Sirius arrests her, who will believe anything she says?"

"I hope you're right," Harry said, "The worst part is almost everything she said is true. Except for that 'arranged courtship' business... though it is rather close if you think about it."

Ginny grinned and took a sip of her orange juice, then said, "Well, I am very happy that you have already found love at a young age, Mr. Potter."

She leaned toward him and kissed him.

"Well, there is truth in that at least," Harry said, grinning, before he returned the kiss.

* * *

Sirius promised on Thursday evening, after he saw the article that he would take care of it. He had already been hearing portions of this article all day while at work, and all he had said was that Ginny was a good friend of Harry's, and she had been visiting Harry while on holiday. He promised he would look into Rita Skeeter's illegal Animagus case and see if he could find a legal way to reveal her to the world about the illegality of her gossip-mongering.

Harry was really not looking forward to the backlash of Rita Skeeter's article when it came to Ginny's family. The day after the article had been brought to the public was Ginny's birthday. Harry woke up that morning, and found that Ginny was rummaging through her clothes and was packing a night bag for their sleep-over at the Burrow.

"I should have bough pyjamas yesterday just for tonight," Ginny said to Harry, when she noticed he was awake, "Mum's not going to like me wearing this dressing gown. I guess I'll just have to deal with it."

"We'll just add that topic onto the already growing pile," Harry said, "Let's see, there's the fact we'll be cuddled up together while sleeping, possibly spied on by Mum or Percy during the night... and oh yeah, there's Rita's article. Forgot about that."

"I believe I've already told you that sarcasm doesn't suit you, Potter," Ginny said, "Don't worry about it. She knows we're already together and we've been pretty vocal about how much we love each other."

"Yeah, but now this is public, Ginny," Harry said.

"You act as if our Soul-Bond has been revealed, Harry," Ginny said, "It hasn't... just rumors and gossip of our apparent courtship. So our fellow classmates will think we're already a couple... news-flash, Potter. We are a couple, aren't we?"

"I know that, Ginny," Harry said.

"Our Soul-Bond probably won't like you denying any of this," Ginny said. "It probably sees this as a test to our relationship. How do we react to news, albeit rumors and gossip, of our love getting out to the public?"

Harry nodded. "I haven't said 'happy birthday' to you yet, have I? Happy birthday, my love."

Ginny smiled and walked over to Harry and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"Thanks," she said, as she walked back over to her bag, "Now get up and put together your night bag. It is already almost ten... we both slept in today. Sirius left a note earlier. He had to go into work for a few hours to work on the Malfoy case, but he and Amelia will be here by noon so we can head to the Burrow. We're expected around two, but that letter from Ron and Hermione last night said that Neville and Luna are arriving around noon, so I'm sure they want us to be there then as well."

"It is your birthday," Ginny said, "Anything you want to do today is fine for me."

Ginny smiled then immediately frowned as she pulled her bikini from the drawer, " Ugh... do you think our friends are going to want to go swimming today?"

"What else are we going to do besides lunch and open your presents?" Harry said, "Other than the sleep-over, I mean. You don't have to swim, you know."

"They'll ask questions if I don't," Ginny said, "Ron knows I have this two-piece... he never said much about it, but Mum doesn't know and she will say something about it."

"Buck up," Harry said, grinning, "Your Mum will be ecstatic that she won't have to buy you a bikini top instead of a training bra."

"Is that your way of saying you're happy I'm an early bloomer?" Ginny asked, glaring at him.

"Unfounded accusations, Mrs. Potter!" Harry said, grinning, "I wouldn't say that to you on your birthday!"

"Prat!" Ginny scowled, before placing her bikini in her night bag.

* * *

**This chapter has a rather strange ending, because at first it was not the end of the chapter. I was going to have Ginny's birthday and sleep-over in this chapter, but it turns out I'm going to be rather busy today, I expect, so I wanted to get another chapter posted before then, even though it turned out rather short.**

**Unfortunately that means Ginny's birthday party and the sleep-over will be in the next chapter. But good news... after that scene, there will be a small time-skip, and King's Cross will also happen next chapter! Second year starts off really crazy, I promise!**

**Hope you liked this chapter anyway!**


	63. A Bug In The System

**Chapter 63  
A Bug In The System**

**Author's Note: For those of you who might have thought differently, Ginny's quote on "early bloomer" at the end of the last chapter was meant sometime in the upcoming future, not at that moment. Thought I'd point that out. Also, I had two different mistakes concerning misnaming who said quotes... this seems to be my most common mistake, and I always bypass these in rereads for some reason, but I do not like using betas, so it is my own fault. I will be more careful in the future. Also made another mistake... Mr. Weasley referred to the war as the First War... there hasn't be a second war yet, so it would just be called the war. My apologies!**

**While in Ginny's PoV, I will still refer to her parents as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.**

**Now, I have a question for my reviewers! Do you think I should stick to canon with Luna's house and make her a Ravenclaw, or should she be a Gryffindor? I will take all suggestions into thought. This has been on my mind for a few chapters now and I have no real decision either way. Keep in mind that Luna is a first year while the other five friends are second years, and if she is a Ravenclaw, they may not be able to spend a lot of time together.**

* * *

**(Ginny)**

Shortly after noon, Ginny and Harry apparated to the Burrow via Side-Along with Sirius, and Amelia appeared next with their night bags. In the distance, near the orchard, they could see Fred and George flying in the air, and batting a bludger back and forth with their Beater's bats, like some odd game of tennis. As she made his way into the kitchen with Harry, delicious aromas greeted her.

Upon Ginny's entrance into the kitchen, her mother, who had been watching the door eagerly since they arrived, swooped in and hugged her.

"Happy birthday, my dear," she said, "Bill and your father had to work, but they'll both be home in time for lunch. Charlie had to leave yesterday, of course, but he personally asked me to wish you a happy eleventh."

"Thanks, Mum," Ginny said.

Mrs. Weasley smiled happily and backed up. She looked at Harry, who seemed to be searching for the others. Ginny sighed and shook her head.

"He thinks you might be angry because of the Skeeter article," Ginny said.

"Oh!" Mrs. Weasley said, chuckling nervously; she moved toward him and hugged him, "Harry, I am not angry at you. That mad woman is to blame. Of course... after the way events played out yesterday..."

Mrs. Weasley backed up and returned to the stove. Ginny tried her best not to roll her eyes. Had her mother really been upset with her actions? Did she not understand what could have happened?

"I had to go to Harry when Lockhart was hounding him, Mum," Ginny said, "If Harry backed up a couple more feet, we both would have fainted."

"So... it is still going on then?" Mrs. Weasley asked, looking back at Ginny and Harry, "Next week it will be almost two months!"

"We're coping with it Mum," Ginny said, "We've already planned a letter to Professor Dumbledore if this lasts into the last week of holidays. We don't exactly know how long it will last, but we're trying to keep doing what we have been doing and hope it solves the problem."

Ginny looked at Harry, then inhaled and exhaled and looked back at her mother.

And yes, Mum," she said, "before you ask, Harry and I will be sleeping next to each other tonight. We might end up like that either way... I believe I already told you the Soul-Bond is picky like that right now."

"I – well – ah –" Mrs. Weasley stammered, "Well, the six of you will all be situated in the sitting room anyway, so it isn't too big of a deal. Oh, speaking of..." She looked up toward the ceiling, and raised her voice, "Kids, they're here!"

"Go on and have fun with your friends," Sirius said, "We'll keep your mother company, Ginny."

Amelia handed over the two night bags, and Ginny and Harry made their way into sitting room. Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna all made their way down the stairwell.

"Finally!" Ron said, "We were planning on going swimming for a couple hours before we eat, but we wanted to wait for you first. You did bring your swimming things, right?"

"Yes," Ginny said, "And our raft. We can go swimming now I suppose."

The distance between half the bathroom, and most of Ginny's bedroom was less than thirty feet, so Harry went inside the bathroom to change, while Ginny and Hermione made their way into the bedroom. Hermione, who hadn't gone swimming at Potter Manor yet was rather surprised to see that Ginny already had a two-piece. Ginny, on the other hand, wasn't surprised to find that Hermione also had one, a light blue-and-red striped outfit. She figured Hermione was old enough, and apparently she wasn't the only one.

"Mum decided I'm old enough to have a two-piece," Hermione said, "She says it will help me adjust to my bras, so she was very happy to buy it for me."

"Mum doesn't know about mine yet," Ginny said, as she started changing into her bikini, "But as Harry seems only too happy to remind me, I do find the tops make good training bras, though I might buy some actual ones. Besides, I was a very early bloomer, so I'll probably be starting by spring anyway."

As she was reaching across the bed to get the top out of her night bag, Ginny, rather accidentally, spotted pads in Hermione's open duffel bag.

"Oh... and speaking of starting something," she said, raising her eyebrows.

Hermione blushed bright pink. "This week last month was my first time, so Mum told me to bring them with me. It didn't scare me when it happened, because I read about it in that book I bought this past Christmas holidays. It is just rather embarrassing... you won't tell Harry, will you?"

"He learned the mistake of eavesdropping on you and I about a year ago," Ginny said, "Er... I should have told you sooner, perhaps. He might have accidentally heard something on your birthday last year."

Hermione looked at her questioningly.

"Remember how Lavender and Parvati were rather vocal about one of your birthday gifts?" Ginny asked.

Hermione bit her lip and looked thoughtful, then her eyes went wide.

"He heard that?" she asked, embarrassed, "Oh... oh, Merlin."

"He was rather embarrassed, if I remember right," Ginny said. "He actually told me it was something he didn't want to hear because you're one of his best friends. It was the same way he reacted when he saw that memory of you taking a bath."

Hermione nodded, though she didn't blush, to Ginny's surprise. It must have been something she had long since accepted. She adjusted the bra of her bikini, and walked over to the mirror.

"Do I look okay in this?" she asked, as she admired herself.

"It is really nice," Ginny said, "Ron might actually say something this time."

Hermione raised her eyebrows as she looked at Ginny through the reflection in the mirror.

"Yeah, right," she and Ginny said, together.

Hermione giggled and adjusted her bra.

"It does look rather cute," she said, grinning; she then frowned and touched a finger against her lips, "Now I wish I could do something about my teeth. I hardly noticed they were oddly sized until a few weeks ago. I could probably look up on modifying them, but Mum and Dad would be angry with me. Did the other Hermione ever get them changed, or did she look like this even then...?"

"Fourth year," Ginny said. "Harry told me the other you got cursed and it affected her teeth, and when Madam Pomfrey asked how they looked before, she might have lied just a little."

Hermione frowned. "Well, I wouldn't want to go through that. That sounds rather horrible."

Ginny nodded and adjusted her top. She then put on her top and shorts so her mother wouldn't ask questions about it. She wasn't ready for that.

_You girls ready? _Harry asked, _Luna wore hers, and Ron and Neville and I are all ready._

_Impatient boy! Oh, and don't be surprised with Hermione's outfit when you see it._

_Same type as yours?_

_Yep. Hang on._

"Harry's wondering if we're ready," Ginny said.

"Hmm?" Hermione said, "Ohh, right telepathy. Yeah, I'm ready."

The girls grabbed their towels and girls walked out of the room. Harry, who was holding the deflated raft and his towel, tried his best to keep his face straight as he saw Hermione. Hermione only smiled lightly and walked down the stairs.

_You are too obvious, Potter, _Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

_What?_

Ginny shook her head and started off down the stairs.

"Hermione, you look nice," Luna said, "Were you worried?"

"A little," Hermione said, and Ginny noticed she was looking at Ron.

"Luna's right, Hermione," Ron said, "You look... very nice." He quickly looked up at Harry and Ginny, who grinned, "What's so funny... come on, let's go swimming. Where's your swim clothes, Ginny?"

"Underneath my regular clothes," Ginny said.

The six friends got a round of sunblock charms from Mrs. Weasley, who told them to be back in a couple hours for lunch, and they headed off down to the lake. Ginny and Harry laid their towels together. Ginny took off her top and shorts, and stored her wand with holster inside her shoes. Harry tapped his wand on the raft, and it inflated to its normal size.

"Race you in," Ginny said to Harry, before she took off into the lake.

"No fair, birthday girl!" Harry chuckled, as he made into the lake after her, "I was carrying the raft!"

Ginny giggled and shrugged. While their friends swam around, she and Harry did too, but stayed close together, racing a few yards across the pond, or jumping in from the dock one right after the other. After a while, they made their way into the raft and relaxed together. Ginny thought Ron would say something, but he was currently racing Hermione and Neville.  
_  
_They stayed in the lake for another hour, before Ginny decided she wanted to get out and dry off. Harry joined her on the towels and helped her dry off using his wand. When Harry moved into a position that looked as if he wanted her to sit in his lap, Ginny shook her head.

"Mum might come down soon," she said, "I don't want to give her any reason to spy on us tonight while we're in the sitting room."

Harry nodded and Ginny smiled and kissed him very briefly. Luckily Ron wasn't watching when she did it. She looked back in the direction of the Burrow to see if anyone was coming their way, and something crossed her mind.

"Wow," she said, "living back at Potter Manor must have really changed me this summer. I mean... I know that it is my home, and has been for a while, but... I feel like a guest here at the Burrow again. I was in my bedroom with Hermione earlier, and it didn't feel like _my bedroom_anymore, even though there are still quite a few of my things in there."

"Are you okay with that?" Harry asked.

"Mum might not like it," Ginny said, "But yeah, I am. Potter Manor is my home now."

Harry looked over Ginny's shoulder at something and she raised her eyebrows questioningly.

_Don't move, Ginny. You'll understand soon._

Ginny froze, and she saw him pick up his wand. Suddenly, he leaned over toward her, swiped a hand against her hair, then a jar appeared in his other hand, and he slammed his hand over the jar.

"Harry, what –?" Ginny began, then she saw what was in the jar.

Harry put a lid on the jar, and pointed his wand at it. A large beetle with strange marking around its eyes was buzzing inside the jar.

_Rita Skeeter, _Harry said, _We need to find Sirius._

"Hey!" Ginny called out to their friends, "Lunch is probably almost ready, let's go!"

Their friends waded out of the pond without any questions. As they were making their way back to the Burrow, Luna looked at the jar and her eyebrows raised.

"That... isn't a beetle, is it?" Luna asked.

"Is it a water wimple?" Ron asked.

"I'll explain soon," Harry said, "I need to talk to Sirius."

Just as she approached the Burrow, Ginny smiled when she saw that Bill and her father had arrived. They were setting up a couple tables, and Sirius was helping them.

"There's my birthday girl," Mr. Weasley said, and Ginny walked over to him and hugged him.

"Sirius?" Harry said, "Can Ginny and I talk to you quickly? Kind of important. Maybe Amelia should hear this too."

"Er... sure," Sirius said, "I believe Amy is helping Molly with the food. Come on."

They hurried inside and, indeed, found Amelia in the kitchen. Ginny offered them the privacy of her room, and she ignored her mother's questioning looks as the four of them headed up the stairs.

"What's the matter?" Sirius asked.

Harry lifted up the jar. "This... is Rita Skeeter. She was hiding in Ginny's hair by her shoulder."

"Did you... say anything you shouldn't have?" Sirius asked.

"We just discussed Potter Manor and the Burrow," Ginny said, "She probably would have liked what I said, but we didn't say anything too revealing. Oh. She... might have seen me... kiss him."

"Oops," Sirius said, grinning, "Aw, well. She won't be writing for a while. Let's say hello to our friend. Amy?"

Amelia took her wand from her robes and waved it around the room.

"Apparation proof charms are up for this room," she said, as she walked over to the door and stood by it.

"I'll do the spells, and you tie her up," Sirius said, "Harry?"

Ginny stood back as Harry upended the jar onto the bed. Sirius pointed his wand at the beetle, and it began to sprout up like a tree in fast-forward motion. Soon Rita Skeeter was sitting on the bed.

"Incarcerous!" Amelia said, and ropes bound around Rita's chest and hands.

"This is impossible!" Rita growled, "Nobody knows I'm an Animagus!"

"Well, not the Ministry, at least," Sirius said, grinning. "Rita Skeeter, you are under arrest for failing to register with the Ministry that you are an Animagus. Anything you say can and will be used against you in front of the Wizengamot. If you need an attorney, we'll make sure to find you one that you have not slandered in your gossip articles."

Ginny and Harry snickered. Rita looked at them.

"I bet you two lovebirds are happy," Rita said, "Caught red-handed – or should I saw lips – and I won't be able to post a word of it."

"We're rather happy, sure," Ginny said.

"You two head on downstairs," Sirius said, "We'll escort Miss Skeeter to the Ministry and come back shortly. Sorry we must miss part of your party."

"No matter," Ginny said, "This is a good present."

Rita narrowed her eyes, and Ginny grinned. She took Harry's hand and they headed off out of the room. Ginny thought she heard a high voice say a swear followed by a buzzing sound. Mrs. Weasley was coming inside when they arrived into the kitchen.

"There you are," she said, "The party is about to start. Where is Sirius and Amelia?"

"Right here, Molly," Sirius said, as he and Amelia walked into the room; Ginny noticed he was placing a jar jar in the inside of his robes, "Something's come up at the Ministry, and we have to go in for a little while. We'll try to be back for dessert."

"Oh," Mrs. Weasley said, "I do hope it isn't anything bad?"

"Just a bug in the system," Sirius said, with a wink to Ginny and Harry.

Ginny and Harry snickered, and walked outside to where the tables were now set up with plates, napkins, silverware and glasses. Harry and Ginny joined their friends at the table.

"The beetle was Rita Skeeter in her Animagus form," Harry said, in a low voice, when the four others gave him and Ginny questioning looks, "She's an illegal Animagus, non-registered, and we caught her buzzing around."

"Rita Skeeter?" Hermione asked, "The reporter who wrote that article about the two of you?"

"She won't be writing any more for a while," Ginny said, "Sirius and Amelia are taking her back to the Ministry."

"She was here as a bug?" Ron asked, "Blimey... yeah, she was here on Wednesday evening trying to ask questions about the two of you."

"Must have been when she found out the party was here," Ginny said, "She found out without you or anyone else knowing she had."

"Mum was pretty talkative about the party," Ron said, nodding.

"You didn't say anything she shouldn't have known, right?" Hermione asked, "About -" she looked at Luna, then looked back at Harry and Ginny, "- the Bond or... anything?"

"No," Ginny said, "But she would have had a good article to write about anyway. She might have caught me kissing Harry."

Ron raised his eyebrows from Ginny to Harry, but said nothing.

"Nothing wrong with that," Luna said.

"Yeah... except... the article out there is already going to start some talk amongst everyone," Neville said. "Gran was kind of surprised to read the article, even if she doesn't believe Skeeter. But she said that our fellow students will have something to say at school about it."

"They'll already be talking if our Bond doesn't heal before the start of term," Harry said, "We'd have to share a dorm or something... I don't want to sleep in the Hospital Wing for a week again."

"So you haven't figured out how to heal it yet?" Hermione asked.

"We've tried all we can think of," Ginny said. "We've been staying close together, spending every hour of the day together... that's not that bad, really... but I just know it is something obvious we're overlooking."

"The obvious is usually the easiest to miss," Luna said, sagely, "My Mum liked to say that."

* * *

Sirius and Amelia did indeed return in time for them to join in the round of 'happy birthday' to Ginny, and have a couple pieces of cake, and ice cream. Sirius said in whispers that Rita was facing a possible five years in prison, and was now sitting in a Ministry holding cell with Anti-Animagus charms around her.

Ginny opened her presents next and received: a set of new self-filling quills from Hermione, a dream catcher from Luna she made, a portable greenhouse (three plant holders she could take to Hogwarts, and any plant would grow in it, even through the winter season – she loved this because she knew she'd miss her garden at Potter Manor when she was away), a poster of the new Holyhead Harpies for the new season from Ron, and a diary from Harry (he grinned when she rolled her eyes at him).

She received a pair of Quidditch gloves from Sirius and Amelia (she soon discovered that Sirius had charmed it to show the name Ginny Potter on the inside, but only those she allowed to see the name could), a bag with a couple dresses that looked brand-new (and at the very bottom, a couple actual training bras, instead of bikini tops – her mother knew she would be an early bloomer too, of course – but she didn't tell everyone about this part of the gift), and the rest of the family had pitched in to buy Ginny a new trunk for school (she had one, but this was just as nice and had pictures of her family and friends on the inside of the lid, so she decided she'd probably use this and keep the other for stuff at home).

Afterward, the six friends decided they wanted to go swimming again, and Fred, George and Bill decided to join them. This was a bit of a problem because of Ginny's bikini, but Fred and George only joked around and asked how Harry reacted to it when he first saw it, and Bill only said it looked quite nice. They swam for a few hours before the water and air became rather cold as the late afternoon grew into evening, and all headed back inside.

When they arrived they found that the sitting room had been rearranged and had sleeping bags and blankets on the floor. Ginny smiled when she noticed that one of the blankets was large enough for her and Harry to sleep on together. Sirius and Amelia were still there, but had left soon after, because they needed to go into work early to take care of some business concerning the 'bug in the system' and their internal investigations.

Ginny, Harry and their friends changed into their sleeping clothes and when she returned in her sleeping gown, Mrs. Weasley only looked at it thoughtfully, before walking over to the fireplace to start a small fire, adding a bit of atmosphere into the room, and promised it would die out around the time they all would probably fall asleep. The six friends had a small dinner of leftovers, then proceeded into the living room.

"Truth or Dare!" Ron suggested as he laid down.

"We played that last time!" Hermione said.

"Harry and Ginny weren't here," Ron said.

"We'll play, but no questions about things not everyone knows about," Ginny said, as she motioned her eyes toward the staircase.

Harry nodded.

"If we do truth, we usually do group questions," Neville said, "So everyone has to answer."

"Birthday girl goes first," Ron said.

"Most embarrassing moment?" Ginny asked.

"Leg-Locker Curse from Draco," Neville said.

"Newt Scamander's grandson kissed me a couple years ago," Luna said, "He's like... four years older than me..."

"That's cute," Hermione said, "Er...that day I woke up in the hospital wing and saw Harry across the room... half-covered with his hospital gown. Second would be the after-effects of that onion juice on Halloween."

Harry rolled his eyes when Ginny snickered.

"The first time Fred and George met you, Hermione, on the train," Ron said, "And they called you my... well..."

"Girlfriend?" Hermione asked.

"Did I ever apologize for that?" Ron asked.

"Didn't need to," Hermione said, then blushed, "Er... well, you know... Fred and George are funny."

Harry looked at Ginny, and she grinned.

"Let's see," Harry said, "When your parents found out about our Bond."

"When my whole family found out about it," Ginny said, "Or perhaps those hours before it happened."

"So nothing about your whole... 'stuck together' situation embarrasses you?" Hermione asked.

"We've been together long enough to accept it," Harry said, and Ginny nodded, grinning when she knew that had a double-meaning.

They had enough questions that the game lasted to the point where Luna, then Neville nodded off to sleep near each other, and everyone else decided to go to bed. Harry laid down on one-half of the large blanket, and Ginny joined him. She was quite relieved that Ron and Hermione weren't looking in their direction.

_Ginny? _He asked, _Do you have the diary down here with you?_

_Mmhmm._

_Open it to the first page._

Ginny sat up and found her diary near her. She laid back down and opened it up. She felt tears in her eyes when she saw that Harry had written his vows from their wedding there.

_Oh, Harry, _she said, looking at him, _You still remember it?_

_Of course._

Ginny turned and looked to see if anyone was looking in their direction. She looked up at the stairwell, but couldn't see any feet or tell-tale sign anyone was there. She then turned back to Harry and caressed his cheek with a soft hand. His green eyes looked so beautiful in the glow of the fire. Even in his twelve-year old body, she still found him more handsome than anyone else on earth. She leaned toward him and kissed him softly, and he murmured lovingly then returned the kiss. It lingered for a few moments, before she backed away and cuddled up against him, laying her head against his chest.

_I love you, Harry. Always will._

_I love you too, Ginny. Happy birthday._

Ginny smiled and nuzzled her face into him, and let the rise and fall of his chest lull her to sleep.

* * *

**(Harry)  
**  
After Ginny's birthday, the rest of August seemed to fly by like it usually did, as Hogwarts term inched closer and closer.

Rita Skeeter's hearing took place three days after her arrest, and only took an hour for the Wizengamot to convict her of being an unregistered Animagus, and she was sent to Azkaban for no less than three years, no more than five.

Lucius Malfoy was still being held in a high-security portion of the Auror Headquarters, with two Aurors always stationed at his cell. Every day, he would be interrogated for information, but no deal he attempted would keep him out of Azkaban. Adding onto the Dark Arts posession charge, he was also convicted of: status of Death Eater, lying to the Wizengamot about being a Death Eater, using Unforgivable Curses, bribery and blackmail. He was sentenced to spend eighty years in Azkaban, and if he survived would be subject to the Dementor's Kiss. S

Sirius told Harry that by mid-September, Lucius' estate would be owned by Narcissa, and with her help, many more Dark Arts supporters and others would be joining her husband in prison. He also said he and Amelia were being extremely careful with Fudge's investigation, and would charge him until they could convict to the point where he couldn't get off with a doubt. At the start of the last week of August, it was also announced that Sirius was now Lord Black, and an official member of the High Council of Lords and Ladies.

During the last week of August, after they did another distance test and fainted again, Harry and Ginny wrote a letter to Dumbledore about their situation. He wrote back and said he would talk to them when they arrived at Hogwarts, and he said he might have a way to heal them, but didn't want to say anything until he was sure.

September 1st, a Monday, was a slightly hectic one around Potter Manor. Their books and school things were scattered around the large house, and they had to work together to find everything. However, they were able to apparate by a half-past-ten, and still had to rush to the barrier into platform 9 ¾.

"Last time, Dobby closed the barrier on me and Ron," Harry said.

"You two go in first," Sirius said, "I'll come in behind you with the cart. If it is closed, I have the right to apparate with you inside."

Harry and Ginny nodded, took each other's hand and they walked toward the platform. They leaned against it, and Ginny kissed Harry's cheek, then pushed him into the wall. Thankfully, they were able to step on through.

They soon found Mrs. Weasley near the train. She told them that their friends were already on the train with Ron, then she gave Harry and Ginny a hurried hug and told them both to write. Harry and Ginny also gave Sirius a hug as well, and good wishes with Amelia and the investigations. Then took Hedwig's cage and their carry-on bags then boarded the train, and found their friends sitting in a carriage and saving them a spot.

"Oh come on, Hermione," Ron was saying, "I saw you reading Lockhart's books! You must have seen the mixed up dates Harry mentioned."

"Talking about Lockhart again, are they?" Ginny asked Neville.

"Ron apparently thinks he's a fraud," Luna said.

"He is a fraud," Ron said, "and Hermione doesn't think so because she thinks he's attractive or something."

"He is rather good looking," Luna said.

"Not you too, Luna!" Ron said.

"Well, if you say he is a fraud, then how else does he get his information if not because of his appearance?" Luna asked, "That's what Daddy thinks anyway. He's been sour toward Lockhart, ever since he wanted to interview him, but Lockhart always expected money... all interviews articles in the Quibbler are done for free, and only for publicity. Lockhart's all about publicity, but he wanted money too."

"See!" Ron said, "She thinks he's a fraud."

"She didn't exactly say that, Ron," Hermione said.

"Then explain his dates!" Ron said, "You were reading his books for hours when you came to the Burrow for those few days. And don't say editor's mistakes! If those are mistakes from the editor, then it is a really lousy editor. Lockhart would have switched!"

"How do you know?" Hermione asked, "Why don't we just ask him in class? I'm sure he'll be happy to answer. He was very happy to talk to us last month.

"He was happy to talk to us about Harry and Ginny," Ron corrected, "He figured I was related to you , Ginny, and since Hermione was with us, he talked to her about it too."

"He signed our books, Ron," Hermione said, "He was quite happy to do that."

"He was happy to sign anything!" Ron said, "Did you bring your swimsuit to Hogwarts? I'm sure he'd sign that!"

Hermione blushed... and Ron had actually noticed this time.

"You didn't!" he scoffed.

Hermione bit her lip. Harry, Ginny, Neville and Luna laughed. The train started to leave the station, and Harry and Ginny caught sight of Sirius and Mrs. Weasley. They waved, as did their friends.

"Gran doesn't like Lockhart," Neville said, when the station was out of sight. "She says there is something strange about him, and if it wasn't a required class all seven years of school, she would have taken me out of Defense this year."

"The class is way too important to miss anyway," Hermione said.

"Wait until next year," Harry said, "We'll have a competent teacher then."

"Lockhart is competent!" Hermione growled.

"You sound very sure of yourself, Harry," Luna said, "More than hopeful."

Ginny glared at Harry, and she wasn't the only one.

_Nice going, love._

_We're going to tell her soon anyway._

"He's probably just tired of having mental teachers," Ron said, "First Quirrel, now this bloke?"

"At least take one of his lessons before you decide, Ron," Hermione said, "He could be a good Professor."

"It wouldn't matter anyway, would it?" Ron asked, "It is like Neville said, the class is something we have to take. We can't take another defense class."

Ginny raised her eyebrows and looked as if a thought came to her mind.

_What if we can, Harry? _She asked.

_What?_

_Defense Association, Harry! We could start it this year! We have been looking for something to do now that the Chamber is out of the picture. Or we could just call it Dueling Club, like Lockhart had._

_Oh... right. Yeah, but I'd rather discuss it with the teachers this time. We don't have someone like Umbridge who ill be against it. Maybe we should wait a month and see how the schedules are before we really discuss anything. Besides, if our Bond is still behaving this way, we don't want to give any more hints that something is wrong._

_Yeah, you're probably right._

Harry smiled. Suddenly, they heard a loud popping sound outside the carriage, and everyone looked toward the door.

"I'll check it out," Harry said, "I won't go far... don't worry, Ginny."

Ginny nodded. "Be careful."

Harry smiled and squeezed her hand before he stood up and walked over to the door. He opened it and looked around. He couldn't see anything, and he started to close the door when something invisible grabbed his hand!

Dobby materialized and looked up at him.

"Dobby must protect Harry Potter!" Dobby said.

Before he could say anything, Harry felt his breath get taken away, and it felt as if he was being pulled through a straw.

When he opened his eyes, he felt extremely weak.

_Ginny... help...  
__  
_Harry felt around his mind for her, but he couldn't feel her. He looked around and found that he was laying in what he recognized as the sitting room of Potter Manor.

And that was the last thing he saw before he blacked out.

* * *

**Cliffhanger! Oh no, Dobby, what did you do?**

**How is Harry and Ginny going to get out of this one? Well... with a little help from their friends... and that happens next chapter!**

**Hope you liked this one!**_  
_


	64. Phoenix Song

**Chapter 64  
Phoenix Song**

**Author's Note: 600+ Reviews! Thank you all! It means so much to me!**

* * *

**(Hermione – moments before)**

"At least take one of his lessons before you decide, Ron," Hermione said, "He could be a good Professor."

"It wouldn't matter anyway, would it?" Ron asked, "It is like Neville said, the class is something we have to take. We can't take another defense class."

"Right!" Hermione said, "You'll do fine, trust me."

"Can I copy off of you if he gives rubbish essays?" Ron asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes, and was about to respond with a resounding 'no!' when she heard a cracking sound outside the carriage. She and her five friends turned their heads.

"I'll check it out," Harry said, "I won't go far... don't worry, Ginny."

Ginny nodded. "Be careful."

Harry smiled and stood up then walked over to the sliding door and opened it. He looked each direction down the corridor, and Hermione was about to ask him if he saw anything when she heard a small voice.

"Dobby must protect Harry Potter!" the voice said.

Then, right in front of everyone's eyes, Harry vanished on the spot.

"No!" Ginny cried out, reaching out for where Harry was, before she slumped over onto the seat in a dead faint.

"Ginny!" Ron said, pushing himself off the seat, and bounding across the carriage in one step; he kneeled down next to Ginny and shook her shoulder, "Come on, Ginny, wake up!"

"Ron!" Hermione said, as she forced herself to keep a calm mind, "She won't wake up until Harry's near her, remember?"

"We don't know where Harry went!" Ron said, "It must have been that bloody house elf of the Malfoys. Remember Harry telling us about him?"

"Melina?" Luna asked.

"A male house-elf, Luna," Hermione said, "I think he belongs to the Malfoys."

"Of course!" Ron said, "Draco might have told him to take Harry! Maybe he's at Draco's house!"

"Draco doesn't know about the Bond," Hermione said, as she jumped up to search through her carry-on bag,"Ron, we have to send a letter to Hogwarts, to Dumbledore. Who is faster, Pig or Hedwig?"

"Pig," Ron said, "Especially in the high Scottish winds. Right... "

"Ugh!" Hermione growled, "I didn't bring parchment in my bag... it is in my trunk... only quills and ink!"

"Harry gave Ginny a diary for her birthday!" Neville said, "Maybe she has it in her bag."

"Good thinking, Neville," Hermione said, "Hopefully she didn't charm it so we can't open it. She does that a lot."

Ron stood up and found Ginny's night bag. Hermione looked through her own bag and took out a quill and ink.

"I can open it!" he said, as he looked through it, "Let's see..."

"Hurry, Ron!" Hermione said; she looked at Ginny who seemed to be sleeping, but she didn't want to think it was something worse... what happened if they were too far apart for a long time?

"I'm trying, Her- got it!" Ron said, triumphantly, "I can open it... er... better use a back page. I don't want to know what she wrote... she might not like me finding out."

He carefully tore out a page near the back and handed it to Hermione.

'…on the Hogwarts Express," Hermione said, as she wrote, "Harry vanished, missing. House-elf took him. Ginny fainted. Need help'... okay! I'm done. Here, Ron!"

"Maybe we should get the Snack-Lady?" Ron asked, as he opened Pig's cage and tied the letter to the tiny owl's leg, "Go, Pig! Find Dumbledore!"

Pig hooted and sped out the window Neville had just opened.

"The Snack-Lady would ask questions," Hermione said, "and would bring in a commotion from other students, I bet. How about Percy?"

"He's still being stubborn about the Bond," Ron said.

"So are you, sort of, but you're not about to tell them that!" Hermione said.

"It's just awkward watching Harry kiss my sister, that's all!" Ron said, "Ugh, fine, I'll go find Percy! Watch my sister!"

He hurried out of the carriage.

"She's sleeping," Luna said, as she looked at Ginny, "Something is odd about her soul. And she seems frightened. Very frightened. Oh, Ginny, its okay... we're here!"

"You can see her soul?" Neville asked Luna.

"She's an Aura-reader," Hermione said,"It is how she found out about the Bond. Are you sure she's frightened, Luna?"

"I think so," Luna said, "I hope she finds Harry soon."

"Me too, Luna," Hermione said, as she looked at Ginny, who was perfectly still.

* * *

**(Ginny)  
****  
**Even though she couldn't open her eyes, Ginny could see, and it was pitch-black wherever she was. Perhaps she was in her mind, she thought like what happened after she was hit with some kind of spell from Quirrel. But this seemed different. She couldn't feel Harry like she was able to the other time, but she felt... something.

Suddenly, her vision cleared and she found that she was standing at the back of a small enclosure. And it looked familiar! It was the marquee where her and Harry's wedding had taken place in old timeline! White and golden chairs stood in rows on either side of an aisle where a long white carpet was laying. At the end was the same archway she and Harry stood when they were married. She walked forward and stood under it and closed her eyes.

_Harry... can you hear me? _She attempted, _I am at the place where I officially became yours forever. I am still forever yours. Find me... I know you're out there somewhere. I love you, Harry Potter._

Ginny continued to call out for him, hoping she would soon hear anything... his voice, footsteps, anything.

-  
**(Sirius)**

Sirius made his way up the walkway toward Potter Manor, and he heaved a deep sigh. He was about to be alone in this house again. He knew Amelia would visit and stay for the weekends sometimes... but was that enough for him? He had thought about that all summer... what would she say if he asked her to move in with him to Potter Manor? After he talked to Harry about it, of course. Would she give up the house she had lived in for over a decade? Did she want to take that step yet?

With these thoughts roaming through his mind, he took his copy of the house key from the pocket of his robes, and opened the door then stepped inside. Melina appeared instantly in front of him.

"Sir, you're back!" Melina said.

"Hello, Melina," Sirius said, smiling.

"Sir!" Melina said, "Master is here!"

"Harry?" Sirius asked, "I think you're mistaken. He's on the train to Hogwarts."

"No, sir, Master is here! Come with me" Melina said, and hurried through the hall, as Sirius followed her, "The bad house-elf you told me about brought him here, and he collapsed. I was able to see the bad house-elf before he left, but I had to watch over my Master. I is being using my Magic, but Master is not waking up."

Sirius rushed into the sitting room, where he found Harry sprawled out on the carpet. He seemed like he was asleep, instead of unconscious.

"Lady Ginny did not come with him?" Sirius asked the elf.

"No, sir!" Melina said, "Only Master, no Lady."

"He must be reunited with his mate," Sirius said, "Melina, can you use your magic to teleport us right into the Hogwarts Express? It is currently moving..."

"Melina will try for her Master, sir!" Melina said.

Sirius picked up Harry into his arms, and Melina took hold of the leg of Sirius' pants, and also Harry's arm then closed her eyes. Sirius closed his and a moment later, he heard sounds of a train rolling across tracks. He opened his eyes and found that he was in the Hogwarts Express.

"Find Lady Ginny, Melina," Sirius said.

"Yes, sir," Melina said.

Sirius closed his eyes and did a spell to put a privacy charm on the three of them so no students would see them. He then followed Melina down the corridors of the train, until they finally reached one Melina pointed at. He lifted the privacy charm and opened the door. Harry's friends, including the passed out Ginny, and Percy were all there.

"Harry!" Hermione, Ron, Luna and Neville said.

"Oh, Auror Black," Percy said, "You found him. Good."

"He was at Potter Manor," Sirius said; he extended the seat a bit outwards and laid Harry next to Ginny.

"How did you get on the train?" Ron asked.

"Melina brought us," Sirius asked, motioning to the house-elf.

"I think Malfoy's elf did it, Sirius," Hermione said, "We sent a letter with Ron's owl to Hogwarts, in search of Dumbledore. Hopefully he arrives soon."

"Harry, Ginny and I may be going to Hogwarts ourselves," Sirius said, "if this doesn't work out. Melina could you do that if I needed you to?"

"Yes, sir, I can try," Melina said.

"Let's see," Sirius said.

Sirius moved Harry's hand to Ginny's and instantly, they moved closer to each other and Harry's arms moved around Ginny, and held her against him.

"Blimey!" Ron exclaimed, "That was odd!"

"Did it work?" Hermione asked urgently.

"Er... I think they did that unconsciously," Sirius said, as he waved his wand across the pair, "They're still out. Might be a part of the healing process."

"Healing?" Percy asked, "So... so they're bond could heal? Go back to normal?"

"As in they could share a half of each of their souls again?" Sirius asked, "I hope so. If they don't wake up soon, Melina and I will take them to Hogwarts."

"They seem scared," Luna said, suddenly, "Very scared. Oh, I hope they can find each other..."

"They're right here, Luna," Ron said, raising his eyebrows.

"They are," Luna said, "But at the same time they're not together."

* * *

**(Harry)**

Harry looked around and all he could see was pitch-black darkness. He tried to walk forward, and he thought he could hear a faint voice somewhere off in the far distance.

_Ginny? _He asked, _Is that you? I'm going to find you! I promise! Don't worry! I love you!_

He started walking forward, pushing through the darkness, hoping he could find any sign of Ginny.

* * *

**(Albus Dumbledore)**

Albus Dumbledore smiled at the Sorting Hat, who was sitting on the top of his head; it had just finished its rehearsal of the school song.

"Very good song this year," Albus said, "I find it fascinating every time you are able to rhyme Gryffindor with Ravenclaw with just the right accent."

_Years of practice, Headmaster, _the Sorting Hat said.

"I do hope there are no surprises with the Sorting this year," Albus said, "You would tell me if there were, I'd assume?"

_Sooner or later, _the Sorting Hat said.

Albus chuckled. He took the Sorting Hat from his head and placed it on his desk. Suddenly, he heard the sound of wings and looked up to see a Scops owl flying toward him. When it reached him, it circled his head and Albus chuckled.

"You are a very excited little bird, my friend," he said, "What news do you bring me?

The owl perched itself on the top of the Sorting Hat, who grumbled softly, and Albus took the piece of parchment from the owl and unrolled it. He frowned as he read it... this was very troubling. He obliterated the note and walked over to Fawkes who was looking at him.

"Hogwarts Express, my friend," he said, "Make haste!"

Albus offered his arm and Fawkes gently took it then hummed a gentle tune. Soon, Albus was surrounded in the familiar fire of the phoenix's flame-travel, and he appeared in a corridor of the Hogwarts express. The corridors were calm and students looked out toward him curiously.

"No matter, no matter," Albus said, to the students as some poked their heads out through the doors, as he walked along the corridors of the train with Fawkes perched on his hat, "I'll explain it all tonight. You are all very safe, I promise you. But I do ask that you remain in your carriages for a few minutes. Do so and I will tell the Snack Lady that everyone gets one complimentary item from the cart."

Albus chuckled as the doors in each carriage shut. _Chocolate is a child's best friend._

He soon found a very peculiar scene in one of the carriages. Seven students, Auror Sirius Black and a house-elf were all crowded inside. He was very relieved to find Harry and Ginny laying together on one of the seats.

"Oh, wonderful," Albus said, causing everyone to turn and look up at him, "You found Mr. Potter."

"Headmaster, you're here!" Hermione said.

"Did you get my owl?" Ron asked, "That was fast! Blimey!"

"Harry and Ginny's sleeping," a blonde first year said, "But they seem very peaceful."

"Good," Albus said, "Yes, Mr. Weasley, I did receive your very hyper little familiar. I assume he is on his way to the Owlery now. You will be able to reunite with him there."

"Yes, sir," Ron said."And," Albus continued, as he looked around, "Thank you for your message, Hermione, and your quick thinking, and to Percy for playing the part of Prefect, I assume?"

"I was just doing my job," Percy said.

"Understandable," Albus said, "The three of you will receive ten points a piece for Gryffindor once the term actually starts this evening."

"Thanks, sir," Hermione said, "But we were just trying to help Ginny and Harry."

"Which you did," Albus said.

I will assume Harry returned with the help of Auror Black and... what is your name, young elf?"

"Melina, sir!" the house-elf said, "House-elf to Master Harry and Lady Ginny."

"Wonderful," Albus said, "Will you aid me and Sirius with a rather difficult task?"

"Yes, sir!" Melina said.

"Please take your Master, Lady, and Sirius to the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts," Albus said, "My phoenix will aid you, and I will be there very soon. My friend?"

Fawkes started humming a tune.

"Now, young one," Albus said.

"Yes, sir!" Melina said, as she took hold of Harry and Ginny's arms with each of her hands, "Hold on to me, Sirius, sir."

Sirius lightly held onto Melina's shoulder, and the two of them vanished with Harry and Ginny.

"I believe Ron and his friends are very well now," Percy said, "I will return to my carriage. See you at the Feast, Headmaster."

Albus bowed and Percy ducked out of the carriage and headed off down the corridor. Albus turned to the four students.

"You have my promise and guarantee that your two friends are fine," he said, "If they are not at the Feast this evening, you have my permission to break curfew after the Feast and visit them in the Hospital Wing."

"Thank you, Headmaster," Hermione said, and the other three nodded.

Albus smiled and looked up at his familiar. He nodded and after more fire-travel, he was soon standing in the Hospital Wing. The Potters were now laying together on an extended hospital bed, cuddled up just as he had seen them on the train. Sirius was sitting next in a chair next to the bed, his hands together as if in prayer, and the house-elf was standing watching her Master and Lady. Fawkes flew over to the table next to the bed and started to hum.

"Good idea, my friend," Albus said.

"Oh, Albus," Madam Pomfrey said, as she appeared with a couple bottles of potion and washcloths, "I've never seen anything like it. As soon as we laid them down together on the bed, they cuddled up together as if they were awake, but they are still passed out."

"That house-elf is going to pay," Sirius growled.

"House-elf?" Albus asked, as he looked at Melina.

"Not her," Sirius said, "Dobby... Lucius Malfoy's house-elf. I assume he'll be Narcissa's soon, but this is the second time he's messed with my godson and Ginny. And he has no reason to! The house-elf's worries are over with!"

"I am sure Harry and Ginny will wake up very soon, Sirius," Albus said, "They just need to find each other again..."

"Find each other?" Sirius said, "That's what Luna Lovegood said."

"So that curious little girl was Xenophilius' daughter?" Albus asked.

"She's an aura-reader," Sirius said.

"Ah, a wonderful gift," Albus said, "Yes... we just have to wait until Harry and Ginny find each other."

* * *

**(Harry)**

Harry's vision seemed to become clear, but what he saw wasn't Potter Manor, nor was it the Hogwarts Express. He was standing under a very familiar looking marquee.

_Harry? _Ginny's voice called out, _Is that you?_

Harry turned and looked on the other side of the marquee, past rows of chairs, and found Ginny standing underneath an archway. He tried to run, but it felt weird, and only walked as quickly as he could toward Ginny. She walked toward him and hugged him around his neck and kissed him. Harry felt the tears that were falling down her face as he kissed her back.

_I-I thought I'd never see you again, _Ginny said, backing up, but keeping her arms around him, _Oh, Harry, I've been so frightened._

Are we – are we where I think we are?

_Our wedding marquee, Harry. The day I officially became yours forever._

Harry smiled and hugged her. _Oh, Merlin. Dobby took me from you and I landed in Potter Manor... then I was lost in pitch-black darkness for what seemed an eternity until I found you._

_Maybe... Harry... maybe we're together again in our bodies? Close by?_

_We'd wake up wouldn't we?_

_Yeah, I guess so. Unless... Harry, do you think this is how our bond has to heal? We had to be apart from each other and find each other again? It is like our quest... we were lost in our minds and had to find each other?_

_And now we just have to wait for our Bond to heal... yeah, maybe._

Ginny chuckled softly and kissed him again. _I love you._

_I love you too, Ginny_, Harry said, and deepened the kiss.

Suddenly, Harry felt a very warmth feeling sweep through him... like flame...

* * *

**(Sirius)**

Sirius' eyes widened at the sight he was seeing. Ginny and Harry had just moved closer, and were now locked in a kiss.

"Oh dear!" Madam Pomfrey said.

"Do not fret, Poppy," Albus said, as he held up a hand, "I believe it is all coming to a wonderful end."

Sirius stared at the two children, and he saw Harry's eyelids move around and blink. Suddenly, his eyes open and he backed away.

"Ginny?" Harry asked.

"Harry!" Ginny breathed.

Harry chuckled in relief and kissed her again.

"Oh, thank, Merlin!" Sirius said, clapping his hands together once.

Harry and Ginny looked up and blushed. It seemed they only just realized they had an audience.

"I – err – sorry," Harry said, and Ginny nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Quite all right," Albus said, chuckling, "Poppy? Diagnostics... visible globe."

Sirius watched as Albus and Poppy pointed their wands toward Harry and Ginny. Two large globe-like objects in lights appeared above the young couple. There were two glowing orbs in each globe, one gold, one white.

"Excellent!" Albus said, "I think you're bond has healed. But how about we test that first? Can you stand, Harry?"

Harry nodded and sat up, then stood up from the bed. Sirius followed him as they walked out of the hospital wing. Sirius held out his hands to catch him, just in case and Harry continued to walk.

"Thirty one... thirty two feet!" Harry said; he laughed and hurried back inside the Hospital Wing.

Sirius grinned, followed him in and Harry walked back over to the bed and kissed Ginny once again.

"Our normal Soul-Bond status is back!" he said.

"Just in time for school," Ginny said, as she hugged him.

"But... how?" Sirius asked, "What did you have to do?"

"We had to trust each other and ourselves to find each other," Harry said, "We were never out long enough when we tested it to lose ourselves inside our minds and find each other."

"So it was a test!" Albus said, "Seeing if you could find each other, not just in body, but in mind and soul."

Harry and Ginny nodded.

"Odd," Ginny said, "I can be thirty feet from you and now I don't want you to move from me."

Harry chuckled. "Exactly."

"That was the intentions of the Bond, I believe," Albus said, with a smile, "Bring you closer together, no matter how close you were before. It might have sensed that you would have part this past summer because of familial arguments? Maybe it made sure you were together all summer so your family, Ginny, could see that it was the right thing."

Ginny nodded again. "I can see that."

"To think," Harry said, "Dobby is the reason we were able to heal."

"Speaking of Dobby," Sirius growled, "I need to go to Potter Manor."

"Sirius, don't do anything to him," Harry said.

"I will ask Narcissa to punish him," Sirius said, "I believe she owns him now."

"Sirius," Harry said, "He had good intentions. He -"

His speech was cut off by a loud mournful tune coming from Fawkes.

"Fawkes," Ginny said, "We're okay. Thank you. You can stop."

"Ah, Ginny," Albus said, "That song is not for you or Harry."

Everyone looked at him. The headmaster seemed very distraught about something.

"What's wrong, Albus?" Sirius asked.

"That song was a gift," Albus said, "from Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel. He was to sing it when they passed on from this world."

"What?" Ginny asked, as tears filled to her eyes, "Nicolas and Perenelle are –?"

"You two are now the only known living Bonded pair," Albus said, as he looked at his feet, "Rest in peace, my old friends. I hope you are together in the next great adventure."

Sirius frowned, feeling tears in his eyes as he looked at Fawkes. The mournful lullaby filled the Hospital Wing and echoed through the halls of Hogwarts...

… and perhaps the heavens as well.

* * *

**Sad ending to the chapter. That was planned for a couple of days now and I am happy to say it went very well!**

**So this begins the second year! Hopefully it won't last too long... I have a few plans to get through it! Next chapter... Sirius visits Malfoy Manor again, the Sorting Feast takes place... and there might be a new Sorting Hat song if the muses allow! Where will Luna Lovegood be sorted? Ravenclaw or Gryffindor... guess you'll find out soon!**

**I hope you liked this chapter!**


	65. The Second Year Begins

**Chapter 65  
The Second Year Begins**

**Author's Note: Small typo last chapter... Sirius said he needed to go to Potter Manor and meant Malfoy Manor... kind of obvious. Sorry about that.**

* * *

**(Sirius)**

Promising he would be back very soon to check on Harry and Ginny, and requesting that Melina should stay with them for now in case something else happened to them, Sirius made his way out of Hogwarts. When he reached the grounds, he saw that Hagrid was leading a pair of Thestrals to a carriage.

"Sirius!" Hagrid boomed when he saw him, "How are ya, old friend?"

"Hello, Hagrid," Sirius said, "Lovely pair of Thestrals there."

"Aye," Hagrid said, "They're mates actually, an' next month they begin mating season. The girl here, Ash, she's the perfect age for breeding, so I am trying ter keep her an' her mate, Soot, together."

"Ash and Soot?" Sirius asked.

"Aye," Hagrid chortled, "Creative, eh? What are you doing here at the castle?"

"Auror business," Sirius said, "I'll actually be back very soon. But I must make a quick visit elsewhere."

"How 'bout Soot and Ash gives you a quick ride ter the Apparation point, eh?" Hagrid asked, "These two need their exercise anyway."

Sirius accepted, though he knew Padfoot would be just as quick, but he stepped into the near-by carriage anyway.

"Make haste ter the gates!" Hagrid said, after a minute.

Sirius held onto the carriage as the two Thestrals started off in a run and galloped down the driveway. Less than five minutes later, the carriage arrived just outside the gates. Sirius stepped out, gave the two Thestrals a pat in thanks, then stepped a few feet away and apparated.

He appeared on the road just south of the large Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire, and made his way up to the gate. He held out his Auror badge, and the gate immediately opened. He made his way up to the front door and rapped his knuckles on it loudly. He waited there for nearly a minute before the door opened, and Narcissa appeared.

"Cousin?" Narcissa said, "What can I do for you today?"

"I wish to speak to you, Cissy," Sirius said, "Will you kindly let me in?"

Narcissa shrugged and backed up. Sirius walked into the house, and saw two suitcases sitting nearby.

"Going somewhere?" Sirius asked.

"A holiday," Narcissa said, "I've been invited by Igor Karkaroff to Durmstrang Institute for a month to sit in on classes and their daily routines."

"Any particular reason?" Sirius asked.

"It is for Draco," Narcissa said, with a deep sigh, "He's been behaving differently ever since Lucius was arrested. I've been writing to Durmstrang Institute to find out if Draco can attend there starting next year to the end of his education. It was actually his request. He felt he was going to be ridiculed at Hogwarts, due to his father's arrest, but I told him to stay another year and make sure he was right about that."

"You do know Igor Karkaroff was a Death Eater, right?" Sirius asked, "But he was set free because he gave enough information. He is actually one of the names on my targeted list to capture, but because he is in Bulgaria, it is a lot harder to arrest him at the moment."

"It doesn't matter who is the headmaster of the school by the time Draco arrives," Narcissa said, "He wants to go there."

"Does it have anything to do with the fact that it is a widely known Dark Arts school?" Sirius asked.

Narcissa lowered her head. "He's making his own choice, Sirius. He's just like his father. I am not going to watch him throw his life away, but I can't do anything about it. What are you here for, Sirius?"

"That blasted house-elf of yours attacked my godson again," Sirius said, "What he did could have killed Harry and a very good friend of his."

"Arthur Weasley's daughter?" Narcissa asked. "I read the Daily Prophet, you know. Rita Skeeter may lie and slander to get what she wants in her articles, but she was arrested soon after she wrote the article about those two children. Something tells me she knew a lot about what she wrote."

"Yes, it was his daughter," Sirius said, not daring to give a response to the rest of what she said, "They are both fine now."

"So what do you want me to do?" Narcissa asked.

Sirius sighed, and shook his head. That was a million galleon question right there. He wanted the house-elf punished for what he did, but in the end, he did help Harry, ironically enough.

"For some reason, my godson has a soft spot for your house-elf," Sirius said.

"You want me to give you the house-elf," Narcissa said; Sirius recognized that it was not a question.

Sirius shrugged. Narcissa harrumphed.

"Like I said the day Lucius was arrested," she said, "I never associated with the house-elf very often. It usually did whatever Draco wanted. However, I do find that over the past few days he has asked me if I needed anything."

"So he sees you as his Lady?" Sirius asked.

"Let's find out," Narcissa said, then looked up at the ceiling. "Dobby! Come here, now!"

Dobby appeared a moment later, and gave a startled cry when he saw Sirius.

"Yes, my Lady?" he asked.

"Did you leave this house and do something to Harry Potter today?" Narcissa asked.

Dobby cried out and looked around. He found one of the suitcases, and picked it up then smacked himself over the head with it.

Sirius looked at Narcissa, and she rolled her eyes.

"That usually means yes," Narcissa said, "Dobby, I command you to stop!"

Dobby froze and looked up at Narcissa.

"Dobby is sorry, ma'am," he said, "But Dobby had to do what he did, for Harry Potter's own good."

"So you like the boy, do you?" Narcissa asked.

"Dobby has heard great things, ma'am," Dobby said.

"Lucky for you, Dobby," Narcissa said, "Harry Potter is apparently just fine."

"He is back at Hogwarts as we speak," Sirius said.

Dobby whined. "No! He must not stay there!"

"Why, Dobby?" Narcissa asked.

Dobby clenched his teeth together. "Dobby... will... not... say!"

He smashed his head against the suitcase again. Narcissa sighed and shook her head.

"If you're not going to tell me," he said, "You can tell the boy. Dobby, I, Narcissa, the Lady of this house hereby give you to Sirius Black and Harry Potter."

Dobby's eyes widened and he looked up at Sirius.

"You're lucky my godson likes you," Sirius said, "You're coming with me. Cissy, good day. I am sure we will see each other again. Please do tell me when you return. I'm afraid this investigation against Cornelius Fudge is going to take longer than I expected, and I may still need your assistance. As you may know, I am Lord Black, and will be able to give you your request for name change soon."

"I will be back by mid-October," Narcissa said, "We shall speak then. Goodbye, Dobby."

Narcissa opened the front door and motioned for them to leave.

"Come, Dobby," Sirius said.

Dobby made a wide berth around Sirius then ran out of the house. Sirius followed him to the gates, and went through them.

"Take my hand, Dobby," Sirius said.

Dobby's hand shook and shuddered as he grabbed onto Sirius'. Sirius closed his eyes, and moments later, he was standing in front of the Hogwarts gate.

"Solitude," Sirius said, giving the password to the gate that Dumbledore had given him.

The gates opened and Sirius and Dobby walked through. Unfortunately, the carriage was no longer there.  
"We're going to have to do this the hard way," Sirius said, "Dobby, when I give the signal, climb onto my back."

Dobby whimpered and nodded.

"Would you quit moping?" Sirius asked, "Potter Manor is a far better home than your last one, and Harry is apparently forgiving you for your actions."

Dobby's eyes widened to the size of saucers. Sirius shook his head and transformed into Padfoot. He barked, and Dobby whimpered again, then climbed onto Sirius' back. The elf added barely any weight on him, and he was able to bound across the driveway toward Hogwarts very easily. Nearly ten minutes later, they arrived at the large double doors and Sirius kneeled down. Dobby jumped off of him, and he transformed back into his human self. He opened the doors and followed Dobby inside.

The trip to the Hospital Wing took another ten minutes or so. When they arrived, Sirius found Harry and Ginny cuddled up together on the same bed they had been on.

"I do hope Poppy isn't aware of the fraternizing going on here," Sirius said.

"She's down at the kitchen getting some lunch for us," Ginny said, though she didn't bother to move from where she was, "And she is used to it by now, given we were sharing the same bed for a week at the end of term. If she wanted us on separate beds, we would be."

Sirius nodded, then motioned for Dobby to move forward and Harry and Ginny looked on in surprise.

"Master!" Melina said, to Harry, "It's the bad house-elf!"

"Dobby?" Harry asked, then looked up at Sirius, "What is he doing here?"

"Narcissa handed over ownership to you and I," Sirius said, "But you are his Master."

"Master owns the bad-house-elf now?" Melina asked.

"He isn't bad," Harry said, "Just very misinformed."

"Dobby is not misinformed!" Dobby said, "Harry Potter must go home! There is a most terrible plot!"

"Dobby, I know about the Chamber of Secrets," Harry said, "and the monster within. The monster is dead. She has been since last Christmas. Everything you did to me and your new Lady was not necessary."

"The monster is... dead?" Dobby asked.

"And the terrible plot is long over," Harry said.

"Oh, Dobby has been so terrible!" Dobby cried, "Dobby apologizes to Harry Potter and his Lady."

"Please do not harm yourself, Dobby," Harry said, "If you wish to pay me back for your misdeeds, you can work it off at Potter Manor with Melina here."

"Master?" Melina asked, as she looked horrified.

"You don't have to spend every minute with him, Melina," Ginny said, "It is a very big house."

"Melina can handle that, Master and Lady," Melina said.

"I believe you know where Potter Manor is, Dobby," Harry said.

"Dobby is sorry for trespassing, Master," Dobby said.

"You do not have to worry about trespassing anymore," Harry said, "It is now your home. Melina, give him some work to do. You both may go."

"Harry Potter is very kind!" Dobby said, before he vanished with Melina.

"Way too kind," Sirius muttered, "You should have given him clothes."

"I like my socks," Harry said. "Plus he would take it the wrong way. I will see how he is acting when we return next June."

"'We'?" Sirius echoed.

"I'm going to work on convincing Mum that it is better if I just live with Harry," Ginny said, "So our bond doesn't act up again."

"Plus," Harry said, "before you returned, we were just discussing what we're going to do next summer. After we arrange Pettigrew's escape, I don't want to be around to hear what happens. He won't be important to me until the start of our third year. So... we're discussing spending most of the summer, including perhaps our birthdays, at our holiday home in France."

"We never been there before," Ginny said, "Have you?"

"Aye," Sirius said, as he reminisced, "Summer after our final year here... me, Amy, James, Lily and Remus... we all went and spent much of the summer there. Last hoorah before we had to grow up."

"I'm not sure it worked in your case," Ginny said, with a smirk.

"I never said it did!" Sirius said, grinning.

"You and Amelia are welcome to join us," Harry said.

"It depends on how busy we are by next summer," Sirius said. "We could be very busy while you're here. Speaking of Amelia... by the time you return home in June, I am going to try to convince Amelia to move in with us. Is that okay with you?"

"Brilliant," Harry said, and Ginny nodded.

"Maybe by then you'll get up the nerve to pop the question," Ginny said, "We know it is going to happen."

"We haven't even been back together a year!" Sirius said, trying his best not to blush.

"So?" Harry asked, "Is your relationship back to where it was before it ended last time?"

Sirius frowned and shrugged. "I'll think about it."

"Ah, Sirius, you're back!" Madam Pomfrey said, behind him.

Sirius turned around and saw that the nurse was walking in with three trays of food floating behind her. "Poppy, my dear! I do hope you will not be too hard on my godson and his mate this year... especially today. They've been through a lot and have been very used to – err – spending time in that position."

Harry and Ginny blushed. Madam Pomfrey rolled her eyes, and walked over to Harry and Ginny, then handed them each a tray of food.

"Term doesn't begin for a few hours," she said, "I'll allow it... I wouldn't want their bond to revert back to its old situation again anyway."

"You hear that," Sirius said, "That position is fine whenever you have the chance. Nurse's orders."

"Black, you never change," Madam Pomfrey said, as Harry and Ginny snickered.

"Change is not healthy for me," Sirius said, "I must be going. I rarely have a Monday off to myself, and I have to prepare for a four-day week, which will probably be hectic. Good day, Poppy. Harry, Ginny... write to me..."

"You write to us about your situation with Amy," Harry said, and Ginny nodded.

"Of course," Sirius said, "Please do not spend all term in here. It is not that interesting of a place... no offense, Poppy."

He winked and left the Hospital Wing.

* * *

**(Harry)  
**  
Harry and Ginny were free to leave after their light lunch. There was still nearly five hours before the Hogwarts Express would arrive, so Harry and Ginny spent the time relaxing before term would start. They couldn't get into the Gryffindor tower without the password, so they went to the Room of Requirement, and requested the old mind exercise room, which had the same relaxing atmosphere of the Gryffindor Common Room, especially with the couch in front of the fireplace. As they cuddled up together, they talked about the things they'd do during their free time.

They requested parchment, quills and ink, and started jotting down ideas for the Dueling Club, which they knew they would probably end up putting together. They wrote down names of members they wanted to specifically invite, plus teachers they'd want to talk to in order to convince that they could start the club. They also wrote down the list of spells they could start on, ranging from the simple Disarming Spell, to Stunning spells, to the Shield spell, and different hexes, jinxes and curses. They also decided that the Room of Requirement was not the best venue, since it was best kept a secret in case they needed to use it again.

"Harry?" Ginny said, "I've been thinking... what if we could get our hands on a Pensieve and show our friends stuff that happened in the old timeline? If everything goes right, they'll never see the big events that happened after Voldemort returned."

"It does sound like a good idea," Harry said, "But are you really sure they're ready for it?"

"Well... we'll have to tell Luna which could take some time for her to learn Occlumency," Ginny said, "But... yeah... if we want to prepare them for what is coming... why not?"

Harry nodded. "I'll think about it."

That evening, they made their way downstairs, and heard a familiar voice in the Entrance Hall. Ginny stopped Harry in his tracks so Professor McGonagall, wouldn't see them, but it hardly mattered since she was talking to the new first years.

"The Sorting Ceremony," she was saying, "will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

She paused for apparent dramatic effect.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."

Harry heard the doors to the Great Hall open and close.

"Come on," Ginny said, "I see Luna, we can wish her good luck."

Harry followed Ginny down the stone staircase and many of the new first years spotted the pair.

"Hey, Harry, Ginny!" Luna said, in her soft dreamy voice, "I'm glad you found each other... must have been scary wherever you were."

_She knows? _Ginny asked, as she nodded to Luna.

_Must have sensed it. She is an aura-reader, remember?_

"That's Harry Potter?" a voice said, and Harry recognized the small boy near Luna as Colin Creevey, "Oh, it is so good to meet you! I should have brought my camera, but it is in my trunk. I'll have to tell m"y Dad I met you. He's a Muggle, a milkman! He couldn't believe when it when we found out I'm a wizard!"

A few of the other first years snickered. Apparently they were already used to his rapid, excited speech.

"This is Colin Creevey," Luna said, "We shared a boat together. Colin, this is Harry, as you know, and Ginny, both very good friends of mine."

"I saw a Giant Squid, I think!" Colin said.

"Yeah, great," Harry said, "Nice to meet you. We better get inside, Ginny."

Ginny nodded and she followed Harry into the Great Hall, and shut the doors behind them.

_Nice to see Colin again, _Ginny said,_I missed him._

_Yeah. His fate will change this time Ginny... he'll have a life to live._

_Looks like he's going to be your biggest fan again._

_I thought that was you._

_I'd kiss you for that, but students seem to already be looking at us._

Harry noticed, as he and Ginny walked across the Hall toward the end of the Gryffindor table, that many students were indeed looking at them. He thought he heard them murmuring and whispering to each other as they passed. He ignored them and saw Hermione, Ron and Neville looking at them happily and eagerly, and they sat across the table from them.

"You're okay!" Hermione whispered, "Thank Merlin!"

"Are you _completely _healed?" Ron asked.

"Back to normal anyway," Ginny said, with a wink, "Still doesn't mean anything. We'll still be –" she put two fingers together, "- like this wherever we go."

"Are you sure?" Ron asked, "You do hear these whispers, right? That is what a lot of students are talking about."

"You mean the rumors Rita Skeeter wrote about before she got arrested?" Harry asked; he looked at his fellow classmates, and Lavender, Parvati, Seamus and Dean all looked away from him and Ginny immediately.

"It was still a pretty convincing article," Neville said, "at least that is what many students are saying."

"And now everyone knows Rita is a beetle Animagus," Hermione said, "So they believe she could have gotten that information without you two knowing, and that apparently supports the fact that it is true."

Ron and Neville nodded. Harry looked at Ginny and she shrugged. But before he could say anything to her telepathically, the doors to the Great Hall opened and Professor McGonagall led the first years down the aisle toward the Sorting Hat. Hermione, Ron and Neville all waved to Luna as she passed them. She smiled and waved back. Beside her, Colin Creevey was waving too, but mostly to Harry.

"Er... who's that?" Ron asked, as he eyed Colin.

"Harry's newest fan," Ginny snickered, "He'll probably start a one-boy fan-club."

_You're one to talk! _Harry said, as his friends chortled, Y_ou were right there in that fan-club with him in the last timeline!_

_Mmhmm, but between me and him, I'm the one who won your heart._

Harry blinked and looked at Colin, then looked back at Ginny. She nodded and he resisted the urge to bang his head on the table.

"Oi," Ron whispered, "If you're done, the Sorting Hat is about to sing."

Harry and Ginny looked toward the Sorting Hat. Indeed, it was moving around, and soon its brim opened up into a mouth, and began to sing:

A_ very very long time ago  
When I was newly mended  
Four wizards stood around me so  
And had a discussion quite long-winded_  
_  
Who hatched that plan, the story says?  
Well, Slytherin and Gryffindor!  
Who added ideas and their clever ways?  
Well, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw!_

_Two gentle lads and two ladies too_  
_Stood now where you stand_  
_And wanted to teach those young minds who  
__Came to this noble land_

_Now as you stand there waiting  
As nervous as can be  
I urge you to think of the thousands  
Who stood there respectively._

_They waited for me to sort them_  
_Telling them where they stand_  
_And now I do the same to you_  
_To give a helping hand_

_A step into the future  
As you sit down on this stool  
I ready you for the trials and such  
You'll face in this grand school_

_But where shall I put you?  
That is the grand old question  
Will you let me do all the work  
Or give me your suggestion?_

_In Gryffindor, will you roam  
A brave and friendly bunch?  
Or Ravenclaw, where you choose to study  
Instead of having lunch?_

_Or will it be Hufflepuff_  
_A proud and delighted few?_  
_Or lastly Slytherin, if you_  
_Are sly and cunning too?_

_So sit myself upon your head_  
_and we'll each share a great deal_  
_For I am the Sorting Hat_  
_And knowledge is my favorite meal!_

The Great Hall erupted in cheers and applause, and slowly died down as Professor McGonagall put her hands up. She gave her speech to the first years, then started calling names up to the hat, where they were sorted. When Colin Creevey's name was called, he hurried excitedly up to the hat, and almost tripped. His eyes widened when the hat was placed on his head and he smiled and nodded vigorously.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the Sorting Hat announced.

The Gryffindor table applauded as Colin jumped down off the stool. He ran off with the hat, then realized what everyone was laughing at, and brought the hat back to McGonagall, who was looking around at the rest of the students with narrowed eyes, before she called the next name.

_It is funny to think that I should be standing there with Luna, _Ginny said.

_I like it where you are better, _Harry said, as he lightly gripped Ginny's hand under the table.

_Mmm... me too. It is just strange to think about._

_Strange? Want to know strange? This time, last timeline, Ron and I had just crashed your Dad's car into the Whomping Willow, and we completely missed the feast._

"Psst!" Hermione hissed, "I'm not the only one who notices things, you know?"

Harry and Ginny looked at Hermione and her eyes motioned to her left, where Dean, Seamus, Parvati and Lavender once again looked as if they had just found the Sorting a lot more interesting.

_Great, _Ginny said,_I am going to have the gossip girls torturing me tonight._

_You could always tell them you're going to bed early..._

_Or I could teleport to your bed..._

Harry didn't know how to respond to that... because the thought was actually extremely inviting, although also dangerous. He only smiled at Ginny, who raised her eyebrows. Hermione cleared her throat.

"Lovegood, Luna?" McGonagall called out.

Harry and his friends looked up eagerly, as Luna skipped along the aisle toward the hat. Students around the hall snickered, and her friends looked on at them with narrowed eyes, as did Professor McGonagall. Harry watched as the hat was placed on Luna's head, and she looked up at it. She nodded and shrugged, and looked at the different tables, then looked at her friends eagerly, then shrugged again.

_Strange, _Ginny said, _I don't remember it taking this long for her to be sorted._

_The hat is probably just making sure it is right about sorting her into –_

"GRYFFINDOR!" the Sorting Hat announced.

Harry looked at Ginny who looked gobsmacked, while the rest of the Gryffindors applauded; their friends were the loudest. Luna smiled and offered the hat to McGonagall, before she skipped over to the Gryffindor table and sat between Ginny and Colin. Luna whispered something to Ginny, and she raised her eyebrows and looked at Harry.

_What did she say?_Harry asked.

_She said... she said that the Sorting Hat was about to put her in Ravenclaw, when it told her that she was the guardian of a great secret and that she should help guard that in Gryffindor._

_You... you think she means the Soul-Bond?_

_Very likely. The Hat knows about our Bond, of course. She also said she told the hat she had great friends in Gryffindor and would be very happy to be here. The Hat seemed to like that whole combination._

_Another divergence from the original timeline._

_And yet another one because of our Soul-Bond._

Harry thought about this new development as he watched the rest of the students get sorted into their new houses. Sure, it was great to have Luna be a part of Gryffindor, because if she was in Ravenclaw, she wouldn't get to spend so much time with her friends, and that was a very good thing when it came to Luna... in the old timeline, she was very often ridiculed in Ravenclaw, where she didn't have many friends and her belongings were always hidden to the point she had to find them by the end of the year.

But what did this divergence mean? The Hat saw her as a guardian of their secret... she was an aura-reader as well... was there something more the Hat was trying to tell them? Did it ask Luna to tell her friends what it said to her?

Ginny squeezed Harry's hand under the table, and he felt calming effects go to his mind. He smiled and looked back toward the end of the hall, where the Sorting was over, the hat was being taken out of the Hall by the caretaker, Mr. Filch, and Professor Dumbledore was rising to his feet.

"Excellent!" he said, "Welcome students to what I hope will be another exciting year here at Hogwarts! I will save most of my announcements for after we all gorge ourselves on the delicacies about to be served to us, but I have one thing to say beforehand."

Gilderoy Lockhart, who was sitting beside Snape, seemed to think Dumbledore was already announcing his presence, and was getting ready to stand, when Dumbledore lifted up his goblet.

"Earlier today," he said, "I got wind of some very distressing news. How many of you here know who Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel is? Show of hands?"

Most of the Hall including Harry, Ginny and their friends raised their hands.

"To those who do not know," Dumbledore said, "They were the oldest living wizard and witch in our world, well over six-hundred years of age. Today, I learned that the Flamels have passed on into the next great adventure we call life beyond death."

Harry sensed Ginny's emotions running high, while most of the students in the Hall either looked shocked, saddened or were murmuring to each other.

"I call for a toast now," Dumbledore said, raising his goblet higher, "A round of butterbeer, Nicolas Flamel's favorite drink, in his and his loving wife's name. To the Flamels!"

Everyone else in the hall raised their goblets which filled with butterbeer and echoed the headmaster, then drank.

"I am sure the Flamels, wherever they are," Dumbledore said, "thank you for this show of gratitude. With that... let the feast begin!"

Plates, bowls, trays, pots and jugs of food and beverage appeared on the five tables.

"Did you two know about the Flamels already?" Hermione asked Harry and Ginny, as the three started filling their plates.

"Yeah," Harry said, "Dumbledore's phoenix was given a gift by Nicolas to sing a mournful song when they passed away. He sang it while he was near us. At first we thought it had to do with us."

"Saddest tune I've ever heard," Ginny said.

"So," Ron said, "That means that with the Flamels gone, then -"

His eyes looked back and forth between Harry and Ginny. Harry knew that Ron was trying to get his message through about him and Ginny being the last Bonded pair without saying it.

"Yeah," Harry said, nodding, "That is what it means."

"Wow," Ron said.

When the plates and goblets were empty, and everyone was well-fed, Dumbledore stood up and the Hall went silent.

"I do hope that you have eaten your fill," he said, "but are not too befuddled or tired to let me run my mouth. First, I am proud to introduce our newest staff member this year. He is the famed author of many books, like myself, has his own face on a Chocolate Frog Card, and a member of the Defense League... how about we give a hearty round of applause to your new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Gilderoy Lockhart!"

Lockhart stood up immediately, flashing a wicked grin and winking toward the students direction. Most of the students cheered and applauded, including Neville, Luna and Hermione (while the first two were polite, Hermione's was rather enthusiastic) and many girls, including Parvati and Lavender swooned, Harry, Ginny and Ron only tried their hardest to go unnoticed that they were not amongst their fellow students. Harry wasn't shocked to see that Draco Malfoy was not clapping either. Apparently he did not like that Lockhart had singled him out in the news article about his father.

"Snape doesn't look happy about Lockhart's hiring," Ron muttered.

"Course not," Harry said, "Everyone knows he wants that post."

"Or he can smell a fraud when he sees one," Ron said.

Beside him, Hermione rolled her eyes.

Dumbledore gave the rest of the yearly announcements, though he also announced that the third floor corridor was once again open for exploration.

"And finally," Dumbledore said, "Some of you may have seen me on board the Hogwarts Express today momentarily."

"He was on board?" Harry asked, "We didn't hear that..."

"Why do you think he was there?" Hermione asked, staring pointedly.

Harry knew it was meant to be disguised as a question, but was rhetoric.

"As a tradition, I usually go on board every year to delight my childhood fantasy of riding the wonderful train," Dumbledore said, "and usually I am never seen. I do love the refreshments usually seen on the Snack cart on the train, and some are usually far more delicious then those we can get in Hogsmeade. This year, I made a mistake and now my secret is out. Oops."

He grinned while most of the hall rang out in laughter.

"Always leave them laughing, I always say," Dumbledore said, "So with that, I say pip pip and tuck in! Good evening everyone!"

As Percy rounded up Luna and the rest of the Gryffindor first years, Harry and his friends said he would see her soon, and they made their out of the Great Hall. Harry and Ginny led them through one of the known short cuts to the seventh floor, so they would have privacy to talk without eavesdroppers.

"So what happened?" Hermione asked, after they pushed their way through a tapestry on the first floor, that led to a long stairwell going up, "You two are back to normal?"

"Back to the way we were before, yeah," Harry said, "It is hard to explain. We were lost in her minds, in like pitch-black darkness, and we found each other."

"Like a dream?" Neville asked.

"It seemed real," Ginny said, "Strange, though. We could hardly walk, and the air felt thick, but we found each other, and were having actual conversation through telepathy."

"So Luna was right!" Ron said, "You two were lost and had to find each other, even though in body you were close to each other."

"We were?" Harry asked.

"Sirius and your house-elf brought you back on the train," Hermione said, "and Sirius charmed the seat in our carriage to grow larger, and he laid you down with Ginny, and... well, you kind of cuddled up unconsciously. Like held onto each other... unconsciously..."

"It was odd," Ron said, "You were still asleep or unconscious or whatever, and you still moved toward each other."

"After you disappeared, we sent Ron's owl to Dumbledore with a message Hermione wrote," Neville said, "Dumbledore came on board with that bird of his -"

"The phoenix," Hermione said.

"- yeah, and it sang a song and your house-elf, Sirius and you two were transported here," Neville finished.

"Which reminds me!" Ron said, "Dumbledore gave me, Hermione and Percy ten points each for Gryffindor. We're thirty points up already."

"Percy?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, I went to find him after you fainted," Ron said, "and he was pretty worried about you and Harry. Maybe he was just being a Prefect... but he wanted to help."

Soon, they arrived at the top of the stairwell, and pushed through another tapestry, and were on the seventh floor. It was currently empty, so they had a clear way toward the Gryffindor tower.

"So... Luna is a Gryffindor," Neville said, "I thought she'd go to Ravenclaw."

"She did... in the last timeline," Harry said, and Ginny nodded.

"What?" Hermione asked, "So... it is different this time? Why?"

"The Sorting Hat told her she was a guardian of a great secret," Ginny said, "and that she had good friends already in Gryffindor who knew it with her."

"A great secret?" Ron asked.

"Our soul-bond, I think," Harry said.

"But... we're not the only ones who know that secret," Hermione said, "A few people do..."

"I don't know what else it could be," Harry said, "She doesn't know our other secret yet... does she?"

"We didn't tell her," Neville said, and Ron and Hermione shook their heads.

"Hmm," Harry said, "You know... I really don't like when the Sorting Hat messes with me. It seems to like to do that. Wattlebird."

The Fat Lady's portrait opened, and the five friends walked into the empty Gryffindor Common Room.

"How did you...?" Ron asked, as he raised his eyebrows, then shook his head, "Nevermind, obvious answer, right?"

Harry snickered and nodded.

* * *

**(Ginny)**

After they said goodbye to the three boys, Ginny and Hermione made their way up the girl's staircase.

"I miss Harry already," Ginny said, "Does that sound weird?"

"You spent every night with him for months, Ginny," Hermione said, "It will take some time to get used to."

"I asked him if he wanted me to teleport over to his bed later tonight," Ginny said, "But he didn't answer."

"You could get in trouble, Ginny!" Hermione sighed, "What if Dean and Seamus found out?"

"I could use a Disillusionment Charm when I leave tomorrow," Ginny said, "Or his cloak... I just... like you said, it could take some time to get used to. I'll... well, I'll ask Harry again and if he declines, I'll stay in my bed."

Their new dorm was one room below their original one, but it was almost exactly the same. There was just one big difference.

"Er... why is there a fifth bed?" Ginny asked, "We have two other room mates."

"There's a trunk by the bed," Hermione said, as she walked over to it, "Hmm... let's see... oh! It is Luna!"

"She's rooming with us?" Ginny asked, grinning, as Ginny took the bed next to Luna's, and Hermione took the middle one, "Hmm... I wonder if the school did that. We're her friends, and last timeline, she didn't make many friends at first. Maybe it didn't feel like she should room up with her fellow first year girls."

"Could be," Hermione said.

Ginny pulled out her sleeping gown she had brought and changed into it. Loud chatter of girls was heard, and Lavender and Parvati made their way into the room.

"Ooh, we have a new roommate!" Parvati said, "How interesting!"

"That isn't the only thing interesting this year," Lavender said, then looked at Ginny. "So... Ginny, do we sense something happening between you and Harry?"

Ginny looked at Hermione and she had a 'I told you so' look on her face, before she pulled on her pyjama top.

"Why do you say that?" Ginny asked.

"You looked awfully close with him at the Feast," Parvati said, and Lavender nodded.

"We're good friends," Ginny said.

"More than that it seems," Lavender said, "Come on, we've all seen Skeeter's article. It said you were staying at Harry's house this summer."

"I spent some nights at my house," Ginny said; that was true, she figured... she did spend that one night there.

"So you were staying at Harry's house?" Lavender asked.

"Nothing wrong with that," Hermione said, "I was over at Harry's house, and so was Neville and Ginny's brother, and our new roommate, who is our friend."

"It is true," Luna said, as she walked in, "Hello girls!"

"Lavender, Parvati," Ginny said, "Luna Lovegood, our friend and new first year, who is staying in our dorm it seems."

"Is that a problem?" Luna asked.

"No, of course not!" Lavender said, "Very nice to meet you. So... you were at Harry's house too?"

"A few times," Luna said.

"It is big," Hermione said, "and it has six bedrooms, so... you know, if Ginny _did _sleep there, there were plenty to choose from."

Ginny smiled lightly. "And they are all very cozy... and with that... I'm headed to bed. Night, girls."

Hermione looked at Ginny, and motioned her eyes toward the door. Ginny shrugged and smiled and laid down in her bed, then put the curtains around it. She put privacy charms up so nobody could open the curtains beside her, then she laid on her head on the pillow.

_Harry? _She attempted.

_Ginny, thank Merlin. Happy to hear your voice._

_Something wrong?_

_Dean and Seamus interrogated me about you and Rita Skeeter's article. I finally just climbed into bed and closed the curtains so I didn't get any more questions. Had to put up privacy charms so I didn't have to hear anything._

_Me too. The gossip girls are maddening. We're definitely going to hear more about this, Harry._

_I know. Ginny... er... you know what you suggested earlier?_

Ginny grinned and crossed her fingers. _Yeah?_

_Yes, you may. I miss you. But we need to be quiet. And it is only for tonight..._

_Sure, sure. I thought you'd never ask. One second._

She closed her eyes and when she opened them again she was laying next to Harry on the bed.

_Hi, handsome, _she said when she saw him.

_Hi..._ y_ou brought your dressing gown?_

_Yeah... it smells like you. Mm..._

She cuddled up to him and looked up at him. She kissed him softly and he grinned against her lips and returned the kiss.

_Don't worry about the boys seeing me_, she said, _I can wake up early and borrow your cloak or something._

Harry nodded and Ginny pecked him on the lips again, then snuggled up against him, burying her head into his chest.

_Thanks, Harry. I needed this._

_So did I. Love you._

_Love you too. Good night._

She smiled and closed her eyes as she fell into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

**Long chapter! Hmm... so is the Soul-Bond actually wanting them to still sleep in the same bed together? Will they be able to resist that now that they've done the routine for weeks? Hope you like my reasons for Luna as a Gryffindor. Is the secret she's guarding the Soul-Bond, or does she possibly know about their time-travel already... or is there something else?**

**So the second year has officially began. I hope you liked my Sorting Hat song... I borrowed some verses from another story of mine... and added onto it. So if it looks familiar, that is why. Also, don't be too hard on Sirius' actions against Dobby... remember he just witnessed his godson and godson's mate in possible peril.**

**Next chapter: First week of classes, including fun with Gilderoy Lockhart!**


	66. Gossip and Gilderoy

**Chapter 66  
Gossip and Gilderoy**

**Author's Note: Heads up about something. September 1****st****of the second year is a Monday, so when this chapter begins it is Tuesday, and the first day of classes. Oh, and this is just the first day of classes instead of the first week. Turned out longer than I thought!**

**Also, Anonymous Reviews enabled! Hope to hear from those who don't have FFN profiles!**

**Q&A Time:**

**Q: Um,****why is Hermione so adamant that Lockhart ain't a fraud, I mean didn't Harry and Ginny already explain he was?**

**A: Ah, the difficulties of a harmless infatuation! She wants to see how he is as a Professor and make her own hypothesis. It is just how she is... she's just being difficult, because she believes that he is not like that in this timeline, even though Harry and Ginny said he is. She'll come round sometime!**

**Disclaimer: Recognizable sections of this chapter come directly from Chapter 6 of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" by J.K. Rowling. I do not take claim for these, only my own additions.**

Edit: FFN mistake, had to re-upload.

* * *

**(Ginny)**

Early the next morning, while it was still dark, Ginny and Harry woke up to the pillow vibrating soundlessly: this was basically their alarm so Ginny could be the first in the room to wake up. Ginny nuzzled her head against Harry's chest and yawned, as Harry opened the curtains slightly and looked out. He reached an arm out, and pulled in the Invisibility Cloak, and his pocket-watch.

_Five-thirty, _Harry said, _and everyone else is asleep._

_Excellent._

She grabbed the cloak then moved up toward him and kissed him softly. Before he could return the kiss, however, she sat up and put the cloak on.

_If you want to continue that, meet me in the Common Room in an hour._

_Cheeky girl._

_You know it._

She opened the curtain carefully, and stood up. Keeping an eye on the other beds, she made her way across the room, then hurried out and down the stairs. Thankfully the Common Room was clear, and everyone in her dorm was asleep, so she was able to climb back into bed.

_I'm back, Harry, _she said, _It was extremely easy to do. Might have to do that again._

_We'll see._

_Oh come on... I know you slept as well as I did._

_I slept very well, thank you. I had a dream of what happened right after our wedding reception._

_Guess we didn't share that one._

_Do you remember what happened?_

_Definitely. You and me in my bedroom at the Burrow. It was the first night Mum allowed you to sleep in my room._

_She didn't know about the other nights before that, though._

_I am very thankful for that. I'm going to try to get a bit more sleep. See you soon, Harry._

Ginny lessened the link in her mind, though she did not close it, because she still wanted to feel his emotions to help her calm down. She was still jumpy. She still missed him, even though she had spent the night! What was the matter with her? Was it their Soul-Bond? Was it still trying to adjust now that things were back to normal?

She was very restless, and she couldn't sleep another wink. So at a quarter-past-six, when the first rays of daylight started, she opened her curtains and began getting dressed into her school robes. As she did, the curtains around Hermione's bed opened and she smiled sleepily when she saw Ginny.

"So you did sleep here?" she whispered.

Ginny shook her head and took out Harry's invisibility cloak from under her pillow.. Hermione's eyes widened.

"You slept in his bed?" she said, just above a whisper.

"Shh!" Ginny said, as she looked past Hermione's bed to make sure Lavender's and Parvati's curtains were not moving; She picked up her wand and cast a silent Muffliato Charm toward their direction, then looked back at Hermione, "Yes, I did... and I do not regret it. Actually I want to make it a common thing. Or... maybe the Bond does. I can't explain it."

"Talk to Professor Dumbledore or Madam Pomfrey about it," Hermione said.

"You must be joking!" Ginny hissed, "That could just get us in trouble."

Hermione frowned, and Ginny scoffed and shook her head.

"I'm... going downstairs to wait for Harry," she said, "We'll see you at breakfast."

Hermione nodded and crawled over to her trunk and opened it. Ginny started putting things in her knapsack before she remembered she didn't know what classes she would have today: they would get their timetables at breakfast. She closed her trunk, tied her holster to her arm and stood up, then pocketed the cloak. She lifted the Muffliato Charm and put her wand in the holster, then hurried off down to the Common Room. Harry was the only one there, and he was sitting on one of the couches near the fireplace and he smiled when he saw Ginny.

"Couldn't sleep either?" Harry asked.

"No," Ginny said.

She walked over to him, handed him the cloak, then kissed him again. He chuckled and returned the kiss.

"I always keep my promise," Ginny said, "Want to go to breakfast early?"

"Without our friends?" Harry asked, as he pocketed the cloak.

"Or people looking at us and gossiping," Ginny said, "The less people there, the easier they will be to see and avoid."

"Ah, yes... sure," Harry said.

Ginny smiled and they walked out of the Common Room... and almost bumped into Albus Dumbledore.

"Good morning, children," Dumbledore said, "I was just having a chat with your tower's dear guardian here. I assume you are going down to the Great Hall for breakfast?"

"Yes, Headmaster," Ginny said.

"So am I," Dumbledore said, "Why don't we trek together?"

_What is he doing here? _Ginny asked, as they started off down the seventh floor corridors, _His office on the second floor!_

_I... don't know. Can't be anything good._

"I trust the two of you slept well?" Dumbledore asked.

_Damn! _Ginny said, _He knows!_

"You... know, sir?" Harry asked.

"I know almost everything that goes on in my school, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said, "This happens to be one of those things."

"We're sorry, sir," Harry said.

"I just... I was so used to it all summer," Ginny said, "And -"

She stopped when Dumbledore raised up a hand.

"I understand," he said, "I imagine it will take some time to get used to. It might not even be your decision, is that right?"

"What do you mean, sir?" Harry asked.

"If I remember correctly, and my memory is still one of my strong points at my very old age," Dumbledore said, "at the end of last term, you learned something about your Bond that will take place in a few years. One of the things that was said was that you would be forced to teleport to each other. Perhaps this is an – ah – innocent form of that."

"But I teleported by myself," Ginny said, then frowned, "At least... I think I did. It was my choice... I mean, I closed my eyes and opened them and I was with Harry, like I wanted to be."

"True," Dumbledore said, "But was it your desire... your choice alone? Or was it the Bond's? This morning when you returned to your own bed, how did you feel?"

"I... couldn't go back to sleep," Ginny said.

"Because you were not near Harry," Dumbledore said, nodding, "Yes. As long as you do exactly what you did last night and this morning, I give you permission, unofficially, to continue as you did. If one of your dorm-mates, or any other student, who is not aware of these events discovers this, I will have to intervene and you will have to adjust to the regular routine. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," Harry and Ginny said, as they smiled at each other.

"Good," Dumbledore said, "Hopefully, soon, your Bond will calm down and let you have a sense of normalcy during the evenings."

"Speaking of other students, sir," Harry said, "I was wondering -"

Dumbledore raised his hand to stop Harry again. "I am aware of the rumors owing to Miss Skeeter's article over the summer. Unfortunately I cannot quell the gossip mill that churns its wheels around the castle. It is the students' choice to continue churning, and choice is one of our best freedoms. My advice is to just ignore it and remember that even though the article happened to be mostly correct, there are very few people who know that as the truth and not as gossip. Those who gossip about it just want you to admit that they are correct. If you wish to quell it, avoid it."

"Yes, sir," Harry and Ginny said again.

The journey down the Grand Staircase was a quick one because the stairs were not moving, thanks to the presence of the headmaster.

"I hope the two of you will have an excellent first week of classes," Dumbledore said, as Harry and Ginny sat down at the Gryffindor Table, "Please remember if you need anything, my ears are always open. As long as you keep listing candy types, sooner or later, you will always get into my office."

Harry and Ginny chuckled, and Albus smiled.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, "While I am here -" he stuck out his hand and smiled as two pieces of parchment landed in it. He handed both of them one piece of the parchment – "your timetables. By the way, I heard Professor Lockhart chatting excitedly last night about the plans for his first day of classes today. He will be giving a pop quiz already, the same test for every class apparently, so I don't think you have to worry about bringing in one of his many books today. That should save you space in your knapsack."

"Thank you, sir," Harry said, and Ginny nodded.

"You are welcome," Dumbledore said, "Now... I see a plate of sweet buns at the Head Table I am most eager to sample. Good day."

He bowed lightly and walked toward the Head Table. Ginny looked at the timetable, which read:

Monday/Wednesday:  
A.M.

8:00 - 9:40 – Transfiguration – Professor McGonagall (Gryffindor/Slytherin)  
10:00 - 11:40 – Charms – Professor Flitwick (Gryffindor/Ravenclaw)

P.M.

Noon - 1:30 – Lunch/Free Period  
11:00 – 12:30 AM – Astronomy – Professor Sinistra (Gryffindor/Hufflepuff)

Tuesday/Thursday:  
A.M.

8:00 – 9:40 – Herbology – Professor Sprout (Gryffindor/Hufflepuff)  
10:00 – 11:40 – Professor Snape (Gryffindor/Ravenclaw)

P.M.

Noon – 1:30 – Lunch/Free Period  
1:30 – 3:00 – Potions – Defense Against the Dark Arts – Professor Lockhart (Gryffindor/Slytherin)

Friday:  
A.M.

8:00 – 10:30 –History of Magic – Professor Binns (Gryffindor/Hufflepuff)  
11:00 – Noon – Lunch

P.M.

Noon – 2:00 – Transfiguration – Professor McGonagall (Gryffindor/Slytherin)  
2:30 - 4:00 – Potions – Professor Snape (Gryffindor/Ravenclaw)

"Snape and Lockhart all in the same day," Harry muttered, "At least only one is with the Slytherins – and it it isn't Potions, for once."

"Yeah, but they're with us with Lockhart," Ginny said, "Another reason to not look forward to the class."

"I don't know," Harry said, "Could be interesting to see how he treats Malfoy."

Ginny noticed Harry was looking across the hall. She looked as well and saw Draco sitting down at the Slytherin table alone. Draco saw them looking and he narrowed his eyes at him then put a large jar in front of him, away from their view.

"He isn't with his cronies?" Ginny asked, as she lowered her voice. "I wonder why..."

"I wonder," Harry said, "Maybe he is avoiding everyone, or everyone is avoiding him because of his father's arrest."

"Like they're shunning him or something?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah," Harry said, "And I bet he won't be the only one. Wait until Sirius and Amelia have enough to arrest Theo's father... he'll be there right along with Draco."

"Harry," Ginny said, as she saw two stand-out arrivals amongst the students coming into the Great Hall: Theo Nott and Pansy Parkinson, "What about Pansy? Are you sure her memory charms are still working? She's spending time with Nott again."

"It was a good memory charm, Ginny," Harry said. "Draco's avoiding everyone, so Pansy isn't close with him, so she's chose Nott, who must have become good friends with her before we modified her memory."

"Right," Ginny said, "yeah, I guess I am just paranoid."

Ginny felt Harry's hand squeeze hers under the table, and she smiled at him.

Hermione, Ron, Neville and Luna made their way to the table, as Ginny and Harry were half-way done with their breakfast.

"There you are!" Ron said, "We were looking for you."

"Couldn't sleep," Ginny said, as she eyed Hermione, who was frowning.

Professor McGonagall walked over to them and gave the four students their timetables.

Ron looked at his and groaned. "Snape before lunch, and Lockhart after. That is not healthy for a bloke's appetite."

"Give him a chance," Hermione said.

"I gave Snape loads of chances last year, thank you," Ron said.

"I didn't mean – ugh," Hermione groaned, and looked at Harry and Ginny, "I'm sorry, you two. I know what you said is probably true, but... Dumbledore wouldn't have hired Lockhart if he thought something was wrong with the guy, right?

"I doubt it," Ron said, "After what happened to Quirrel, there must not have been many options."

"I have Lockhart right before lunch," Luna said, "I'll ask a few questions and give you my evaluation afterwards, okay? That should prepare you."

"Ugh," Hermione said, "Here comes Parvati and Lavender... they were very sad to find you were already gone from the dorm when they woke up. I think they have more questions."

"I'm not hungry anymore," Ginny said, standing up, "Coming, Harry?"

Ginny noticed that Harry frowned as he looked at his pile of bacon, but she just pulled him up by the robes.

"That doesn't help the gossip, Ginny," Ron said, snickering.

"Damn," Ginny muttered, when she noticed Lavender and Parvati looking gleeful as they sat down, "I wasn't thinking –!"

"I'll distract them," Luna said, "Go –" then said loudly, "- oh, look, a Blibbering Humdinger!"

"Thanks Luna," Harry said, amid snickers around the hall, as Ginny pulled him away.

Ginny led him into the same short-cut they had taken last night and they started up the stairs.

"I blame you," Harry said, "I could have finished my bacon, and we still received curious stares from people!"

"Sorry!" Ginny hissed. "I said I wasn't thinking about it."

"I wasn't the only one who heard Dumbledore tell us to avoid this stuff, right?" Harry asked.

"Prat!" Ginny said, and smacked Harry on the back.

"Ow... just making sure," Harry said, grinning.

* * *

**(Harry)**

The greenhouses were a short ways away from Harry and Ginny's spot under the oak tree, so they had spent the last half-hour between getting their knapsacks filled with the things needed for classes that day, and Herbology at the tree, relaxing and enjoying each other's presence.

When they saw the group of their fellow second years heading over to the greenhouses, they made their way over as well. The Herbology witch, Professor Sprout was standing there near Gilderoy Lockhart who was grinning at the class.

"Oh, hello there!" he called, beaming around at the assembled students, "I've just been helping Professor Sprout with her prized Venemous Tentacula. Seen many of those in my days in the Amazon! Better watch yourselves in there... they can get very touchy-feely!"

He grinned, showing perfected white teeth, and chuckled, while Lavender and Parvati swooned.

"Greenhouse three today, chaps!" said Professor Sprout, who was looking distinctly disgruntled, not at all her usual cheerful self.

There was a murmur of interest — greenhouse three housed interesting and dangerous plants. Professor Sprout took a large key from her belt and unlocked the door. Harry caught a whiff of damp earth and fertilizer mingling with the heavy perfume of some giant, umbrella-sized flowers dangling from the ceiling. Harry and Ginny were about to follow Ron, Hermione and Neville inside when Lockhart's hand shot out.

"Harry! And... er.. Ginny, that's your name right? G or J?"

"G," Ginny muttered.

_I was hoping we could avoid this, _Harry said.

"Wonderful," Lockhart said, grinning, "I've been wanting a word — you don't mind if they are a couple of minutes late, do you, Professor Sprout?"

Judging by Professor Sprout's scowl, she did mind, but Lockhart said, "That's the ticket," and closed the greenhouse door in her face.

Lockhart looked at the two of them and shook his head.

"Eleven and twelve years old," he said, "and already the two of you are in the running for Witch Weekly's cutest new couple."

"Er... are we?" Harry asked.

"Harry, Harry, Harry," Lockhart said, "When I saw that article – well, I could have kicked myself. You two saw a great celebrity and thought you could latch on. I've heard the gossip around the Great Hall already this morning. Do not avoid it, you two. Embrace it. The more it is discussed, the better you two will be. Trust me! If you want, I can bring up a reporter from Witch Weekly, and we can have an interview together! Extra credit for the two of you, of course... perhaps you could even get away with avoiding an exam or two of mine if you assist me in such an interview! Immediate Outstanding grades with no work, of course!"

"I... er... we really have to go inside for class, Professor," Harry said.

"We'll talk more!" Lockhart said, "I believe the two of you are in my class after lunch, yes? Brilliant!"

He flashed another bright smile, and Harry and Ginny hurried inside the greenhouse. They walked over to their friends, and took places besides Ron and Hermione.

"Sorry about that delay," Sprout said, "Now... today we will be re-potting Mandrakes. Who can tell me the properties of a Mandrake?"

Hermione's hand was first in the air, but Harry, Ginny and others soon followed.

"Yes, Miss Granger!" Professor Sprout said.

"Mandrake, or Mandragora, is a powerful restorative," said Hermione, sounding as usual as though she had swallowed the textbook. "It is used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed to their original state."

"Excellent. Ten points to Gryffindor," said Professor Sprout.

"The Mandrake forms an essential part of most antidotes. It is also, however, dangerous. Who can tell me why?"

Hermione's hand shot up again. "The cry of the Mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it."

"Precisely. Take another ten points," said Professor Sprout. "Now, the Mandrakes we have here are still very young however, each of you have a pair of earmuffs in front of you. Put them on when I say, and when it is safe to remove them, I will give you the thumbs-up. Right — earmuffs _on._"

Harry snapped the earmuffs over his ears. They shut out sound completely. Professor Sprout put the pink, fluffy pair over her own ears, rolled up the sleeves of her robes, grasped one of the tufty plants firmly, and pulled hard.

_Can you still hear me? _Ginny asked.

Harry nodded. _Strange how we're doing Mandrakes even though there is no threat of anyone getting petrified this time._

_It is just a lesson, Harry._

_Right... good point._

Professor Sprout reached into the tray, and pulled out the muddy plant that resembled a baby with a large root sticking out of its head. It started to bawl at the top of its lungs. Sprout pulled a pot in front of her and plunged the Mandrake into it, burying him in dark, damp compost until only the tufted leaves were visible. Professor Sprout dusted off her hands, gave them all the thumbs-up, and removed her own earmuffs.

"As our Mandrakes are only seedlings, their cries won't kill yet," she said calmly as though she'd just done nothing more exciting than water a begonia. "However, they _will _knock you out for several hours, and as I'm sure none of you want to miss your first day back, make sure your earmuffs are securely in place while you work. I will attract your attention when it is time to pack up. Four to a tray — there is a large supply of pots here — compost in the sacks over there — and be careful of the Venomous

Tentacula, it's teething. Lockhart was actually right about that one."

She gave a sharp slap to a spiky, dark red plant as she spoke, making it draw in the long feelers that had been inching sneakily over her shoulder.

"See... she doesn't like Lockhart either," Ron said, as he put his earmuffs on.

"He was making us miss class!" Hermione said, "Of course she was – oh, you can't hear me, can you. Ugh!"

Ron grinned and Hermione rolled her eyes and put the earmuffs on. Harry and Ginny snickered and put their own on. The four of them worked together, and between two people who knew what they were doing (Harry and Ginny), one who had a few ideas (Hermione), and one who was just copying the others (Ron), they actually did pretty well. Neville was working with Justin Finch-Fletchley, Susan Bones, and Ernie MacMillan.

Dean, Seamus, Parvati and Lavender were also working together. They were all looking at Harry and Ginny from time to time with rather odd smiles.

_Watch this, Harry, _Ginny said.

"Would you stop?" she asked the four across the table.

"Huh?" Dean asked, pulled one of the earmuffs from his ear.

"I said," Ginny said, as pulled up a Mandrake, "We're trying to work, so please stop."

The Mandrake started to cry, and Dean's eyes rolled back and he fainted onto the ground.

"There's always one," Professor Sprout said loudly, "Just leave him, you three! Work together! I'll take him up to the Hospital Wing after class."

Harry and Ginny snickered, and Seamus, Lavender and Parvati avoided their eyesight for the rest of class.

* * *

"I saw that, Ginny," Hermione said, as the five friends made their way ahead of the rest of the second-year Gryffindors, minus Dean, and into the Potions classroom, "You made him faint on purpose. That could be very dangerous."

"They were staring at us!" Ginny said, "and he didn't have to take off his earmuff. He was thick enough to do it."

"You knew he would do it," Harry whispered. _You did date his older self for a few months, you know how he acts. _

_Prat!_

Harry and Ginny walked over to a table in the back of the room, and Ron and Hermione chose a table next to them."No, no, I do not think so," Professor Snape's voice rang out as he walked over toward them.

"Sorry, Professor?" Harry asked.

"I've been hearing the gossip amongst students concerning the two of you," Snape said, as he looked at Harry and Ginny, "So how about we do something to remedy it? Until this gossip dies down, I think I am going to split you two up. Potter, you're with Granger. Weasleys, you two pair together. I doubt we'd have to listen to gossip about Miss Weasley's love-life from her dear brother."

Lavender, Parvati and Seamus, who had walked in at the exact moment Snape mentioned 'Miss Weasley's love-life' grinned at Harry as they passed him.

"No, sir," Ginny said, as she changed places with Hermione.

_Calm down, love, _Ginny said, _we don't need another situation like last year during Snape's first class. _

"Potter?" Snape asked, "Any objections?"

Harry counted backward from five, then said "No, sir."

"This is only temporary, I expect," Snape said, as he returned to the front of the class, "Gossip does not last forever. I would not want to split up a pair like the two of you forever. Witch Weekly might not like to hear that news."

Snape sneered, and Lavender, Parvati and Seamus snickered. It seemed they were not very happy about what happened to Dean.

* * *

**(Hermione)  
**  
"Do you think he knows about the two of you?" Hermione whispered after Potions, as they headed for the Great Hall.

"My Occlumency barriers were up around those secrets," Harry said.

"As were mine," Ginny said.

"I don't always trust mine," Hermione said, "They're not that great yet, but they are strongest around those memories of your secrets."

Ron and Neville nodded in agreement.

"I hope this doesn't last too long," Ron said, "I'm better paired with Hermione!"

Hermione blushed deep red, and Harry, Ginny and Neville snickered. Ron only looked on in apparent confusion.

"Well, I am now agreeing with Harry, Ginny and Ron," Luna said, as her five friends joined her at the table, "Lockhart does not know what he is talking about."

"Ha!" Ron said loudly, to Hermione, causing others to look at him.

"Why do you say that, Luna?" Hermione asked.

"He knew nothing about Crumple-Horned Snorcacks," Luna said, "Nor did he think the Loch Ness Monster was real because as he states 'he never saw him'. Everyone knows Nessie is a girl! My father would laugh at Lockhart's stories..."

"There... you see?" Ron asked, "Luna's father knows about things Lockhart doesn't... your father should have been our Professor, Luna. Not this bloke. Now what do you say, Hermione?"

"Do you even know what a Snorcack is, Ron?" Hermione asked.

Ron opened his mouth then closed it and frowned. "No... not really."

"And you're surprised Lockhart doesn't know about them either?" Hermione asked.

"Well, I – er – he said Nessie was a girl!" Ron said.

"There could be more than one creature like Nessie in Loch Ness," Hermione said. "He didn't understand the question, I expect."

"Yeah, yeah," Ron said, "You just have a crush on him, so you won't listen to me."

Hermione frowned. He had a point... she just wished he could figure out who she really was infatuated with.

"That... that's not true," she said.

"Oh, okay," Ron said, "Sorry, I guess - hey, Hermione, there's Lockhart!"

Hermione looked up from her sandwich rather quickly. Lockhart was not anywhere in the Hall. She looked at Ron and glared at him as he looked on victoriously.

Hermione sighed. _Why, exactly, did she like this boy?_

* * *

**(Harry)**

After lunch and their free break, Harry and his friends headed to the Defense classroom. Hermione hurried up to one of the front seats, and Ron frowned, but decided to sit with her, as did Neville. Harry and Ginny sat behind them.

"Well, well, well," Lockhart said, when he caught sight of them, "It seems the two of you already have a fan-club!"

"Er... these are our friends," Harry said, "Have been for a year now."

"Friends are your best fans!" Lockhart said, then turned to the three at the front desk, "Miss Granger, yes, I do remember you. Wrote you a long message in your copy of my new book, yes?"

"Yes, I have it here!" Lockhart said.

"Excellent," Lockhart said, "I hope you do well on my pop quiz today."

Everyone, including Dean, who had woken up during free period, groaned.

"Nothing to worry about!" Lockhart said, as he smiled at them, "Oh, dear Merlin, I forgot introductions! I am Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of _Witch Weekly's _Most-Charming-Smile Award — but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by _smiling _at her! But of course, I am sure all of you know that... right? Excellent. I see you've all bought a complete set of my books — well done. I thought we'd start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about — just to check how well you've read them, how much you've taken in —" he handed out the test papers he returned to the front of the class and said, "You have thirty minutes — start — _now_!"

Harry groaned. He had forgotten most of these answers... he wasn't exactly concentrating on this. He did remember Lockhart's favorite color was lilac. Ginny however, seemed to be jotting down quite a few answers.

_You don't remember his questions, do you? _Harry asked, _So he did give the same quiz to everyone?_

_Of course... and yes, I remember these..._

_You've lost a bit of respect from me._

_Prat!_

Half an hour later, Lockhart collected the papers and rifled through them in front of the class.

"Oh, good show, Harry," Lockhart said, "you must have read Wanderings with Werewolves because you know my favorite color is lilac. And... let's see... wonderful, Ginny, though Firewhiskey is my second ideal birthday gift, not my first – which is harmony for everyone in the world. Hmm... oh! But Miss Hermione Granger knew my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair-care potions — good girl! In fact" — he flipped her paper over — "full marks! Well, done Miss Granger! Take ten points for Gryffindor!"

Hermione giggled. "Thank you sir."

"You're very welcome, dear," Lockhart said, showing his bright smile, "And – now – to business!"

"Er... sir!" Harry asked, raising his hand.

"Yes, Harry?" Lockhart asked.

"I have a question regarding your books?" Harry asked, "In one book, you said you were in the Amazon in March of one year, but in another book, concerning the same year, including March, from the past December to the next May, you said you were hunting the Yeti in the Himalayas. I... I'm sure you can understand my confusion..."

"Is that correct?" Lockhart asked, as Ron, Neville and Ginny nodded, "Well – erm – a clear editor mistake! Twenty points to Gryffindor, Harry, for that and if any of you can figure out the correct dates I was in those locations by next class, you will all be excused from the first exam concerning the Yeti!"

Harry looked at Ginny, who grinned and rolled her eyes.

Lockhart bent down behind his desk and lifted a large, covered cage onto it.

"Now — be warned!" he said, dramatically, "It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind! You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here. All I ask is that you remain calm."

Harry rolled his eyes and Ginny looked on with raised eyebrows.

"I must ask you not to scream," said Lockhart in a low voice. "It might provoke them."

_What is it? _Ginny asked.

_Pixies._

"Yes," Lockhart said,. "_Freshly caught Cornish pixies._"

Harry looked at Seamus, just as he let out a snort of laughter.

"Yes?" He smiled at Seamus.

"Well, they're not — they're not very — _dangerous, _are they?" Seamus choked.

"Don't be so sure!" said Lockhart, waggling a finger annoyingly at Seamus. "Devilish tricky little blighters they can be!"

"Right, then," Lockhart said loudly. "Let's see what you make of them!"

And he opened the cage. Harry pulled Ginny under the table, as he heard the pixies screech and jabber, and the students yell.

"They're only pixies!" Lockhart said, "Round them up!"

_Should we do something? _Ginny asked.

_Hermione will do it... hopefully it will show her exactly how poor of a teacher Lockhart is. But first... aha!_

"Peskipiski Pesternomi!" Lockhart yelled.

It had absolutely no effect; one of the pixies seized his wand and threw it out of the window. Lockhart gulped and ran out of class, as most of the students followed him, leaving the five friends behind.

"Immobulus!" Hermione yelled.

_Now we can go, _Harry said.

He returned from under the table, and found that the room was in complete shatters, and the pixies were now all floating frozen in the air.

"Peskipiski Pesternomi?" Ron asked, loudly, "That isn't even a real spell! See now, Hermione?"

"Spells can be created by wizards, Ron," Hermione said, "Must be his own spell, and he did it wrong just so we can have a hands-on experience. Look at the time. I must be going to the library to work on that homework Snape gave us!"

"It isn't due for two days!" Ron said, "You're just avoiding the topic! You can't hide from the facts for long, Hermione!"

Hermione scoffed and picked up her things, then walked out of the classroom.

Ron turned and looked at Harry and Ginny. "Is she for real?"

* * *

**Hermione's being stubborn! She'll come around sometime, I promise!**

**Hope you liked this chapter! What do you think of the current story-lines going on (Gossip Mill, Lockhart's 'infatuation' with Harry and Ginny, Draco's seemingly depressed attitude)? Interesting start to the second year?**

**More to come, though I do hope the second year will be fairly short.**


	67. Powers, Plans and Post

**Chapter 67  
Powers, Plans and Post**

**Author's Note: Got a review from an anonymous reviewer about the Rita Skeeter article that named Ginny as Jenny. This is not a mistake, this is a deliberate, intentional error due to Rita Skeeter writing it, not myself. (Sorta...) Also, last chapter, Harry did nothing about the Pixies, because he wanted it to be Hermione's moment. He thought it could help her change her mind about Lockhart.****  
****  
****Disclaimer: Recognizable sections of this chapter come directly from Chapter 7 of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" by J.K. Rowling. I do not take claim for these, only my own additions.**

* * *

The remainder of the first week of the term was a bag of mixed emotions for Harry and Ginny. Because they were unofficially allowed to spend the nights together in Harry's bed, they were very well rested. Ginny continued to wake up around five-thirty and return to her dorm, and Harry would meet her soon afterward in the Common Room for a bit of private time before they headed off for breakfast.

The first lessons for Transfiguration and Charms were revisions, where students were given one point for their house for every answer they could give to a question before anyone else, or any spell they had learned the previous year they could do before anyone else. Astronomy, which was now two days a week instead of one, met once again late at night, and for the first class, Professor Sinistra gave a sort of revision as well, where every time she named a star or sign, the students had to look in their telescope for it, and then ask Sinistra to confirm it.

It turned out that, instead of Potions homework, Hermione had actually been working on finding the correct date Professor Lockhart had been in the Himalayas, she was disappointed to not be able to find it. Ron tried to convince her that it didn't exist because he didn't actually go. Professor Lockhart didn't answer exactly when he had been to the Himalayas, and asked each of the students to read pages of his book 'Year with a Yeti" out loud in class, so they could prepare for the exam that would take place the following Thursday.

As for Potions, even though Harry wanted to be partnered with Ginny, he still did well partnering with Hermione when doing a Flower Paralyzing Potion, which was used for mainly decorations when using flowers as bookmarks or other crafts. Ginny, who was an expert at the potion because she used it so often in the old timeline, did most of the potion while she told Ron to cut up ingredients, and she was happy to say she could very well get an outstanding grade.

To Harry and Ginny's annoyance, Lavender and Parvati found them together in front of the fire, early in the morning on Friday, and they had to make the excuse they were working on homework for Transfiguration. Lavender and Parvati seemed to believe them, and when they headed back upstairs to get their own work, Harry and Ginny headed out of the Common Room to get breakfast.

* * *

Harry woke up early on Saturday morning to a voice that wasn't one of his dorm-mates. Ginny was still wrapped around him, asleep, which made it even more difficult for Harry to peer out of the curtains. To his horror, he saw Oliver Wood walking over to Ron's bed.

"Oliver?" Harry asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Early practice, Potter," Oliver said, "Get downstairs in ten minutes. Katie is waking the girls up. Hope your girl, Ginny, is ready... I heard she has one of the new Nimbus 2001s and with that broom and the skill as a Chaser, she's up for the possibility of playing Starter for one of the games this term."

Harry grabbed the cloak, and closed the curtains. Fortunately Ginny was awake now, and when he turned back, she pressed a finger to his lips.

_I'll take your Cloak, and give it back to you soon, _she said, as she strapped her holster to her wrist, _Don't worry... nobody will know I was here. Katie probably will realize I'm not in bed, but I have an idea._

She pecked Harry on the lips, then took the cloak and put it on. When he couldn't see any part of her, he opened the curtains. Ron was up and Oliver was no longer in the room.

"Practice this early?" Ron asked Harry, before he yawned.

"That's Oliver for you," Harry said, as he started to change.

_Made it, _Ginny said, _Almost ran into Katie, and she looks rather confused as to where I am. Don't worry though. Still have a plan. I'll leave a quick note for Hermione and pin it to her trunk so she can tell Neville and Luna where we are._

"Ginny's up," Harry said.

Ron nodded and began to change, and Harry finished getting dressed and grabbed his broom then headed off downstairs. Oliver, Angelina, Alicia, Fred and George were already there.

"Ron's on his way," Harry said.

"Don't know where his sister is," Katie said, as she appeared in the room, "Checked her dorm, but her curtains wouldn't open. Privacy charm or something... I'm surprised she could do a charm like that."

"Her mother taught her," Harry said, quickly, then forgot Fred and George were there, and cursed silently.

"Mum does sound like the type to teach Ginny that," Fred said.

"Did you check the bathroom, Katie?" Ginny asked, as she appeared with her broom, and walked over to Harry; he noticed she had wet hair, "Woke up early and took a shower. I heard rumors we were doing an early practice today."

"Rumors?" Oliver asked, "Nobody is supposed to know about this practice!"

"I promise it wasn't one of the other houses," Ginny said.

"I-I'm here," Ron said, yawning, as he appeared with his old Cleansweep, "Early practice today?"

"Yeah, so come on," Oliver said, "Let's go to the Pitch, and we should have a few hours to play before anyone else tries to come down. I booked the pitch, but you know how those other teams are."

They headed off out the portrait hole and started the trek toward the grounds. Oliver started explaining what he wanted the team to do.

"Ginny, I want you to only practice as a Chaser today," Oliver said, "Do well enough and you might start a match this year. You hear that girls... you could have a replacement. Any one of you could not start one of the matches if I feel Ginny performs better... so you all need to work hard."

_Perfect plan to pump up the Chasers and make us play better, _Ginny said, _Gwenog would be proud of him._

"Ron," Oliver said, as they headed out onto the Grounds, and toward the Pitch, "I'll be watching you... who knows? You might play a match as well if I feel like you have what it takes. I'll study each team and see who you'd play well enough against."

"Thanks, Oliver," Ron said, "I'll... do my best, you know."

"Make sure you do," Oliver said, "and finally, Harry... well, try to stay healthy this time. We need you for all three matches this year. I want Ginny to just train as a Chaser, because I have faith in you as a Seeker. So please stay healthy."

"If the Fates allow, Oliver," Harry said.

"I like that," Oliver said, "If the Fates allow. Can I use that in a pep-up speech?"

"Don't jinx us and you can do what you want," Harry said.

"Hey, Oliver!" George said, as they neared the Pitch, "We have a stowaway!"

"A spy?" Oliver asked, "Where?"

Harry turned and saw a small figure coming their way. Harry groaned when he recognized him.

"Don't worry," Harry said, "Just an eager Gryffindor first year wanting to watch us."

"I dunno," Oliver said, "That looks like a camera. Someone could have paid him off to take pictures."

"Don't be paranoid," Katie said, "Shouldn't we be going to the locker rooms?"

"As right as always," Oliver said, "Come on..."

The team hurried and changed into their uniforms, then started off out toward the Pitch... and they soon discovered they were not alone. Several people in green robes were walking onto the field, broomsticks in their hands.

"I don't believe it!" Wood hissed in outrage. "I booked the field for today! We'll see about this!"

Wood walked toward the Slytherins and Harry, Ginny and the rest of the team followed.

"Flint!" Wood bellowed at the Slytherin Captain. "This is our practice time! We got up specially! You can clear off now!"

"Plenty of room for all of us, Wood," Flint said.

"But I booked the field!" said Wood, positively spitting with rage. "I booked it!"

"Ah," said Flint. "But I've got a specially signed note here from Professor Snape. '_I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field owing to the need to __train their new Seeker._' "

"You've got a new Seeker?" said Wood, distracted. "Where?"

Harry expected Draco to walk through the group of Slytherins, but he was very surprised to see that the new Seeker was actually Blaise Zabini.

"Blaise?" Harry asked, then laughed, "Well... I'm relieved. I thought it was Malfoy."

"You laugh now, Potter," Flint said, "Wait until you see him."

"Malfoy didn't even audition," Blaise said, "He was probably too scared to show his face. His father made a mockery of all Slytherins by getting arrested."

The rest of the Slytherin team scoffed and nodded.

_Harry! _Ginny said, _To your left, up in the stands!_

Harry looked toward his left and saw Draco sitting in the stands, his gaze looking toward them.

_Why is he here if he is not on the team? _Harry asked.

"We can share the Pitch, Wood," Flint said, "No secrets today. We all know who your reserves are, and you know who our Seeker is. Fair share."

Wood grumbled and finally sighed. "Fine. But if you do anything to harm our team, I will personally report it to Professor McGonagall, then Dumbledore himself."

"We want you all healthy for our match next month," Flint said, "So don't worry about that. Come on, team."

They turned and walked off toward the locker rooms.

"Damn it," Wood said, "I booked the Pitch today!"

"Don't worry, love," Katie said, "So we won't work on any secret plays for now. Let's just do a normal practice."

"The Slytherins are going to be curious as to how we play," Harry said, "Let's not show them our best today, and surprise them next month."

"Good plan, Potter," Wood said, "Ginny, you are my secret weapon. Nobody knows except us how well you play Chaser. You practice with Harry as Seeker for bait instead..."

"Make the Slytherins think I am a Seeker reserve only," Ginny said, nodding.

"That is why I like you!" Wood said, then looked at Katie and blushed and looked back at Ginny, "Only as a teammate, of course. What are we standing around for? Into the skies then everyone! Make haste!"

* * *

It seemed as if practice would never end that morning. Both Oliver and Flint seemed to want to practice with their team until the other team stopped. Finally, close to noon, when the whole Gryffindor team was tired and hungry (Ron had been grumbling for an hour now), did Oliver call for practice to end. Harry, Ginny and Ron started off toward the castle, and found Hermione, Neville and Luna waiting for them outside the Pitch.

"Finally!" Hermione said, "We've been watching you for a couple hours! How long were you out here?"

"Oliver woke us up before five-thirty, at least," Harry said.

"Five-thirty?" Neville asked, "You practiced for six hours?"

"He's mental," Ron groaned, "It is going to be hard to sit down."

Harry nodded, and then, in the distance, he saw Draco heading up toward the castle.

"Come on," Harry said, "I need to talk to him."

"Harry, what ever you are thinking," Ginny said, "Don't do it."

"I just want to find out from him why he didn't audition," Harry said, "I want to know what is wrong with from, from his own words..." he raised his voice when they got closer. "Hey, Draco!"

Draco stopped in his tracks and turned around. Harry sped up and was only a few yards away from him now.

"What do you want, Potter?" Draco muttered.

"I saw you at the Pitch," Harry said, "I heard you wanted to try out, but decided against it."

"Yeah, you saw me, so what?" Draco asked. "Sure, I had full intentions to try out, but that all changed -"

"Because of your father, right?" Harry asked.

"Don't talk about him!" Draco growled. "You do not know what I am going through. Ever since... ever since that blasted Black came into my house and found my father's stash, I've had to deal with all kinds of stuff. I wrote letters to a few – well I thought they were friends - in Slytherin, and they didn't bother writing back. I'm not welcome here... and I probably won't be here next year. I hope you're happy."

"You... won't be here next year?" Harry asked.

"One of the reasons I didn't try out," Draco said, "Because right now my mother is at Durmstrang Institute, scoping out the school for me. If things don't change around here, I am going there next year."

He growled and narrowed his eyes.

"You do not understand what I've been through this week alone!" Draco snarled.

"Then tell us," Ginny said.

"Never," Draco spat.

He turned and ran off, not toward the castle, but in the direction of the lake. Harry and his friends headed up toward the castle.

"So Malfoy is... thinking of going to Durmstrang next year?" Neville asked, "But... Gran's told me about that school. Teaches the Dark Arts instead of how to defend yourself against them."

"I think his father wanted him to go there instead of here," Harry said, "But his mother wouldn't let him. So now he's going... just to get away from here."

"I wonder what he meant by stuff happening this week," Hermione said, frowning.

"Oh, come on," Ron said, "You're not feeling sorry for him, are you? After what he called you last year?"

"I have to forgive him for that, Ron," Hermione said, "At least until he does it again. We all make mistakes."

"Sure," Ron said, "And once you agree that you're wrong about Lockhart, I'll agree with you about making mistakes. You have enough evidence now... couldn't find anything in the library... from books you always trust?"

"I..." Hermione said, then sighed, "Okay, fine! I believe you... it's just hard to believe one of our own Professors -"

"And that is coming from someone who set fire to Snape's robes," Ron said, "and watched me fall from a giant chess piece just so Harry and Ginny could get to Quirrel, who by the way almost killed them!"

Hermione bit her lip. "I'm sorry. Okay... there are a few peculiar things about him that seem like it could be bad or... immoral."

"There," Ginny said, "You admitted it. Now get past this and go back to fancying – err – whoever it was you fancied instead."

Hermione blushed and smiled, then followed her friends into the Great Hall for lunch.

"Okay," Hermione said, as she sat down, "But it doesn't matter does it? He's still our teacher. Can't do anything about that, really."

"No, but we can do something about the lessons," Harry said, "Ginny and I have been working on something... but first, we need to bring Luna up to date. Which means... Luna, you're going to be introduced to our mind exercises today."

"Oh, that's a good idea," Ron said, "I need something relaxing today... and that doesn't mean homework, Hermione!"

Hermione grinned and rolled her eyes. "Mind exercises sound just fine."

"Luna?" Harry asked.

"Sounds interesting," Luna said.

"It is kind of... strange at first," Ginny said, "But I'm sure you'll be a quick learner."

* * *

After lunch, the six friends headed up to the Room of Requirement, where Harry asked for the room to change into the mind exercise room. Luna was impressed with the room and found it very 'homely and comfortable'. They all made their way over to the two couches, and two seats and sat down.

"Luna," Harry said, "What I am going to teach you is what is known as Occlumency, which is protecting your mind against outside forces, known as Legilimency. First, I will show you what Legilimens can do."

"Don't dig too deep in her mind, Harry," Neville said, "She isn't ready..."

"I'll be careful." Harry said, then brought his wand to his fingers. "This will feel kind of funny. Legilimens!"

Harry felt himself go straight into Luna's mind, but was immediately met with a vision of rampaging rhino-like creatures coming toward him. Harry gasped and backed out of her mind.

"Whoa!" Harry said, blinking.

"That was quick!" Ginny said, "What happened?"

"I think," Harry said, then looked up at Luna, "I think I saw a barrier in her mind already. It looked like... a herd of large black creatures coming at me."

"Ooh, Crumpled-Horned Snorcacks!" Luna said, grinning.

"She already blocked you?" Hermione asked, "But... how?"

"She's... Harry, remember what Dumbledore told Snape last year?" Ginny asked, "What he thought we were because we knew Occlumency?"

"A natural Occlumens," Harry breathed, "Luna...I think you're a natural Occlumens. You already know Occlumency and can block anything out entirely."

"Blimey!" Ron said, "I wish I could do that."

"That's brilliant, Luna," Hermione said.

"An Aura-reader and a Natural Occlumens," Harry said, shaking his head, "Okay... Luna, now Ginny and I can tell you our other secret."

"Does it have to do anything with the fact that you two seem to be a lot older than you appear?" Luna asked.

Harry looked at Ginny, who raised her eyebrows. Ron, Hermione, and Neville looked shocked.

"What else do you know, Luna?" Harry asked.

"You knew more than you could say when it came to Professor Lockhart," Luna said, "That tells me you either have the power of foresight... or..."

"Yes?" Ginny asked.

"You two are from the future," Luna said.

"Correct," Harry said, "You are very observant, Luna."

"Helps when you can see things others refuse to see," Luna said, smiling.

"So... is that what the Sorting Hat meant?" Ginny asked, "You already knew our secrets... you said that it said you were our secret guardian."

"It told me I have the ability to help you with the secrets you hold," Luna said, "It didn't tell me exactly what that meant... but I don't think it was talking about my accurate guesses, aura-reading, or – what did you call it?"

"Natural Occlumens," Harry said.

"Exactly," Luna said, "It told me I'd find out later... I don't think it meant less than a week later."

"Well, that saves us time," Harry said, "Here I was ready to have to teach you Occlumency, then explain our other secret. So... yes, we're from the future... from 2001, but we cannot go back. In fact... the thing that brought us back is actually down in the Department of Mysteries now..."

_We should be expecting a letter from Ragnok soon, Ginny, _Harry said.

_Yeah, I thought so too._

"Anyway... we know how to defeat – err –" Harry said, wondering what name to say.

"Voldemort," Ginny said, and Ron and Neville shuddered, while Hermione frowned and Luna just smiled dreamily, "You all need to learn to say it. He won't be around very long to make you worry anyway."

"Which reminds me," Harry said, "Ginny and I were discussing something before term. Two things actually. First, Hermione you wondered about our Defense lessons, right?"

Hermione nodded.

"Ginny and I were thinking of putting together a Defense Club," Harry said, "Basically our dueling exercises, but other students can join us, and we want it to be public. Which means we need Professor Dumbledore's permission and Professor McGonagall, as our head of house. We're going to talk to them about it soon once we decide what we want to do."

"Sounds like more homework," Ron said.

"Nah," Neville said, "It is what he said, isn't it? Our Dueling exercises but much bigger."

"Lockhart might not like that," Hermione said.

"Last time, he put together his own Dueling Club," Harry said.

"Yeah, and besides," Ginny said, grinning, "Lockhart loves us. He'd probably think it was his idea to begin with, or we were inspired to do it because of him."

"Okay, it sounds fun," Hermione said, "As long as it doesn't interfere with classes or homework."

"Or Quidditch practice," Ron said.

"Oy," Ginny said, "This sounds exactly like what happened when we formed this club the last time... Angelina, who was the captain then was telling us she didn't want it to interfere with Quidditch, and other students didn't want it to interfere with other clubs."

"We'll figure out something," Harry said, "Now for our other idea. This is just for the six of us. Do the four of you know what a Pensieve is?"

Hermione nodded. "You told us about it, when you talked about seeing Nicolas and Perenelle's message. It shows us... it shows us memories... wow."

"Indeed," Harry said, "And we can go inside memories and watch them. Ginny and I have our memories from the old timeline. We want to show you stuff that happened in the old timeline. For example... what happened in our second year last time."

"So... wait," Ron said, "We could see what happened... to us in the future? If you go that far?"

Harry saw Hermione blush, and he knew why: if Ron wanted to see the day of the Atrium incident, he would see his older self and Hermione's older self together.

"Only if you want to," Harry said, "My advice is that we start with earlier events, and lead up to later events... for example, things you won't see if everything goes well this time. Everything that happened concerning the war in the three years following Voldemort's return."

"How will we get a Pensieve?" Neville asked, "Can the room give it to us?"

"It can only temporarily give us things that exist somewhere else in the castle," Harry said, "I don't know if there is a second Pensieve, and I really don't want to request one when it could be Dumbledore's."

"Ragnok may know where to buy one," Ginny said. "Might be expensive though. They're very rare,"

"Good idea," Harry said, "Okay... I'll send him a letter tonight or tomorrow. If everything goes well, we could start doing things with the Pensieve by the end of the month."

"And we'll work on the Dueling Club information too," Ginny said.

"Well... I guess that is everything we wanted to tell you now," Harry said, "Luna... I trust you to keep our secrets, but we need to keep a wizarding vow of honor... just to be fair."

"Of course," Luna said, "Fairness is always called for."

The six friends then proceeded to take the vow of honor involving the six of them. Afterward, they headed off to the Gryffindor Common Room, where everyone grudgingly agreed to work on homework. Harry followed Ron and Neville upstairs to get his books, and smiled when he found a scroll of parchment on his bed. Harry picked it up and found that it was from Ragnok.

"What is that, Harry?" Neville asked.

"Letter from Ragnok," Harry said, "The one Ginny and I have been expecting, I think."

_Ginny, _Harry said, _if you can manage without getting caught, bring the girls up... it is just us three. Ragnok's letter arrived._

_Brilliant. Hang on. _She went silent for a few moments. _Yeah, we're coming up._

"The girls are coming up," Harry said, as he unrolled the scroll.

"It is not fair that they can come up here," Ron said, "And we can't go in their room."

"Old laws," Hermione said, as the three girls entered the room, "Girls are more trusted than boys."

"And yet you didn't seem too perturbed by coming up here," Ginny said.

"Mmhmm," Hermione said, "How about you?"

"No problems at all," Ginny said, grinning, as she walked over to Harry's bed, and sat down, then kissed him on the cheek.

"Okay, can I read this now so I know what it says?" Harry asked.

"Thought you already read it!" Hermione said, as she sat with Ron, "Sorry!"

Harry rolled his eyes and looked down at the parchment:

_Harry and Ginny Potter,_

_As always do not worry about the arrival of this letter. Until you pick it up, nobody else can see it._

_As you probably know already, Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel have passed on out of our world. Due to the nature of the expected contents, their Final Will and Testament has overridden the legal laws concerning searching objects put in Wills. Since their deaths, I have worked my goblin magic to find out where the pool is that you seek. Unfortunately, it will take some time, but know that I am working on it, and hope to have the answers for you as soon as possible._

_Also, I have recently been in touch with Bill Weasley, who was given a message by Mr. Potter's godfather that stated your troubles with your Bond are over and everything is back to normal. I trust this is correct, but I warn you it could be temporary. Do not tempt it._

_With the deaths of the Flamels, the two of you are now the only known Bonded pair in the world. I hope_

_you know what that means for you._

_If you have any more requests, I will do my best to grant your wishes. I hope you are well and have a delightful year at Hogwarts._

_Regards,_  
_Master Ragnok_

Harry looked up at Ginny and his friends. He gave the letter to Ginny, who started to look through it. "Just an update letter. Not much luck with the pool.

"The pool is important?" Luna asked.

"Yeah," Harry said, "We need to destroy it before someone uses it for evil the way we're using it for good."

"So you have no wish to return to your own time?" Luna asked.

"We wouldn't know how if we wanted to," Ginny said, as she still read the letter, "But we don't want to. We have to wait a few years to do what we wanted in the old timeline, but right now I'm extremely happy with the way things are going. I don't regret any of it really."

Harry nodded in agreement.

"I'm going to write that letter to Ragnok," Harry said.

He walked over to his trunk and took out parchment, quills, ink and something to write with.

"I better start on that homework," Hermione said, then looked at everyone besides Harry and Ginny, "Coming?"

"I suppose," Ron said, grudgingly, as he picked up his knapsack.

"We'll be down there soon," Ginny said.

"Don't get caught," Hermione said, "Dean and Seamus would tell Parvati and Lavender."

"We have Harry's cloak," Ginny said.

Harry took the cloak from his robes and threw it toward Ginny. He chuckled when she disappeared, and their four friends left. Harry backed up onto his bed and put the quill to his lips as he thought of what to write. Ginny appeared next to him, as she pulled off the cloak, and took the quill from his lips then kissed him.

"I knew you were there," Harry said, when she backed up.

She smiled and he leaned back toward her and kissed her. She giggled against his lips and moved into a laying position on the bed, where he deepened the kiss. He brushed his tongue along her lips, and she opened her mouth, and allowed his tongue to slide between her lips. He brushed his tongue against hers, and she murmured softly and backed up.

"Naughty little girl," he said, grinning.

"You loved that, you prat," Ginny said.

"Of course I did," Harry said, as he sat back up, "And now I need to write this letter."

Suddenly, they heard footsteps approaching. Harry quickly covered Ginny, who was still laying down, with the cloak, vanishing her from sight. Dean and Seamus walked into the room.

"Not with Ron's sister today?" Seamus asked, when he saw Harry.

"I was," Harry allowed, and he thought he heard Ginny giggle, and hoped it was in his mind.

"You two fighting or something?" Dean asked.

"Lover's quarrel?" Seamus suggested.

"I know what you're trying to do," Harry said, "It isn't going to work. If I told you the truth, you wouldn't believe me, so what is the point?"

"We were just curious," Seamus said, putting up two hands in surrender, "We didn't see her with your other friends, so we just wondered if you two were fighting."

"We're not," Harry said, "She's probably taking a shower or something, and I'm writing a letter to home."

"Aye, okay," Seamus said, "We were up here trying to find my set of Snap cards, and we saw you... so we were curious."

Dean nodded.

"Curiosity killed the kneazle," Harry said.

Seamus shrugged and found his pack of cards (a bit too easily). He and Dean left and Harry listened for a moment, before he felt around for the cloak. He pulled it off and saw Ginny there, grinning.

"That was brilliant," she whispered, "But I already took a shower after practice, remember?"

"Mmhmm, I can still smell the shampoo in your hair," Harry said.

Ginny smiled and nuzzled her hair against his face. He inhaled the scent and kissed her forehead, then adjusted the parchment so he could write.

_Master Ragnok,_

_Thank you for your letter. We were going to write to you anyway. We wish you luck with our request, but we have another one for you. Ginny and I were hoping you could find us a Pensieve, and take what you need from our vault to buy it for us. We have need for it, and could use it soon. It would please us if this was put up to priority one instead of the Pool at the moment, since that seems as if it will take longer. I trust when you find it, you will be able to deliver it in a way where we can find it and nobody else will know about it._

_We are very relieved that our Bond is back to normal, though we believe it is still wanting us to be close together at times, including during the night. We are adjusting to it, so do not worry. It actually works in our favor._

_Thank you for your continuous help toward us, and we wish you luck on our two requests._

_May you guard our riches well,_  
_Harry and Ginny Potter_

Harry finished and looked at Ginny. She read it over and nodded, satisfied with the letter. Suddenly, they heard a pecking sound on the window near his bed, and Harry looked up. Hedwig was perched on the windowsill. Harry quickly stood up and opened the window.

"Hey, girl," he said, "Looks like you've been busy... have a letter for me? I have one for you... can you go back to London?"

Hedwig hooted positively.

"We'll exchange post then," Harry said, and removed the letter from her leg, then put his attached his letter to Ragnok.

"Ragnok," he said.

Hedwig hooted and flew off out the window. Harry walked back over to the bed and laid back down next to Ginny. He looked at the post and opened it.

"It is from Sirius!" Harry said, "Let's see..."

Harry started to read the letter:

_Harry and Ginny,_

_I imagine you two are together when you read this, and I hope your first week of your term has been good. I told your family, Ginny, that your Bond is back to normal. I didn't tell them of your plans you told me, but I expect they'll be writing to you, so you should think about telling them.  
__  
I just remembered today that Hermione's birthday is coming up in the next couple of weeks... the big '13', right? Have you gotten anything for her? If not, write back with your ideas, and I'll buy it for you and you can pay me back. _

_My reason for writing this letter is to give you a heads-up. In tomorrow's edition of the weekend Prophet, you'll find some good news concerning the investigations. This week has been pretty hectic, but I am all right. No bumps or bruises, and we've had successful missions... you'll see what I mean tomorrow!_

_Also, Amy and I are planning on going after the big hounds around Halloween, so expect a good anniversary present around then, in the form of news._

_As for Amy and I... I am taking her out to dinner in a couple of weeks, and am planning on asking her to move in to Potter Manor with us. Wish me luck._

_Hope to hear from you soon,_  
_Sirius_

"Ugh... letter from Mum," Ginny said, as she read through the letter, "Wonderful."

"You'll have to tell her sometime," Harry said.

"I have until June," Ginny said, "So... successful missions, "Think he captured some more Death Eaters?"

Harry grinned at the change of subject, but allowed it. "Guess we'll see tomorrow. And as for the big hounds... I guess that means Fudge."

"I expect so," Ginny said, "Wow... so we could have a new Minister by the end of the year."

"Amelia could be our new Minister by the end of the year," Harry said, "And she could be living in our house by then too it seems..." he looked back at the letter, "and we really did forget to buy Hermione a present, didn't we?"

"Mm, we have a little less than two weeks to discuss that," Ginny said, as she took the parchment from Harry and rolled it up, then looked at him, "Plenty of time."

"Indeed," he said.

"Which means we can do other things first," Ginny said, grinning as her eyes trailed to his lips.

"Mmhmm," Harry said, nodding.

"Like..." Ginny said, as she leaned toward him, "homework!"

She giggled and backed up then took his cloak, and disappeared under it.

"You little minx," Harry said.

He heard the mattress of his bed moan, and move around.

"See you downstairs," Ginny's bodiless voice said, a moment later from the other side of the room.

Harry grinned when he heard footsteps and jumped out of bed. He grabbed his knapsack and hurried out of the dorm.

* * *

**Odd ending to the chapter, I know. But I am leaving that Daily Prophet article until the beginning of next chapter.**

**So a lot of things happening in this chapter... mostly emphasizing things that will soon come into play in the story, but also revealing problems with Draco as well as Luna's powers, including one she doesn't even know about! Already have good plans for the Pensieve, and those will start in the couple of chapters... that and the Dueling Club will help the year move along.**

**Hope you liked this chapter! More to come soon!**


	68. Eureka!

**Chapter 68  
Eureka!**

**Author's Note: Chapter Title explanation... this chapter is titled because of, and dedicated to the "Eureka!" moments I've had for the story-lines introduced in this chapter, but also because characters have their own "Eureka!" moments too.**

* * *

The following morning, Harry and Ginny had, once again, woken up early and were now making their way down the Grand Staircase, toward the Great Hall.

"O-one of these d-days," Ginny began, then failed to stifle a yawn and continued, "preferably a weekend where we don't have early Quidditch practice, we're going to sleep until we want to wake up, and not by that bloody vibrating pillow alarm of ours. As long as I keep using the invisibility cloak, nobody will find me, and we can sleep in as long as we want."

"Sounds good," Harry said, "But you know why we're up early today."

Harry jumped down from the last staircase as it moved away, but when he looked back, he found that Ginny was still on the staircase as moved from the landing to face another direction. She rolled her eyes, and vanished, then appeared next to Harry a moment later.

"You're lucky nobody but the portraits saw that," Harry said.

Ginny shrugged and started off down the stone steps into the Entrance Hall.

"They won't say anything," she said, "Who'd believe them besides those few who know? You can't apparate in here." Harry opened his mouth to argue, but she changed the subject before he could, "You know... the delivery owls from the Daily Prophet don't usually come for another hour or so. And... it isn't that cool outside this early yet. Can't we spend some time under our tree? You were a very comfortable pillow this morning and I could go back to sleep."

Harry was about to reply, when he heard a commotion coming from the Great Hall. A few students who were already up were gathered around the end of their respective tables, where Professors McGonagall, Sprout and Flitwick were all sitting at the table they represented. Filch was at the end of the Slytherin table, with Mrs. Norris at his feet.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked.

Harry shrugged and walked into the Great Hall with her. He found that the majority of the students around the table were from the Slytherin house.

"One at a time," Filch said, "You'll all get one. The Prophet is complimentary today, thanks to the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement. No use pushing."

"Am – Madam Bones made it complimentary?" Harry asked.

"More arrests," Angelina Johnson said, as she walked past them with a newspaper, "The Ministry wants everyone to know. Looks like more arrests similar to Lucius Malfoy."

The crowd dispersed with copies of the Prophet, until only Harry and Ginny were left with Professor McGonagall.

"Your godfather's been busy this week, Potter," McGonagall said, as she handed him a copy.

Harry and Ginny both took a look at the large bold print on the front page of the Prophet.

**FIVE**** MORE SHOCKING ARRESTS IN CONNECTION  
TO THE DARK ARTS DURING 'CRACKDOWN'!**

Harry and Ginny quickly made their way over to their usual spot at the Gryffindor table and sat down. Harry spread out the front page and put it between him and Ginny so they could read it. Near the door, more students were coming in and taking copies of the newspaper, but Harry only had eyes for the article:

**The first week of September proved to be a big week in  
the Auror Headquarters and the Department of Magical  
Law Enforcement. The aftermath of Lucius Malfoy's  
arrest revealed to Great Britain that there are still free  
supporters of You-Know-Who out there among us and  
in the ranks of the Ministry's highest-level jobs and  
Departments. But how high can it go?**

**Auror Sirius Black, who was responsible for the arrest**  
**of Lucius Malfoy was also responsible for three of the**  
**five shocking arrests that happened this past week.**

**"Lucius Malfoy said nothing to us about those who we**  
**are investigating," Black stated, when asked whether the**  
**Auror Headquarters and MLE were tipped off by the recent**  
**interrogations against Malfoy, "We discovered these on**  
**our own, and will discover more during this crackdown in**  
**the Wizarding World. Those who support the Dark Arts will**  
**always make mistakes. Mark my words."**

**When asked if he learned this information from those years**  
**he spent in Azkaban as the only prisoner ever found**  
**innocent later on for his actions, Black said he had no**  
**comment.**

**So who are the five names arrested this past week? They**  
**are listed below, including one member of the High Council,**  
**two members of the Wizengamot, a member of the Beasts**  
**Division, and a famous Knockturn Alley shopkeeper:**

Five names with small pictures beside them were listed. The first two were Wizengamot members Harry had vaguely heard of, and had seen in the folder Sirius had shown him the previous month. Neither were Death Eaters, but they probably had connections of bribery or blackmail with Lucius Malfoy. They were brought in for questioning because they had not shown up for two straight trials they were due for. Below these two names were three Harry recognized:

**PATROCLUS NOTT: Member of the High Council of Lords  
and Ladies. Has connections to Lucius Malfoy. Arrested  
for Death Eater participation, lying to the Wizengamot about  
participating as a Death Eater, and use of the Unforgivable  
Curses. Pureblood wife, Cora, being investigated for whether  
or not she had knowledge of Patroclus' involvement with the  
Dark Arts. Son, 12, currently a second-year in Hogwarts.**

**WALDEN MACNAIR: Executioner in the Beasts Division of**  
**the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical  
****Creatures. Has connections to Lucius Malfoy. Arrested for  
****Death Eater participation, lying to a Wizengamot about  
****participating as a Death Eater, use of Unforgivable Curses,  
****and war crimes including involvement of using magical  
****beasts for Dark acts.**

**EDWARD BORGIN: Co-founder and owner of Borgin and**  
**Burke's in Knockturn Alley, London. Has many connections**  
**to Lucius Malfoy. Arrested for accepting bribes, blackmail,**  
**and purchasing Dark artifacts from known Death Eaters.**  
**Being investigated for other connections to Dark Arts. Shop**  
**in Knockturn Alley is closed until further notice, and all**  
**objects in shop are being investigated by various Artifact**  
**Departments of the Ministry of Magic.**

Below this list, the end of the article stated that more arrests were expected, and had a message from Amelia Bones that stated:

"If you are, or were, a follower of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and a part of the group known as Death Eaters, and you lied to the Ministry, we will find you. If you turn yourselves in and cooperate with our investigations, you will be qualified for possible lighter convictions than those who we must forcefully arrest. This is your only warning."

Harry grinned as he pushed the Prophet away and started piling various breakfast selections onto his plate.

_Hmm, _Ginny said, as she too started to fill her plate, _So I think we can expect more arrests over the next few weeks._

_Unless they're cowards and try to flee the country._

_Right, that is very possible. Harry? What about Professor Snape? Notice he isn't here with the rest of the heads of houses. Do you think he went to plead his case?_

Harry considered this for a moment. _Possibly... but word would get out. Parents wouldn't want someone like Snape as a Professor if they discovered he had actual Death Eater connections, even if he switched sides._

_Do you have the map? Check if he is in the castle._

Harry had almost forgotten that he had been carrying the map with him, as well as his cloak. He and Ginny had been trying to avoid Professor Lockhart except when they were in Defense, and it was usually the best way to do so. He reached into his back pocket, and put the map on his lap, hiding it from eavesdroppers. Ginny looked around for anyone watching while Harry said the pass-phrase. The map revealed itself, and he looked over it.

_Snape is not in the castle,_ Harry said, _And... neither is Dumbledore._

_If he went to the Ministry, Dumbledore might have gone as a character reference._

_True. Hmm..._

He looked for his friends' names and found they were walking together down the Grand Staircase. Then he spotted three other names that he did not expect to be hanging around together. They were coming into the Great Hall.

"Mischief Managed," he said, and folded up the map, then pocketed it, "Look who is coming into the Great Hall... ah... now."

Draco walked into the Hall, and was followed by Theodore Nott and Pansy Parkinson. They walked over to the Slytherin table, refused to take one of the newspapers Filch was offering to them and walked to the other end of the table. They seemed to be ignoring the jeering Slytherin voices as they sat down together.

"Guess they already heard the news," Ginny said, "Interesting that Pansy is hanging out with them."

"Risking her reputation to support Nott, who is now supporting Draco," Harry said, then lowered his voice, "Well, that basically confirms it. If she had her memory back, I'm sure she would have absolutely loathed Draco again."

Ginny nodded, then smiled and waved her hand. Harry turned and saw Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna walking toward the table. Hermione was reading from a copy of the newspaper, and when Ron sat down, he took the copy already there.

"More arrests?" Hermione asked as her eyes trailed down the article, then looked up at Harry, "Nott's father?"

"Draco isn't the only son of a Death Eater in this school right now, Hermione," Harry said, "Believe me. And Nott is only the second."

"Guess Nott is now in the 'Slytherin shun' club," Ron said, as he looked across the Hall.

"Pansy Parkinson?" Neville asked.

"Her parents are not associated with Death Eaters," Harry said, lowering his voice again, "But she's friendly with Nott."

"She's sticking it out with Nott, and now Malfoy?" Ron asked, "That... is not very Slytherin of her."

"Malfoy still doesn't look very happy," Hermione said, "Wish we could find out what's been happening to him, but he isn't going to tell us anything, is he?"

Harry's eyes widened as he had what Hermione would call a 'Eureka moment!'

_Harry? _Ginny asked, _Sensing something from you... excitement?_

_Polyjuice Potion! Last time we used it to figure out if Draco was the heir of Slytherin. This time we could use it to figure out what is happening to Draco._

_Sounds good... but how? The potion takes a month, and we don't have the ingredients needed for it. Ragnok might get them for us._

_Snape's away from the school today. We could get into his storage!_

_Ooh... I did buy an extra cauldron over the summer. I could ask Sirius to send it to me. We have to write him a letter anyway about Hermione's present, and congratulations for these captures._

_Right. Good idea._

_Okay, but how would we talk to Draco... even in the form of other students? Nott and Pansy would be good subjects, but... we'd never get away with it._

_Christmas Break. I bet you Draco will stay here like he did last time. If Nott and Pansy leave, we could get_

_their hairs early, and just tell Draco that we returned because of Nott's family issues, and Pansy wanted to be with Nott._

_That sounds fun... we could even pass the reasons for Pansy being there with him as romantic boyfriend/girlfriend stuff._

_I have no wish to kiss you when you are Pansy._

_So I'll be Nott... if you don't mind kissing him._

_Very funny._

Harry looked up and noticed that Luna and Hermione were watching them; Neville was reading the article with narrowed eyebrows, and Ron was too busy eating.

"Sorry," Ginny said, "We forgot."

"You're lucky the gossip girls aren't here yet, Ginny," Hermione said, with an uncharacteristic smirk, "They might notice how close you two are... even when silent."

"Ginny and I have an idea that may solve our problem with Draco," Harry explained, "But it will take a while before it can happen."

"A while?" Hermione asked, "How long?"

"Christmas Break, we expect," Harry said, "Draco will probably be here."

"Hoping Draco will have a case of the Christmas cheer and just spill his secrets?" Ron asked.

"No, not exactly," Harry said, "We'll explain it when we're sure it will work. Done with breakfast, Ginny?"

Ginny finished the last of her bacon, and took a swig of orange juice, then nodded. They walked out of the Great Hall and Harry stopped in his tracks as he thought of something.

_Blast! _Harry said, _Do you remember the ingredients we need? I know lacewing flies and boomslang skin, but there must be more. The potions book we need is in the Restricted section though!_

_Okay... change of plans. We need something to put the ingredients in anyway. You go to the library with the cloak, and find the book, then head off toward the dungeons. I'll go up to my dorm and get my knapsack and teleport to you._

_You take the map and keep an eye on me. Look for Snape or anyone who is close to me._

_Good idea. Good luck, my love._

They hurried up the Grand Staircase together and, after giving Ginny the map, Harry went off toward the library. When he arrived, he found Lockhart walking out of the library. Harry swore silently. He did not need this.

"Harry! Harry! Harry!" Lockhart said, "How are you this fine morning?"

"Er... fine," Harry said, "But I must be going... I have to check out a book and..."

Another 'Eureka moment' struck.

"Say, Professor," Harry said, "I actually do need your help with this. I need to get into the restricted section... I wanted to... to find out when you actually went into the Himalayas, and there may be a book there that could help me. But I need a Professor to give me clearance..."

Lockhart raised his eyebrows and grinned.

"Never fear, Harry," Lockhart said, "I will help my favorite student. Come with me..."

Harry grinned and followed him into the library.

"Now, where is Miss Weasley?" Lockhart said, "I am most disappointed to find out you are not with each other at the moment. You must stay in the vicinity of each other whenever possible to keep the gossip mills running. Never know when there is a Witch Weekly reader hanging around!"

"She's – ah – taking a shower, I think," Harry said, "Private, you know?"

"Of course!" Lockhart said, "Completely understand."

They walked over to the librarian's desk.

"Ah, Madam Pince," Lockhart said, "yes, I am back. Mr. Potter is doing some homework for me, and he needs permission to get into the Restricted Section. I give him that permission..."

Madam Pince narrowed her eyes as she looked at Harry.

"You won't be checking out those books, will you?" she asked, "Second years are only allowed to look at them in the library."

"I'll – err -" Harry said, then saw a stack of parchment on the desk, and took a piece and a self-filling quill, "I'll just take the notes I need and keep the book in there. Promise."

"Permission granted," Madam Pince said.

"Thank you," Harry said, "and thank you, Professor, I can find what I need."

"Of course... if you need any more help, come find me!" Lockhart said, "And I still haven't heard from you about that interview offer!"

"I'll – err – check my schedule," Harry said, then hurried into the Restricted section.

He looked through the sections until he found the book, and searched through it. When he found the recipe for Polyjuice Potion, he put the parchment on top of the page, and tapped his wand on it. The page copied itself over to the parchment, and he returned the book to the shelf, then returned the quill to the desk, thanked Pince again, and left the library.

_Got the recipe! _Harry said, _On my way to the dungeons._

_Got my knapsack, find a place for me to teleport._

Harry walked along the third floor and found a bathroom, and ducked into it. He asked Ginny to come now, and she appeared next to him.

"You picked a girl's bathroom?" Ginny asked, as they walked out and headed for the Grand Staircase, "How predictable, you prat."

"The bathroom had a nostalgia factor," Harry said, "It is where we stopped Pansy. Is Snape back in the castle?"

Ginny took the map from her pocket and said the pass-phrase then looked at it.

"Nope," she said, "We have free roam. But we should hurry anyway."

When they arrived at the dungeons, they made sure nobody was around, then ducked under the invisibility cloak and headed for the Potions Classroom. Another check on the map told them that it was clear, and they headed inside. When they got to the storage closet, it was predictably locked, but after a minute of complicated charms, they heard a mechanical click, and the door opened. They hurried inside and shut the door behind them. Harry read from the ingredient list while Ginny packed a few of the different ingredients in the bag. When they were finished, they walked back over to the door and Harry was about to open the door, when Ginny pulled him back. She shoved the map in front of his face, and he saw that Snape and Dumbledore's names were making their way into the classroom.

"Probation!" Snape spat, "Do they know what I've done for them, Albus? I sacrificed years – years! Just because I have the mark on my arm, means I am on probation – thanks to you of course, Albus, but – did they have to assign an Auror to watch over my classes and movements around the castle? Did they have to assign _him_?"

"Sirius Black is a fair and good Auror and wizard, Severus," Dumbledore said, "Your past feuds with him while you were children should be put away. I trust Auror Black will do the same."

"Oh, you trust that, Albus?" Snape asked, "Do you?"

"He was very generous to accept my offer to put you on probation, Severus," Dumbledore said, "You should be grateful for that. Come, Severus, we must speak to Theodore Nott. He will be going through a tough time thanks to the public announcement of his father's arrest."

"He'll suffer the same fate as Draco," Snape said, "I just wish I could prove that these – these theories – that Draco is being hexed by his fellow house-mates on a daily basis -"

Snape's voice trailed off and Harry saw that his and Dumbledore's names on the map were moving away. Harry and Ginny didn't dare open the door until the two Professors were far away, then they hurried out of the closet, closed the door and locked it, before donning the cloak and heading out of the classroom and the dungeons. Neither said a word, out loud or telepathically, until they reached the Grand Staircase.

_Draco's being... hexed? _Ginny said, _On a daily basis?_

_Just Snape's theory for now. Notice how we haven't seen any hex-marks on him._

_Draco said it himself that something was happening!_

_Could be anything... we'll find out ourselves by Christmas._

_Harry... Sirius is coming here... to watch over Snape._

_That will be fun to watch._

_Harry! Don't you understand? It is going to be difficult to to go through with our plans while he is here. He's going to probably hang around us when he is not watching Snape. But Harry... we're going to be making the Polyjuice Potion, going into the Pensieve if Ragnok can get one for us. Sirius will wonder where we go. He doesn't know about the Room of Requirement yet._

_Maybe we should just tell him. He could join us in the Pensieve. If he is coming tomorrow, we'll send him a letter tonight with our gift ideas for Hermione, and the request to get your cauldron._

_I don't know, Harry, but I do agree that we need to write the letter anyway._

_Yeah. Come on. We need to stop by the Room and put these ingredients in the safe in the mind-exercise room._

Half-an-hour later, after storing the ingredients in the safe and putting a cooling charm inside the safe to keep the ingredients fresh, they headed back to the Gryffindor Common Room, then made their way up to Harry's dorm, after making sure, via the map, that it was empty. Harry wrote Sirius the letter that included the cauldron request, their gift requests for Hermione (this took about five minutes to decide what to get her), congratulations for the arrests, and (after some debate) telling Sirius how about 'rumors' of him coming to Hogwarts to do something starting the following day. After signing the letter, they made their way to the Owlery, and sent off Hedwig with the letter.

* * *

Rumors of an Auror's arrival a Hogwarts swept the school on Sunday, and Harry and Ginny's friends were excited to hear that it was Sirius, though they were confused as to why he was coming, and how Harry and Ginny found out. They didn't want to tell their friends yet that they were going to soon brew Polyjuice Potion, and they also decided to let them find out some other way that Snape was a Death Eater, because it would cause questions Harry and Ginny didn't want at that moment.

On Monday morning, Harry and Ginny weren't the only students to get up and head off to the Great Hall early. Loud chatter was coming from the Great Hall as Harry and Ginny made their way into the entrance hall.

"So I don't even get a hello?" a voice said, that Harry and Ginny freeze at the entrance into the Great Hall.

They turned around and saw Sirius walking toward them, followed by Hagrid, who was carrying two suitcases and a box. Dobby was behind them carrying a trunk."

"Mornin', Harry, Ginny," Hagrid said, "Sirius, I'll take these up ter the Guest Quarters."

"Everything but this, Hagrid," Sirius said, taking the box, "Thank you. Say hello to Ash and Soot for me, eh?"

"O' course," Hagrid said, then headed up toward the Grand Staircase.

"Dobby, go with him," Sirius said.

Dobby only nodded silently and followed Hagrid up the stairs.

"You brought Dobby with you?" Harry asked.

"Melina begged me to split them up," Sirius said, "and she's never left Potter Manor and doesn't feel comfortable outside of the house. So Dobby is with me. I'll probably let him work in the kitchens with the other house-elves while I'm here. Now... I'm sure your keeping secrets from me. Because nobody burns their cauldron one week into the term, but this box has your gifts for Hermione, and your extra cauldron, Ginny."

"We'll explain later," Harry said, as he took the box from Sirius.

"That was one of James' favorite sayings," Sirius laughed, shaking his head.

"How long are you here for?" Ginny asked.

Sirius narrowed his eyes as he looked at both of them. "You know why I am here, don't you?"

Harry looked at Ginny, and they both looked at Sirius and said, "We'll explain later."

Sirius laughed. "I don't know how long I'll be here. Probably long enough to have to switch reservations from a five-star restaurant in London to the Three Broomsticks for my dinner with Amy in a couple weeks. Hopefully I'll be back in London by the end of October to bring down the big hound."

"Does Amy know you're here?" Ginny asked.

"She encouraged me to come," Sirius said, "She's leaving the internal investigations to Shacklebolt, Dawlish, and Moody. Moody's retiring around the first week of November, and she wanted to give him the big jobs for his last few weeks in HQ."

"She's worried about your safety, isn't she?" Harry asked, grinning.

"I – er – well – yes, probably," Sirius stammered, "and if you want there to be another –" he lowered his voice "- married couple living in Potter Manor before long, then it is probably best I do what she wants."

Harry and Ginny grinned.

"Ah, wonderful!" Dumbledore said, behind them, as he walked down the stone stairwell, "A family reunion. But I must postpone it for now. I am sure Harry and Ginny want to eat before they prepare for class. And I suggest, Sirius, that we quell the rumors from our students about why you are doing here with some proper truths."

"You want to tell the students about – err – the exact reason behind my arrival?" Sirius asked, "That could lead to some complications for – well – you understand."

"I have already spoken to all parties involved, Sirius," Dumbledore said, "You have full permission to reveal everything to the students."

"This should be interesting," Sirius muttered, "Come on kids. Oh, wait a minute! You shouldn't walk in there with Hermione's future birthday present. Dobby!"

Dobby appeared next to Sirius.

"Take the box up to Harry's dorm-room and make sure that only he or Ginny can get to it," Sirius said.

"Yes, sir," Dobby said, "Master, could I do anything for you?"

"No, Dobby," Harry said, then gave the box to Dobby, "Be nice to Sirius, he means well."

"Yes, sir," Dobby said, then vanished.

Harry, Ginny, Sirius and Dumbledore made their way into the Great Hall. At the sight of the Auror, the chatter continued. Harry and Ginny walked over to their usual spot at the Gryffindor table, where there friends already were. They waved at Sirius who smiled at them as he passed by. He and Dumbledore walked up to the podium in front of the Head Table, and Dumbledore raised his wand and black and purple sparks released from it. The Great Hall went silent.

"Look at Snape!" Ron hissed, "He looks mad about something."

"He seems to be glaring at Sirius," Hermione whispered.

Snape indeed looked furious as he stared at Sirius. Before Harry could say anything, Dumbledore started to address the students.

"Thank you, everyone," he said, "Yes, I am sure you have heard the rumors by now about our guest. To those who do not know, this is Auror Sirius Black, the man responsible for some of the rest arrests concerning those who are allies of the Dark Arts. I will now give him the floor. Please give him the same respect you would give me."

The students clapped politely, though Harry, Ginny, and their friends, as well as the Weasley twins were the loudest. Harry looked at the Slytherin table, and noticed that neither Draco nor Theodore Nott were applauding.

"Thank you," Sirius said, after the applause died down, "I'm sure there are many rumors as to why I am here. First, I will tell you a little about myself. Yes, I spent a decade in Azkaban for a crime I did not commit. I was a student here back in the 70s along with Professor Snape, and a couple of these Professors taught me back then. Yes, I am part of the famous Marauders."

Harry grinned and whispered to his friends. "He couldn't resist, could he?"

"I am here," Sirius said, "Because of two reasons: the first has to do with the crackdown against those who are associated with the Dark Arts."

Snape narrowed his eyes, but Sirius did not notice.

"Please know that the person involved here is not guilty of anything at the present time," Sirius said, "But he is only being investigated by myself for possible connections, be they small or large. He is no danger to you... outside of his usual personality, classroom antics, or the dangers his post brings already."

Harry and Ginny snickered and Snape glared in their direction.

"I am talking about Professor Snape," Sirius said.

Whispers and chatter began among the students, but stopped when Dumbledore shot more sparks into the air. Hermione, Ron, and Neville looked absolutely shocked, and looked toward Harry and Ginny; Luna just looked on dreamily.

"I will be in each of his classes," Sirius said, "watching how he teaches, and watching his everyday mannerisms. Please continue Potions class today and in the future as if this announcement never happened. The other reason I am here, is to investigate the rumors of hazing toward students, from students. If I find any evidence of hazing that is harmful to a student's experience here at the school, those students guilty of it will be expelled from this school immediately and brought up on possible charges with the Ministry. Understand?"

Sirius' eyes went straight toward the Slytherin table, before he swept among the other students. Everyone nodded and murmured in understanding.

"Thank you," Dumbledore said, "You may return to your breakfast. Good day."

Sirius and Dumbledore walked around the Head Table, and Sirius took a chair between Dumbledore and McGonagall.

Harry and Ginny turned to start on their breakfast, but their four friends were staring at them, questioningly. Harry looked at Ginny, and she grinned, and they looked back at their friends.

"We'll explain later," they said, in unison.

* * *

**I love it when a storyline comes together... and even more when more storylines begin that I hadn't ****planned out before (Polyjuice Potion, and the Snape's Probation/Sirius' arrival) I started the chapter!**

**I am planning another time-skip so I can get onto a few events I am looking forward to, but I do promise that first you will get a Potions Class with Sirius watching over it!**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	69. In The Owlery

**Chapter 69  
In the Owlery**

**Author's Note: 700+ Reviews and 500+ Story Alerts! And it is in 19 C2 Communities, which is now more than my first ever completed fan-fic (HP and the Return to Hogwarts).Thank you all! This chapter was almost impossible to title, because different things happened in one chapter, so I went with an obvious one... you'll see why soon.**

* * *

**(Harry)  
**  
"You'd think with Sirius here now," Harry said on Tuesday, as he, Ginny and their friends, minus Luna, made their way back to the castle, on their way to Potions, "he would help to stop the gossip surrounding us."

Harry was quite grumpy following Herbology. He had been working on mixing a batch of fertilizer, the lesson for the day, with Ginny, and had been speaking telepathically to do so. Professor Sprout had commented on how well they were working on it together, without need of communication, and stated that it was the mark of a good pairing that they did so well. Along with Seamus, Dean, Lavender and Parvati, now the Hufflepuff second years seem to think this was quite amusing. Harry knew that, to them, it was probably more evidence to their obvious relationship. He found it quite a relief that nobody had discovered they had a garden at home to work on together, which would point to their good fertilizer mixing techniques.

"He's probably thinking along the same lines Dumbledore is," Ginny said. "It is their choice to feed the gossip mills, and we must just learn to ignore it."

"Meanwhile, Lockhart is doing everything he can so you don't avoid it," Hermione said.

"I very much like this new Lockhart-abusing side of you, Hermione," Ron said, grinning.

Hermione blushed. "It isn't abuse! I'm just saying he should be doing something to stop the gossip, no matter how true it could be."

"Would you lower your voice when you mention how true the gossip is?" Harry asked, as they descended into the dungeons and he realized eavesdropping students could possibly be nearby, "That is just as bad as the actual gossip."

"Sorry," Hermione said, putting her hand on her mouth.

"And I'm just saying," Ron said, as if Harry hadn't said anything, "that this time last week you would have probably thought it was wonderful for Lockhart to encourage such behavior, and how romantic he makes it seem or something like that."

"I would not!" Hermione scowled.

"The Lockhart-abusing Hermione wouldn't do it," Ron amended, "The 'I-have-a-fancy-for-Lockhart' Hermione would probably have."

"I do not fancy Lockhart!" Hermione scowled, as her face went a deeper shade of red.

"Obviously not, now that you see a different side of the bloke," Ron said, "You would have to be mental to fancy him now."

"You seem to have quite the opinion on who I fancy, Ron," Hermione said.

"I – well – er – twelve-year old girls shouldn't seriously fancy anyone anyway," Ron said.

"I'll be thirteen in ten days," Hermione said, "How about then?"

"Yeah and what about me?" Ginny asked, "True, I just fancy one person and of course it is much more that, but still..."

"You're a very old eleven, Ginny," Ron said, grinning.

Harry snickered and Ginny glared at him. He sobered up immediately.

"You still didn't answer my question, Ron," Hermione said.

"Er – well – erm," Ron stammered, then pointed across the corridor, "Look, there's the Potions classroom."

Ron walked forward, and for the first time in his life, he was the first one out of his friends in the Potions classroom.

"Remind me why I like him?" Hermione asked her three friends still near her.

"Because he helped to save you from a troll," Ginny suggested, "and stood up for you the first day he met you."

"Right... there is that," Hermione said, "Thanks."

Harry chuckled and Hermione glared at him. He sobered up again, and followed the others into the classroom. Sirius was sitting at a desk behind the one where Harry usually sat. A notebook Harry recognized as those usually assigned to Aurors was on the desk, as well as quills and an inkwell.

"No, Miss Weasley," Professor Snape said, as Ginny went to her spot next to Ron, "From now on, you may sit with Mr. Potter."

"Yes, sir," Ginny said, obviously trying not to sound too pleased.

"He split you two up before today?" Sirius whispered to Harry.

"I'll explain later," Harry said, as he sat down.

Both girls happily returned to their original seats.

"As you already know," Snape said, "We have a guest present with us, and he will be present in future lessons for an unforeseen amount of time. Do give him the same respect you give me."

Harry tried his best not to show that he found that humorous. Thankfully, he succeeded.

"Today we will be reviewing a potion you worked on during your first year," Snape said, "Madam Pomfrey needs a new batch of Pepper-Up Potion for the expected dreary end of September and beginning of October, and has suggested I allow my second years to brew her new supply. Only those seen as usable will get a passing grade. I am sure none of you want to be responsible for poisoning a number of students or Professors in this school. I will not be putting the recipe on the blackboard today as you should all know how to brew this potion because it was on your final exams at the end of the last term. You will work with your partners seated beside you. Any ingredients you need are on the shelf at the back of the room. Begin... now."

Harry and Ginny took their cauldrons from their knapsacks. As Harry looked through his stash of ingredients, Ginny went over to the shelf. Harry told her what ingredients they needed through telepathy, then returned and they began to work on their potion. Throughout the rest of the lesson, Snape did not once look in the direction of Harry and Ginny. Harry wondered if it was because he was avoiding them or actually avoiding Sirius' gaze, since he was behind them. When the bell rang, Snape asked the students to bring up a flask of their potion for grade. Harry used his usual silent unbreakable charm on the flask, marked his and Ginny's names on it and brought it up to the desk. He and Ginny were the last to leave after they cleaned up after themselves, leaving Sirius and Snape in the classroom.

_Stay here for a moment, Ginny, _Harry said, _I want to know if they say anything to each other._

Ginny nodded and the both of them stood by a wall near the room.

"... noticed that you made a pass by everyone's potions today as they were being brewed," Sirius was saying, "Everyone but Harry and Ginny. Why?"

"Didn't they tell you over the summer why when they were living with you, Black?" Snape asked, "They were quite the dream team last year... they did surprisingly well for a boy who only had a few months knowledge of the fact that he was a wizard, and a girl who was only ten years old at the time. However, I trusted that they could do a repeat performance this year without my guidance or advice. So I did not choose to look at their potion until it was completed."

"And yet you seemed to have put them with different partners for their first week of this term," Sirius said, "Why?"

"Surely you know of the gossip around here surrounding your godson and Miss Weasley," Snape said. "Rita Skeeter's article was apparently quite a hit with students here, and they believe the two students are in a secret relationship – more than friends, you see. So I had decided to help them by splitting them up. But I knew that since you favor the two of them together, you would not like it if they were split up. I hope you're happy... I did it for you, Black."

"Be that as it may, Severus," Sirius said, "It is Albus' concern as to what the students are talking about outside of your classroom. You should be happy the gossip is centered around my godson and Miss Weasley. After Monday morning's announcement, the gossip mills could have been churning to a whole different tune."

There was silence, and Harry could imagine that Snape was looking at Sirius with a look of pure loathing.

"I'll be back for your class after lunch," Sirius said, "I do hope you do not use the next batch of students for tasks that Madam Pomfrey asked you to do alone and not for students."

Harry motioned for Ginny to follow him, and they headed off down the corridor.

"Freeze," Sirius said.

Harry and Ginny stopped in their tracks.

"Were you eavesdropping on my conversation?" Sirius asked, as he walked up to them.

"We can neither confirm nor deny that," Harry said, and Ginny grinned.

"Uh-huh," Sirius said, "If you were not, you'd be sitting with your friends for lunch by now. Come on, dream team."

"So Snape knows that I spent the summer with you," Ginny asked, as they headed for the Entrance Hall.

"It was only guesswork," Sirius said, "It would have pleased him if I confirmed the rumors. Although, I'm sure anyone would be curious with how well you are able to work without actually discussing anything with each other."

"We do discuss what we do," Harry said, "Oh... yeah, Snape doesn't know how we do that."

"We're not stopping that in class, Sirius," Ginny said, "It worked very well last year, and we're more comfortable with it."

"Oh, I quite agree," Sirius said, "Sure, it probably annoys Snape, but if he can call you a dream team, even sarcastically, you're doing something right."

"Didn't he call you and my father that when you were in school?" Harry asked, "And wasn't that because you were pranksters who could work without having to talk to each other."

"Yeah, but... we usually did our pranks on our own even if we did them together," Sirius said.

"But you never said a word to each other," Ginny said, "I see what you mean, Harry. He's making the same reference to us... apparently he thinks we learned your tricks."

"You have an actual trick," Sirius said, "James and I were just... naturals."

"Sad how that has to do with pranks," Harry said, "and not something like... say... Potions."

"It was your mother who was good at Potions," Sirius said, "and she never gave up her secrets, even when she and Prongs started snogging in broom closets."

Harry made a face. "Couldn't you have just said dating?"

"Same thing!" Sirius said, grinning.

* * *

On the second Friday of term, Harry received another letter from Ragnok, stating that the goblin would be able to find a Pensieve, and they could have it in as little as a week. Harry was very happy about this.

Even with the presence of Sirius in the castle, the days at Hogwarts passed by just like any other. The only times Harry could talk to Sirius was free periods, mealtimes and the evenings, where he and his friends usually spent their nights in the library doing homework while talking in whispers with Sirius.

The best thing about Sirius being in the castle, was that not only did Snape usually avoid Harry and Ginny, but Lockhart would not both them either if Sirius was around. He seemed to find the Auror very intimidating. Quidditch practice was now two times a week, and usually in the late afternoons, and Sirius had joined Hermione, Neville and Luna as they watched the Gryffindor team practice.

Even though they didn't need the Polyjuice Potion until December, Harry and Ginny knew that under the right temperatures it could stay fresh for a few months. But they still couldn't find the best time to start the potion, because once they did start it, they would need to visit the Room of Requirement every day, and possibly two or three times a day to check on it or adjust the potion. They had already decided to request an adjoining room inside the mind-exercise room, since it was the one they were commonly using. They finally decided they would wait until early October to start the potion.

Now the only problem was figuring out how to tell their friends and Sirius about it. They already planned on letting Sirius know about the Room of Requirement, but their plans for interrogating Draco was a little more difficult to tell. Of course, they knew that Sirius was investigating the hazing, and they could say this was a good way to figure out who was behind it, but they knew Sirius might say it was too dangerous, it could get them in trouble, and they should leave it up to him. They also figured their friends would probably agree with him.

On the third Thursday of the month, the night before Hermione's birthday, Harry and Ginny were in his dorm-room, wrapping up their present to Hermione with parchment they transfigured into wrapping paper. Everyone else was working on homework in the Common Room, so they had no visitors, but the map and cloak were close by so they could watch and see if anyone was coming up to the room. Suddenly, at the end of the bed, a large parcel materialized out of thin air. Ginny was the closest one to it, and she scooted along the bed toward it.

"I think it's the Pensieve!" Ginny said, grinning, then took a small scroll from the top of the parcel, and unrolled it, "Yep, letter's from Ragnok -" her eyes darted back and forth as she started to read the letter, "Blimey, it cost seventy-five galleons, and he says it is rather old."

Ginny unwrapped the parcel and opened it. Harry grinned when he saw the Pensieve. It was almost exactly like Dumbledore's, except the inside of the bowl wasn't as deep. There was also another scroll of parchment, that seemed to be an instruction manual, three large vials, along with a set of smaller flasks, usually used for storing memories before putting them inside the Pensieve.

"This is what we pour inside the Pensieve to activate it," Ginny said, reading from the manual and holding up one of the vials, "Before we put memories inside it, I mean. Then we – Blimey, those incantations look complicated!"

"A Pensieve is a complicated object, Ginny," Harry said, as he took a closer look at one of the vials.

Inside the vial was a substance that didn't look entirely liquid... it was almost like gas you put in automobiles, but it resembled a metallic-colored water, and seemed to be swirling around the vial, like it was forever wrapped in a torrent.

He and Ginny then put everything back in the parcel, and Harry put concealing spells on it, before placing it in his trunk.

"So... now we have the Pensieve," Ginny said, as they resumed wrapping up Hermione's present, "When should we start using it."

"Saturday evening," Harry said, "Tomorrow night we can just focus on Hermione's birthday. But Saturday, Sirius is meeting Amelia in Hogsmeade. We have Quidditch practice, but as long as it finishes at a decent time, we can get a quick bite to eat, and prepare the Pensieve in the mind exercise room. We should probably test it before the others get there."

Ginny nodded, and Harry could tell that she was already figuring out what memory she wanted to test it with. Harry had a few ideas of his own too.

After they finished wrapping Hermione's present, Harry put it in his trunk. Ginny donned the Invisibility Cloak and they headed downstairs to work on the History of Magic homework due the following morning.

* * *

**(Ginny)**

At five-thirty on Friday morning, the day of Hermione's thirteenth birthday, Ginny once again woke up next to Harry, thanks to the vibrating pillow alarm. Harry's eyes were closed, but Ginny knew better. She grinned, leaned over him and and kissed him softly. Harry's lips turned up into a smile, and he gently nudged her back onto the bed and returned the kiss. She immediately accepted his tongue and brushed her own against it and backed up.

Ginny wasn't surprised at any of this. It had been an on-going wake-up tradition over the past few days. Lessons had been hectic lately, and between those, and the weather that was beginning to turn rather chilly which meant sitting at the oak tree was not too inviting of an idea, they never had very much time to spend like this together, so their best available time was late at night, or early in the morning to just have these little moments.

"I have to go back to my dorm," Ginny said, as Harry rolled back onto the pillow. "If I am lucky, the gossip girls aren't awake yet... last year on this day, they were up early decorating the dorm."

"And were very eager to talk about Hermione's new training bras if I remember correctly," Harry said, "I won't make the mistake of listening in today."

"I didn't think you would," Ginny said, grinning, "Our plan for her birthday is still on, right? Just tell her happy birthday... no presents from her friends until tonight?"

"And we'll try to keep her out of the Great Hall, since we've already planned to have food in the Room of Requirement," Harry said, "Dobby's in the kitchens, and he'll be happy to bring food up to us."

"Have you told Sirius about the room yet?" Ginny asked, and narrowed her eyes when Harry made a face, "He's going to want to be at her party, even if the only guests are her friends, and he won't know where it is."

"I'll tell him," Harry said, "Potions is the last class of the day, and after that is when we'll prepare for the party, so I can tell him then."

"Okay," Ginny said, then briefly pecked Harry on the lips, "And now I really should go. See you in a little while."

Ginny took the Invisibility Cloak from under the pillow and put it on. Harry opened the curtains, and Ginny scurried out of the room and down the stairs. The Common Room was empty as it usually was this early in the morning, as was the stairs going up to Ginny's dorm, so she took off the cloak, and concealed it inside her dressing gown. As she neared the dorm room, she heard the familiar giggling of Lavender and Parvati and cursed silently. She knew she couldn't use the cloak to get across the room... the girls would probably notice the curtains opening by themselves. Ginny grinned, as an idea came. She summoned a towel from the nearby bathroom, then wrapped it around her hair. She walked into the dorm, where Lavender and Parvati were putting up balloons and streamers again.

"Why are you up so early?" Lavender whispered when she saw Ginny.

"Shower," Ginny said, pointing to the towel over her hair, "Nobody's in the showers this early, so I never have to wait. Decorating again?"

"We figured it could be a tradition," Parvati said.

Ginny nodded and walked over to her bed. She took the outfit she had prepared the previous evening, and opened the curtains, then sat down on her bed.

"Why were your curtains closed if you just went out for a shower?" Lavender asked.

"Force of habit," Ginny said, calmly.

She closed the curtains around her, put Harry's cloak under her pillow for now and started changing into her school uniform for the day.

"You know, Ginny," Lavender said, "Parvati and I've been noticing things lately. You seem to wake up this early a lot. You're never in here when we wake up, at the normal time when we usually wake up before preparing for the day. And more than once we've found you in the Common Room early in the morning... with Harry."

Ginny rolled her eyes. These girls were too observant for their own good.

"Okay, I admit that Harry and I are usually there in the Common Room early in the morning," Ginny said, figuring that was safe, "what do you want me to say?"

"Are you or are you not dating him?" Parvati asked.

"Do I look old enough to want to start a relationship?" Ginny replied, "Okay... you win. Yes, over the summer, I might have visited his house more often than not. But in those few months before the first year of school started, after he started living with my family, he, myself and Ron were spending every day with each other doing things. I very much missed that, and would have missed him if I never visited him. Did I sleep at his house... sure, we had sleep-overs."

"You slept in the same room... the same bed?" Parvati asked.

Ginny bit her lip and blushed. She was very happy the curtains were closed.

"If you count the sleep-overs in the sitting room on different blankets as that, sure," Ginny said; okay, so it was a half-truth.

"So... do you fancy him?" Lavender asked.

"What young girl, at those who grew up in the wizarding world did not fancy him at some point?" Ginny replied, "We all read about him in books. My Mum can tell you I had an innocent fancy on him at a very young age, and it was just because of stories I read or heard about him. Of course... only a few of those stories are true. He didn't grow up in the nice manor he has now, and there were no unicorn foals nesting in the forest that he would visit everyday. But those are just silly, of course."

"Do you still fancy him?" Parvati asked.

"Why do you ask?" Ginny replied.

"Because Lavender wants to know if he is available," Parvati asked, "She fancies him..."

"Parvati!" Lavender squealed, giggling.

"Oh, don't deny it... him and Lockhart," Parvati said, "At least you're leaving Oliver Wood alone now. Anyway... we have a rule in this dorm... at least Lavender and I set it. We leave boys alone who our dorm-mates fancy. It is obvious birthday girl fancies your brother..."

"Is it that obvious?" Hermione's voice said, timidly from her bed.

"Happy birthday, Hermione!" Parvati said, "Oh... it isn't that obvious... Ron's not going to know unless you want him to know."

"I... am not sure how I feel about that," Hermione said, "And thank you."

"So... Ginny?" Parvati asked.

Ginny narrowed her eyes. So Lavender fancied Harry, did she?

"Fine," Ginny admitted; she had to do something about this, and quickly, "Yes, I fancy him, and he probably fancies me. But it is not some arranged courtship like Rita Skeeter said. If it seems like we're together, it is because it could lead up to that sooner rather than later. We're just... not there yet."

"See, that wasn't so bad to admit that," Parvati said.

"It is rather cute," Lavender said, "Okay, he's yours to claim."

"Lavender, I thought you fancied Seamus, not Harry."

Lavender spluttered and stammered.

"You've been tricked, Ginny," Hermione said, "I think Parvati only said Lavender fancied Harry, so you'd admit that."

Ginny groaned. She put the cloak inside the pocket of her robes, and opened the curtains. Lavender and Parvati were looking at her with victorious smiles.

"Well-played," she said, "I'm going downstairs to wait for Harry."

She smiled and decided to play this right.

"Maybe he'll actually kiss me today," she said, grinning, "Of course... it is Hermione's birthday, not mine. Happy birthday, Hermione."

Hermione grinned, looking rather impressed with that performance. "Thanks, Ginny. Ooh, presents!"

Ginny took her knapsack and headed off out of the room, and down the stairs.

_Unicorn foals? _Harry asked.

_You prat! Were you listening to all of that?_

_I needed to know if I had to watch out for Lavender and Parvati. I kind of had a feeling they were just gossiping about us because they wanted to know if I was claimed or not._

_You could have warned me!_

_Sure, sure. I'm coming downstairs now... meet you there. Oh, and Ginny... yes, I'll probably kiss you today... even if it is Hermione's birthday._

Ginny grinned and shook her head. _Thanks, Harry._

* * *

**(Harry)**

_Phase one of the birthday party underway, Harry, _Ginny said, _Dobby's bringing the food up to the Room, and I am going up to get our present for Hermione. Ron and Neville have theirs in their knapsack, and are now requesting what the room should look like... hopefully they do it right. Oh, and Luna ran into Hermione and I in the Entrance Hall and asked her if she could help her with a bit of homework before dinner. So her part is underway._

_Hermione can't resist homewor_k, Harry said, grinning, _I am waiting for Sirius outside the Potions Classroom, while he does his end-of-the-week assessment toward Snape._

_Yes, I can hear Snape's bitter tone... glad to know that we at least both can do this audio-sharing thing, and that we can finally control it._

_Yep... see you in the Room of Requirement._

_Good luck explaining it to Sirius._

Harry felt his mind link weaken. It was late Friday afternoon, and dinner in the Great Hall would take begin in an hour, but Harry and his friends had no plans to be there.

__"... I have two more weeks of this, Severus," Sirius said, "Maybe we'll actually get through this without a confrontation."

"You are trying your best to behave, Black," Snape said, "I'll give you that. I'll say this for your time in Azkaban... it actually taught you how to grow up."

"Maybe a stint in Azkaban would be good for you then," Sirius said. "I'll see you soon."

"Say hello to Amy for me," Snape said.

"Watch it, Severus," Sirius said, "Only I can call her that."

"Right," Snape said, and Harry could almost hear the sneer in his voice, "I'll keep that in mind."

Sirius appeared in the corridor, and Harry noticed there was no surprise in his eyes when he saw him. He silently motioned him forward down the corridor, and Harry walked on with him.

"Do you ever think of using your cloak to eavesdrop on me and Snape?" Sirius asked him.

"Sure," Harry said, "But Ginny's using it to get Hermione's birthday present out of my dorm. Speaking of... want to come to a birthday party?"

"Depends," Sirius said, "Where is it? I would like to visit Gryffindor Tower again. See how the Marauder's Den is."

"Marauder's Den?" Harry asked.

"I never told you about that?" Sirius asked. "Well, before our first year, on that very first September 1st we came here, James asked the family house-elf they had at the time - this was the house-elf before Millie, no relation to her – to come to Hogwarts, and act like one of the house-elves that worked here. He knew he'd be in Gryffindor, so he told the house-elf to make sure he got the very first room in the boy's side of the tower, so he didn't have to walk all the way up to the top. Every year, even when James had his own room when he was Head Boy, he made sure that the house-elf marked that room as our room. When asked why he did it, he said it was the easiest room to sneak girls into. We coined it the Marauder's Den, and, unless ol' Filch or someone found how to remove the charms, our initials should still be carved into the wood beneath the couch built into the window."

"No, I never heard about that," Harry said, "That is brilliant. But no... it isn't in the Gryffindor Tower. It is in a room that you or the other Marauders never knew about. How do I know that? Well, it is not on the map."

"You found a room that we didn't know about?" Sirius asked, his eyes bulging, "Impossible!"

"Well, you might have found it once or twice, but never saw it again," Harry said. "Ever had a time when you really needed to use the loo while on the seventh floor, and one just appeared there for you?"

"No, but there was that one time I was with Neville's mother," Sirius said, "This was before she was with Frank, and long before I was with Amy... and I wanted a broom closet to snog her in, and one just... appeared."

"You dated his Mum?" Harry asked.

"Whoa, who said anything about dating?" Sirius said, grinning.

"Right... I'll make sure Neville never discovers that," Harry said.

"Good man," Sirius said, "Now show me this room."

They ascended the Grand Staircase and made their way onto the seventh floor. Soon, they were standing in front of the large door near Barnabas the Barmy.

"Er... this is a wall," Sirius said.

"Ah, Ron and Neville must have made a guest list and forgot you," Harry said, then looked at the door, "Let Sirius Black see you."

"Whoa!" Sirius barked out, "Blimey!"

"Welcome to the Room of Requirement," Harry said, as he led Sirius into the room, "any room you ask for, it will create."

Harry smiled as he looked at the room. It was a smaller version of Potter Manor's event room, though it had a fireplace and only two tables... a round one, and a long rectangular table. There was also a small wireless radio and decorations. A banner that read 'Happy Birthday Hermione' hung over the round table. Ron, Neville and Dobby were in the room already. Dobby was snapping his fingers, as different various foods from the kitchens appeared on the long table.

"Oh good, you're here," Ron said, "Ginny was supposed to be here too... perhaps she's looking for Hermione and Luna."

"Hang on, I'll find out," Harry said.

_Ginny? _He said, _Where are you? Sirius, myself, your brother and Neville are in the Room._

_I found Luna and Hermione. They were headed on their way to the library, but Luna said she needed to stop by the Owlery first, and then we'll go right by the Room of Requirement. We'll be there shortly. Owlery is straight ahead._

"Ginny found the others," Harry said, "They're coming soon. They're stopping by the Owlery first."

_Harry! You better get up here to the Owlery... something's wrong! The owls are acting weird and... oh! Get up here, Harry! Teleport now!_

_Coming!  
_

"We need to go to the Owlery," Harry said, quickly, "Ginny said something's wrong_. _I'll teleport there."

"We'll be there shortly," Sirius said, his wand appearing in his hand.

Harry nodded and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he was standing in the Owlery. Ginny was kneeling near something Harry could not see. Hermione was near Luna, who was closing her eyes and looking rather scared

"Are you okay, Luna?" Harry asked.

"They're scared," Luna said, "The owls. They're not telling me anything."

"You can hear them talk?" Hermione asked.

"No... their auras... their auras tell me they're scared and they won't tell me what happened."

"What happened to what?" Harry asked.

"Get over here, Harry!" Ginny said, "I don't know how to help him!"

"Er... who?" Harry asked, as he walked over toward Ginny.

Ginny backed away and Harry's eyes widened as he saw what was on the ground.

Vincent Crabbe was laying there... Harry could see that he was alive, which was miraculous... because he was very still... and his eyes were wide open, as if in fright.

* * *

**Cliffhanger! The new mystery of the second year begins!**

**So this kind of puts a damper in plans for Harry, Ginny and even Sirius. Hermione will get her presents, and there will be Pensieve trips, but the latter will be delayed because of this.**

**Hope you liked this chapter! Did I do well with Sirius and Snape's confrontations?**


	70. The Writing On The Wall

**Chapter 70  
The Writing On The Wall**

Harry's eyes moved slowly over Vincent Crabbe, as he used what he could remember from Auror training to figure out what had happened. Eyes wide open, as if he was scared when he was attacked. This was a sign of the Killing Curse, but Crabbe was alive. Harry poked a finger against Crabbe's arm... his skin felt soft, not a sign that he was petrified. He also felt warm, not cold... a sign that blood was still running freely through his veins.

"He... he's alive right?" Ginny asked, looking at Harry.

"Yeah," Harry said, "But -"

"Harry?" Sirius called out, "Ginny?"

"In here!" Harry said, not taking his eyes off of Crabbe, "Hurry!"

Harry heard footsteps, and soon Sirius was kneeling down near him and Crabbe. Harry could hear Ron and Neville breathing hard behind him.

"Neville," Sirius said, as he hovered his wand over Crabbe, "Go find Professor Dumbledore. I'm sure he's in his office. Tell him what happened Current password is 'Sweet Buns'. Nice password, that."

"It is food, not a compliment, Sirius," Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

Neville ran out of the Owlery, and Ron came closer.

"Is he – dead?" Ron asked.

"He's alive," Sirius said, "But you might think he was dead when you first see him."

"I-I did," Hermione said.

Ginny nodded in agreement. Luna's eyes were still closed and she was pacing back and forth around the Owlery; Harry was surprised she hadn't bumped into a wall.

"Frightened stare and a still form is the first two signs Aurors have to look for when looking for the Killing Curse in victims," Sirius said, "Next is the cold skin, as if all warmth had been swept from their body. This boy has the first two signs, but he is still alive."

Hermione suddenly screamed and causing Harry, Ginny and Sirius to look at her. Ron ran over to her. She was looking at her hand with wide eyes. Harry saw red specks there.

"It is paint, Hermione," Ron said, as he held her hand and looked at it, "Not blood."

"Oh, thank Merlin," Hermione said, and hugged him, then backed up quickly, "Oops... sorry. I was just relieved... that was so scary."

"That – that's okay," Ron said, "Yeah, just paint. Red paint."

"Where did it come from?" Ginny asked looking around, "Nothing in here is red."

Harry's eyes widened as a thought came to his mind. He looked at Luna.

"Luna, the owls," Harry said, "You said they were frightened, yes? Are they all frightened of the same thing?"

"Yeah," Luna said, "but they're... not looking at that boy."

Harry looked up and found Hedwig, who also looked frightened.

"Hedwig?" Harry asked, "Are you okay?"

Hedwig's eyes looked down at him, then blinked and looked over at a wall across the Owlery. All of the owls near her were looking at the same wall.

"Owls see better in the dark," Harry said, "It is going to get very dark in here... don't be afraid."

Harry raised his wand, muttered a spell and the Owlery became pitch black.

"What the bloody hell is that?" Ron's voice called out.

Harry looked up and saw what Ron had seen. There, on the same wall Hedwig was looking at, red paint was glowing in the dark. It formed words that read:

**PURE BLOOD IS NEVER ALWAYS PURE,**  
**ALLIES OF THE SNAKE, BEWARE!**

Light returned to the room and Sirius lowered his wand.

"Allies of the Snake?" Hermione asked, "The Slytherins?"

"'Pure blood is never always pure,'" Ginny quoted, "Always pure... that was your family's motto, Sirius."

"Toujours Pur," Sirius said, nodding, "Always Pure."

"Beware," Harry whispered, "Enemies of the heir, beware."

"What?" Hermione asked.

"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened," Harry said, "Enemies of the heir beware."

"Harry, please," Ginny said, frowning, "Don't mention that."

"The second line is really similar to the way it was last time," Harry said.

"We took care of her, Harry," Ginny said, "She'd be the only one who would know about that besides us!"

"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked.

"We – we shouldn't talk about it now," Ginny said, "Dumbledore will be coming soon."

"Right," Harry said.

Ginny looked down at Crabbe, then back at Harry.

_The word 'Beware' could be a coincidence, and the full line just looks similar. It isn't me, or you, and the other person who would know is Pansy, and you Obliviated her!_

_There are ways for memories to come back._

_Not this soon, Harry. Not unless she had help._

_Wait... there was another person with her that night in the Time Chamber. We never figured out who it was. He could have been older or younger than her. If he was younger... he'd be a first year or younger._

_We Stunned him, Harry... he might not have gone into the pool. Besides... when we arrived and Pansy followed, who knows what happened to that timeline. It probably doesn't exist anymore, and if it did... well, either it changed because of what we're doing, or we don't even exist in it anymore. And that is too harsh to even think about. I think this is just a coincidence. Someone is targeting Slytherins... and if Crabbe is only the first... well, he's the son of a Death Eater that hasn't been caught, right? Maybe that is who they're after._

_'Pure blood is never always pure'... I wonder what that means... has to have a second meaning to it._

_Voldemort_ _isn't a pure blood, and he was in Slytherin._

_That would be one possibility, yes. But I am pretty sure Crabbe is entirely a pureblood._

"In here, Professors!" Neville's voice called out.

Harry turned around and saw Neville returning with Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape.

"Oh dear!" McGonagall said, "What happened?"

Snape walked over to Crabbe and kneeled down across from Sirius. He hovered his wand along Crabbe's unconscious form.

"Hermione, Luna and I came up here to the Owlery and found Crabbe," Ginny said, "And I – err – sent Harry a message and he found Sirius, Ron and Neville."

"First signs would show that he is dead," Snape said, "But he is very much alive, but in a state where he may not wake up for a unforeseeable amount of time."

"What about Mandrake Draught?" Harry asked, "Professor Sprout has seedlings growing."

"Very good suggestion, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said, "We will take that up for suggestion."

"Seedlings take weeks to fully mature," Snape said, "It could take months before we're able to give it to Mr. Crabbe."

"Would he survive those months, Severus?" McGonagall asked.

"I don't even recognize what curse besides the Killing Curse could have caused symptoms like this, Headmaster," Snape said, "It would be best if we could find the culprit who did this and ask them."

"Did you see anyone run by you, girls?" McGonagall asked, "Did you hear anything?"

"We heard the owls screeching," Hermione said, "and we came in here and they were very frightened."

"We discovered why they were frightened," Sirius said, "If I may darken the room?"

"Go ahead, Auror," Dumbledore said.

Sirius raised his wand and the Owlery went pitch black again. Harry didn't look at the words this time.

"Oh, great Scot!" McGonagall gasped.

The room lit back up again.

"Allies of the Snake, beware," Snape said

"We... we figured that meant the Slytherins, Professor Snape," Hermione said, timidly.

"The Dark Lord was often known as the Snake," Snape said, "during the war by those who liked to ridicule his name. This message sounds like it is using his name as a jab."

"I was investigating the possibilities of Vincent Crabbe's father being associated with the Death Eaters," Sirius said, "Perhaps whoever attacked this boy knows this, and it is another hazing attack gone way too far. Attacking Lucius or Patroclus' sons would be too obvious because those are the two possible targets for hazing we have theorized."

"Should we discuss this in front of the students, Auror Black?" Snape asked, raising his eyebrows.

"The truth is better to know than fiction," Dumbledore said, "I imagine these six would probably try to come up with their own theories, if they reported them, those too far-fetched may throw us off the course."

_Translation, _Ginny said, _He wants to know what we think._

"I do agree," McGonagall said, "But perhaps it is better if the students go to their Common Room, as well as every other student, so we may explain what is going on before the famed gossip mill churns up?"

"Make the announcement, Professor," Dumbledore said, "Ask for the Professors to meet in my office, and we will make official announcements to the students before the night is over. Severus, could you assist me with taking Mr. Crabbe to the hospital wing? Auror Black can take the students back to their Common Room. As for Miss Weasley, and her friends, fifty points to Gryffindor for finding Mr. Crabbe and discovering the first clues to this – ah – new mystery in our school."

"Thank you, Professor," Ginny said, and her five friends nodded.

"What about our owls?" Ron asked, "They look frightened."

"Ah – I will ask our gamekeeper to see if he can comfort them," Dumbledore said, "But first, I think I will remove that dreadful message."

Dumbledore lifted the Elder Wand and started murmuring under his breath. Harry and his friends followed Sirius out of the Owlery, and headed off to the Gryffindor Tower, as McGonagall's voice echoed overhead:

"All students, please return to your Towers for the time being," she said, "Prefects, guide those students who may need help and keep everyone calm. Explanations will be given before the night's end. You have half-an-hour. Those students found in the corridors after that will be given detention. All Staff, please head to the Headmaster's office for information on the current situation. Thank you for your cooperation."

"Er... we need to stop by the Room of Requirement," Ron said, when they were alone in the corridors on the way to the Common Room, "to get something."

"You were in the Room of Requirement?" Hermione asked.

"We... were going to give you a surprise birthday party," Ginny said, "

"Yeah, your presents are there," Ron said, "Mine and Neville's at least. Hopefully we can still get them."

"Oh!" Hermione said, "Well... thanks!"

"I have the one from me and Harry," Ginny said, "I was going to lead you there, once we got done at the Owlery. It was supposed to be an excuse from Luna..."

"It wasn't an excuse," Luna said, "I wanted to go there."

"Did you have a letter to send?" Ron asked.

"No," Luna said, "I just felt like I needed to go there."

"Wait," Neville said, "You felt like you needed to go there?"

"Yeah," Luna said.

"Could be that new power the Sorting Hat was mentioning to you," Neville said.

"Hmm... perhaps," Luna said, "It has happened to me before... when my... when my Mum died, I knew I needed to go to her laboratory... and then..."

"You found her, didn't you?" Ginny asked.

Luna nodded.

"Sorry," Ginny said, "shouldn't have said that."

"It's okay," Luna said.

"Wait... a new power?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah, we'll explain that later," Harry said.

Sirius glared at Harry. "Stop saying that. You already have one thing you need to tell me. Who is this 'her' you were talking about earlier, Ginny?"You said you and Harry 'took care of her'."

Harry looked at Ginny and she shrugged.

"We weren't the only two who came back from the future," Harry said. "The one who attacked us and caused us to go into the pool followed us. Pansy Parkinson was that girl."

Ron cursed. Hermione and Neville gasped, and Sirius murmured something in disbelief. Luna, whose eyes were finally open, still seemed to be deep in thought about the owls.

Harry explained his suspicions during the Opening Feast in first year, he explained that it was Pansy who was responsible for hexing Ginny's broom during Flying Lessons, and he explained the confrontation in the third floor girl's bathroom.

"I wiped her memory of everything that was a threat to us," Harry said.

"Are you sure?" Sirius asked, "Memories still have a way of coming back."

"It is possible," Harry admitted, "but there are clues to the contrary. She's friends with Malfoy now. She absolutely loathed him in the future because he was not allies with her or Nott."

"Don't forget the supporting evidence, Harry," Ginny said, "She is still pretty friendly with Nott."

"Well, that could be just the way my memory modification worked," Harry said. "She had to act normal so nobody would think it was strange. So she could probably still have remembered being friends with Nott."

"It is possible," Sirius said.

"Sirius, you said this could be a hazing gone really bad," Ron said. "Pansy's friends are the one getting hazed, we believe, right? Nott and Malfoy? If Crabbe's father is a Death Eater, and if he was arrested, they would just shun Crabbe as well, and he'd probably end with Pansy, Malfoy and Nott."

"Right, like a support group," Hermione said.

"Yeah," Ron said, "So... whoever attacked him... could have known his father is a Death Eater."

"Pansy would know if her memory was back," Harry said.

"A lot of people in this school could know that, Harry," Ginny said.

"Yeah, but what about that message?" Harry asked, "Red paint, last word is 'beware' and that whole sentence is eerily familiar."

"You don't think I know that?" Ginny asked, "Really?"

"I know, Ginny," Harry said.

"Okay, you're going to have to explain this," Sirius said.

_Or we can show them, _Ginny said, _when we use the Pensieve..._

_We might have to change our plans because of this. Definitely not tomorrow... we might be chaperoned this whole weekend because of this._

"We can show you what we mean," Harry said. "But it will have to be some time where we can have alone time where nobody will miss us."

"Why?" Sirius asked.

"We're going to be showing you memories in a Pensieve," Harry said, "Ragnok bought one for us, using our money."

Sirius raised his eyebrows.

"So you did get it?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," Harry said, "We were going to try to use it tomorrow in the Room of Requirement – while Sirius was having his date in Hogsmeade."

"Agh," Sirius groaned, "I have to do a fire-call to Amelia. We're going to have to postpone that because of this. And I'll have to get her to talk to Crabbe's father."

"And Gregory Goyle's father," Harry said, "Like fathers, like sons, they do everything together."

"Right," Sirius said, "Okay... we'll work on that trip into your Pensieve. I'll figure it out."

"When?" Harry asked, "I thought you were leaving in two weeks."

"I was hoping I would be," Sirius said, "But with this... well, we'll have to see. Don't worry, I'll work on it, You've struck my curiosity again. We'll plan for a week from tomorrow, how about that?"

Harry and Ginny nodded in agreement.

They stopped by the Room of Requirement and retrieved the presents, then gave them to Hermione. When they got back to the fairly crowded Common Room, they sat down on the steps leading toward the dormitories, while Sirius told the other students that McGonagall would explain everything soon.

Hermione opened the presents as she sat there with her friends. From Harry and Ginny, she received a jewelry box that only she could open, along with a silver charm bracelet with her initials and her friends initials carved into six different little circular metal charms. Ginny's initials on the charm was GW, but if Hermione tapped it, it would change to GP. Hermione's initials were deliberately next to Ron's. From Neville, she received a book on _Magical Garden in Muggle Areas, A Guide To Hide_(Hermione had mentioned over the summer when she saw the Potter Manor garden that she wanted to have her own at home, but she lived around Muggles, of course – the book would tell her how to keep it from Muggle eyes). Luna gave her a pair of bottle-cap earrings.

Ron gave her a picture frame that changed pictures with the tap of a wand on the front of the frame. The pictures moved, but they could also go stationary with a tap on the back of the frame, in case she was around Muggles. There were already a few pictures in it of Hermione and her friends. One was a picture of only Hermione and Ron, during Harry's party over the summer. Even in the picture, Hermione was blushing being near Ron. Ron told her that he had worked on the frame with his mother, who was usually good at these things, and his mother had taken most of the pictures.

"Thanks," Hermione said, "Really good haul this year."

Harry, Ginny and their friends sat there waiting for McGonagall, talking about different things, while trying not to talk about what happened in the Owlery.

_Harry, _Ginny said, _I was thinking of what happened last timeline..._

_If this is about the message, I am sorry I brought it up. I know you don't like to think about that, especially since we're back at the time it happened._

_It is okay. We've stopped that from happening. We need to worry about this time, Harry. That is priority. And I was thinking... last time Lockhart started the Dueling Club because of what happened to a student... we should talk to Dumbledore and McGonagall about it soon if we want to handle it instead of Lockhart._

_Oh, right, good idea. We can ask McGonagall when she comes in to the give the announcement._

"Hermione?" Ron said, "You – err – still have that paint on your hand."

"Oh," Hermione said, looking at her hand, "I'll take care of it later – it isn't that bad... it just scared me when it dripped on me. I'm okay now. Thanks, Ron."

Ron opened his mouth to reply, but he was interrupted by students chatter growing. Professor McGonagall had arrived. Sirius walked over to her. She said something softly to him, and he shook his head and replied just as quiet. McGonagall nodded and cleared her throat as she looked at the students.

"Earlier tonight," she said, "Second year student Vincent Crabbe was found cursed, but alive, in the Owlery. He may be in the Hospital Wing for a while. We have reasons to believe this may be connected to the apparent hazing attacks that have happened to students recently. If any of you know anything or may have seen anything around the Owlery in the past couple of hours, or saw anyone accompanying Vincent Crabbe today, please see me. We are not sure if the danger has passed, so dinner will be available here shortly. You are to remain in this tower for the remainder of the evening, and this weekend, free time on the grounds, the library and in the corridors will be cut short to only a few hours during the morning and early afternoon. Keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. Prefects, you will meet with the prefects of the other houses tomorrow morning at seven-o-clock to discuss temporary new schedules for your rounds over the next few days until things have calmed down. Thank you for your cooperation. Any questions or concerns?"

"What about Quidditch practice tomorrow?" Oliver Wood asked.

"I am aware of your scheduled practice, Mr. Wood," McGonagall said, "Madam Hooch will chaperone your team's practice from ten in the morning until one in the afternoon, then will escort the team back for lunch."

Oliver looked grateful and relieved.

"What about Astronomy tonight?" Luna asked.

"No lesson for the first years this week, Miss Lovegood," McGonagall said, "Professor Sinistra will postpone the lesson until next week. No more questions? Good. Dinner will arrive shortly."

Harry nodded to Ginny, and they crossed the room to McGonagall and Sirius.

"Professor," Harry said, in a lowered voice, "Could – err – Ginny and I speak to you in private?"

McGonagall nodded and led Harry, Ginny and Sirius out through the portrait.

"Do you have more information?" McGonagall asked.

"No, but it concerns it... sorta," Harry said, "We wish to speak to you or the headmaster about an idea we had over the summer that could be used for in this situation."

McGonagall's lips creased into a frown.

"Come with me, you two," she said, motioning them to follow her.

They started off toward the Grand Staircase.

"Do you wish to join us, Sirius?" McGonagall asked.

"I need to go to the Slytherin Common Room," Sirius said, "There might be a few students I need to talk to. But first, I must fire-call Amy... she might be able to help in London."

"Albus wants this kept confidential for now, Sirius," McGonagall said, "At least until we can get a lead on anything."

"An attack on a student with a curse that seems to have similar affects to the Killing Curse," Sirius said, "And the student is the son of a possible Death Eater. Yes, I very much agree. I promise Amelia will keep this quiet."

"Well, I do trust her, of course," McGonagall said, "Very well, Sirius. Do what you must."

Ten minutes later, Harry, Ginny and McGonagall were walking into the headmaster's office. Unfortunately, there was already somebody there.

"It is a pity I wasn't there in the first few minutes of the attack," Professor Lockhart said, "It looks like a curse a hag put on a dear friend of mine in Botswana years ago. I just wish I could remember the counter-curse."

"We are already discussing ways to wake Mr. Crabbe up, Gilderoy," Dumbledore said, "Mandrake Draught has been suggested."

"Ah, yes!" Lockhart said, "That was my second suggestion!"

"Indeed?" Dumbledore asked, "Ah, and here is the young man who suggested the remedy!"

McGonagall nudged Harry and Ginny forward.

"Harry!" Lockhart said, "I should have known you would have suggested such a thing. Wonderful."

"Er... thanks," Harry said.

"Harry and Ginny wish to speak to you and I, Headmaster," McGonagall said, "Harry says they have an idea that may assist us."

"Well... not exactly everyone," Harry said, "Just those who wish to take part in it."

"Indeed?" Dumbledore asked again.

"Yes, sir," Harry said.

"Professor Lockhart, we will continue this discussion later," Dumbledore said, "You may go."

"O-of course," Lockhart said, "I will read my books... maybe that will help me remember what that counter-curse was."

"Good luck," Dumbledore said.

Lockhart flashed his smile at Harry and Ginny and left the office. Dumbledore pointed his wand in front of his desk and three chintz chairs appeared. Harry, Ginny and McGonagall sat down.

"Continue," Dumbledore said.

"Well – err – this summer," Harry said, "I received a magical training dummy for my birthday, and – Ginny and I – err - may have used our Bond to our advantage... and used magic to train us using some offensive and defensive spells we wanted to learn. All safe of course... only on the dummy."

"The Trace would not be on the two of you, of course," Dumbledore said, "Continue."

"Well... Ginny and I were discussing this," Harry said, "and we realized that we don't learn defensive or offensive spells for a couple of years... mostly we just learn about Dark creatures right now in Defense class. And that doesn't help students in the first two or three years. So we wanted to put together a Dueling Club, where those students who want to learn to defend themselves in a duel or an attack could learn. We are pretty good at some spells – Disarming, Body-binds, Leg-locks, and we've been working on Stunning spells and shields."

"Some of those are very advanced for young students like yourself, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said.

"We're aware of that," Harry said, "But if someone attacked Crabbe, the attacker doesn't care who knows how to defend themselves and who does not. Crabbe certainly doesn't know how."

"That is very true, Harry," Dumbledore said.

"We thought about having the Dueling Club as an extra-curricular activity," Ginny said, "Perhaps a handful of times a month... and, of course, it would be chaperoned... perhaps by you, Professor McGonagall or another Professor. Professors could teach the spells, but Harry and I believe we could teach some as well."

"Professor," Dumbledore said, "What do you think?"

"I've always said our curriculum needs more defensive spells for the younger students," McGonagall said, "It would be a good idea... of course this would go against our message of no hazing."

"Well, sir," Harry said, "If it was a younger student who is responsible for these hazing attacks, and they join the Club, we could watch for anyone who knows spells they shouldn't really be able to know."

"Do you have suggestions as to who these students could be?" Dumbledore asked, raising his eyebrows.

"No, sir," Harry said, "But am I right to say the victims are Draco Malfoy and possibly Theodore Nott?"

"Yes, you are correct," Dumbledore said.

"Well, if they were hexed or jinxed in class or perhaps in their dorm," Harry said, "It could be someone who is their age – my age. And then there is the fact that Crabbe was attacked in the Owlery. I'm sorry to say it – but he is rather dim to find his way up to the Owlery from the dungeons and not get lost... he usually hangs out with other students... friends in his year. Never alone."

"That is very observant of you, Harry," Dumbledore said, "I will take those suggestions into thought. I will think about this Dueling Club with the staff, and see what their opinions are. Look for a message from myself or Professor McGonagall by the end of the month, as we will be busy with the – ah – current events at the moment as well."

"Of course, sir," Harry said.

"And Harry," Dumbledore said, "If there is anything else you wish to tell me about the current events, my ears are open."

"Nothing right now, sir," Harry said, and Ginny nodded.

"Very well," Dumbledore said, "You may go."

"I will take you back to the tower," McGonagall said, "Dinner should be available for you."

Harry and Ginny nodded and stood up, then walked toward the exit of the office with McGonagall.

"Harry?" Dumbledore said.

"Yes, sir?" Harry asked, turning back around.

"Please tell Miss Granger I hope she had a good birthday even with the events that happened today," Dumbledore said, "and that I wish her a happy birthday and many returns."

"We'll pass along the message," Harry said, "Good night, sir."

"Good night, Harry, Ginny," Dumbledore said.

Harry and Ginny then left Dumbledore's office, leaving the Headmaster deep in thought.

* * *

**Okay... so I know a few of you are disappointed I have yet to get into the Pensieve trip yet, but that will happen next chapter after a short time-skip. The first meeting of the Dueling Club will also take place next chapter! It seems the second year will be longer than I thought, because of the mystery which is a fairly new idea of mine to make the year fairly similar. Yes, I know who is responsible for what happened to Crabbe, and it might be one of the "usual suspects". Will there be more victims? Perhaps... I have some very good ideas to do before this mystery is over!**

**I still have some very big storylines for the second year that I haven't forgotten... so don't worry about not having enough content to last until June in-story. There will be a few time-skips, but there will also be events in between those skips.**

**Hope you liked this chapter!**


	71. Trip Down Memory Lane, Part 1

**Chapter 71  
Trip Down Memory Lane, Part 1**

**Author's Note: Even though this is Part 1, part 2 won't happen for a while... it is just so I can name the Pensieve chapters the same. This chapter has the first Pensieve visit. It is very long, and has a lot of content from the second book. The visitors in the Pensieve will be talking, as will those in the actual memories, so in order to know which is which:**

**Pensieve visitors:** "No italics"

**Memory: **_"italics"_

**Disclaimer: Recognizable sections of this chapter come directly from Chapter 8, 14, 15, 16, and 17 of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" by J.K. Rowling. I do not take claim for these, only my own additions.**

* * *

The only really good thing about the attack on Vincent Crabbe, was that the gossip about Harry and Ginny's relationship and Rita Skeeter's article had now been taken down to barely a whisper between Harry and Ginny's fellow dorm-mates, and replaced with speculation and gossip concerning what happened to Vincent Crabbe and who attacked him. The only spotlight Harry and Ginny had was that a few nosy Gryffindors were interested as to why they spoke to Professor McGonagall after she had spoken to everyone in the Gryffindor Common Room on Friday. Nobody seemed to be aware of the fact that Harry and his friends were the first to find Vincent Crabbe in the Owlery, nor did anyone take notice of the fifty additional points Gryffindor had made between the last class on Friday, and curfew Friday evening.

On Saturday morning, Professor Dumbledore had announced that all outgoing post was now suspended, not because he didn't want the news of Crabbe's attack getting out (although this was also advised against, on the sole fact that the students' parents could hardly do anything to help with the investigations), but because the owls were still rather traumatized from whatever they had witnessed in their sanctuary. After breakfast however, Harry, Ginny and Ron took a detour to the Owlery, as they went to the Gryffindor tower to get their broomsticks for Quidditch practice. Hedwig and Pig responded positively when their names were called and Harry and Ron talked to them, but they did not come down when their owners offered them owl treats.

As Harry, Ginny and Ron returned to the Quidditch Pitch with their fellow teammates after Quidditch practice, he noticed that Professor Sprout was coming out of one of the Greenhouses, while wearing earmuffs, with a box of what was probably the same Mandrakes the second years had been working on at the start of term. She went from Greenhouse Three to Greenhouse Four, which was usually for long-term plants.

The only time Harry saw Draco, Pansy or Nott during the weekend following Crabbe's attack was at mealtimes. Their attitudes didn't seem to change much, which was rather surprising, since Crabbe had been Draco's friend and he was one of their fellow classmates. They were still eating their meals away from their house-mates, and talking only to each other. During dinner on Sunday evening, Harry saw Sirius glancing over at the three Slytherins, and when he asked his godfather about it, Sirius only said he had spoken to the three about what they knew concerning their classmate, and all they said was that Crabbe had left class and had apparently said he was going to the library, although he seemed very distracted about something. They did not see him leave with anyone, and Goyle was apparently headed back to the Slytherin Common Room.

Sirius said that everything was okay with Amelia, and that their dinner was postponed until the second weekend of October, when Sirius was still planning on heading back to London.

Although everything had gotten back to a bit of normality following the weekend, lessons were still rather subdued without one of their classmates there, no matter how little Crabbe participated outside doing his assignments. In Herbology, Professor Sprout had asked the second years to put fresh fertilizer and dirt in the mandrake's pots, and told them that this was their big project for the year in hopes to help their fellow classmate revive.

Lockhart was still his usual poncey old self: On Tuesday, he asked the students to write, with a partner, a short story by the end of class about what they would do if they ever met up with a hag, and whoever had the best story would act it out the following class. On Thursday, he decided that Harry and Ginny had the best story. Harry to act out the part of a wizard whose wife had been cursed by a hag and he saved her with an amazing spell. Harry and Ginny, of course, played the wizard and wife. Hermione had been chosen to play the hag; she wasn't very happy with Lockhart for asking her to play a hag, and Ron had made the mistake of saying she made a pretty good hag... needless to say, Hermione wasn't happy with him, and said Ron was lucky they were asked to do book assignments in Potions, instead of partner assignments. Ron, of course, blamed this on Lockhart, and it was still his defense when he apologized the following day. Surprisingly, Hermione accepted the apology, because it was Lockhart's fault in the first place.

The owls were back to their normal selves a week after the attack in their sanctuary, just in time for animal to water goblet transformations in Transfiguration. Ron used Pig for his transformation, and even though he didn't turn the owl into a goblet, its color turned a bright gold which actually got a good response from his classmates. Professor McGonagall told him he needed to work on the shape, and not just the color, but also told him that his owl looked pretty good golden-colored.

There was no Quidditch practice assigned on the following Saturday, although there were two during the week prior. So they decided that right after lunch on Saturday, they could use the Pensieve. It was then decided between Harry and Ginny that they would show bits and pieces concerning the big events that happened in Harry's second year.

So, after lunch, the six friends met up with Sirius, and while Harry retrieved the Pensieve from Harry's trunk, Ginny and the others requested the mind-exercise room in the Room of Requirement. Harry placed the Pensieve and everything that came with it, in his knapsack along with his map and invisibility cloak, and put it around his shoulders, before he teleported to Ginny.

There was now a new addition in the middle of the room, a small round table with seven chairs so everyone could sit. Harry placed the Pensieve on the table, and filled it with the vials, while Ginny read the manual instructing him how to do so. Afterward, the two of them waved their wands over the Pensieve and said a very complicated, long incantation, and everyone was amazed when the runes around the bowl lit up, suggesting that they had done it right.

"Okay," Harry said, looking around at his friends and godfather, "I am going to be placing a few memories from my second year in the last timeline. All of these are key moments concerning the events that happened during the whole year. Most of what you'll see, Ginny only knows a portion of one of the memories, and only heard stories of what happened in the others, so most of this is new for her too."

"I wasn't exactly a part of a group in my first year in the old timeline," Ginny said, "I had a mad fancy for a boy who didn't really notice me at the time other than the fact that I was his best mate's sister."

The others chuckled and Harry only shrugged.

"The Diary horcrux," Ginny continued, "which had been given to me by Lucius Malfoy was my new best friend as soon as I started writing in it that previous summer. It wrote back to me and I was hooked in instantly... it was somebody I could talk to."

"Ginny," Ron said, shaking his head, "Dad always says 'you should never trust something that thinks for itself, unless you can see where it keeps its brain'."

"He said that to me after everything happened," Ginny said, nodding. "Unfortunately, I cannot remember most of what happened. I was possessed by the book to do what it wanted me to. There are things I can't remember. I'd wake up in the morning, not knowing how I got into bed. Things like that. Almost everything you see in Harry's memories that he's decided – we talked earlier about what you'll see – has to do with me in some way. Even though it wasn't my fault, I still have never fully forgiven myself for it. And never thanked Harry enough for what he did."

Harry smiled softly.

"As for that, you'll see what she means," he said.

He put his wand to the side of his head, and closed his eyes as he pictured the first memory he wanted them to see. Ron, Hermione and Neville all gasped in shock when they saw the silver memory strand get pulled from his head. He dropped it inside, and did this a few more times with other memories.

"Some of these will be pretty shocking for you to see," Harry said, "I know it will be shocking to see your other selves, and the first absolute proof that the other timeline truly existed. There are a couple memories that is could affect you emotionally, and two others that are rather frightening. Rest assured that you cannot be harmed while viewing a memory. Anyone have objections to what we're about to do? Anyone want to not be a part of it?"

Nobody gave a response that said they wanted to not be a part of it.

"Okay," Harry said, "I will go in first. In order to go in, you must place your face right down into the liquid. You will then feel very strange, as if you are falling You'll be completely fine, trust me. Also... when you watch the others go in, we will vanish from where we sit... do not worry about that either. We're completely fine. If at any time you want to get out of the Pensieve, raise your wand straight into the air, and you will return here. Understand?"

Everyone nodded.

"I"ll go last, Harry," Ginny said, "To make sure everyone knows what to do."

Harry nodded and placed his hands on the table. "See you shortly."

He then placed his face into the liquid, and soon felt the falling sensation, before he landed on a cloudy substance... flashes of his memories swirled around him, ready for him to activate one. Sirius appeared next, followed by Hermione, Ron, Luna, Neville and finally Ginny.

"Activate memory sequence one," Harry said, remembering the instructions for multiple memory viewings from the manual.

Soon, they were standing in one of the dungeons, surrounded by ghosts. Nearby, Harry saw his other self, along with the other Ron and Hermione. Hermione and Ron gasped when they saw their other selves.

"Nearly-Headless Nick's Deathday party," Harry said, "We missed the Halloween feast because of this. We should be leaving very soon. Sir Patrick is here."

"_I can't stand much more of this," Ron said, his teeth chattering._

_"Let's go," Harry agreed._

The memory sped up a little, as the trio walked out of the dungeons and into the entrance hall and Harry assured the others this was normal. Then Harry heard it...

"..._rip..._ _tear...kill..."_

He was amazed he could hear the Parseltongue in the memory.

"You probably couldn't hear it, but the Basilisk just said 'rip, tear, kill' in Parseltongue," Harry said, "and there... yeah, I am hearing it, but I had no idea what it was at the time. Here we go."

_"Harry," Hermione said, "what're you — ?"_

_"It's that voice again," Harry said, "shut up a minute —"_

"Bossy even as a normal twelve year old," Sirius said, and Ginny giggled.

_"Listen!" said Harry urgently, and Ron and Hermione froze, watching him. "This way!"_

Because they were in Harry's memory, they were following him as he sprinted up the marble staircase to the first floor. Ron and Hermione turned around, to watch their other selves trying to catch up.

_"Harry," Ron said, "what're we —"  
_

"_SHH!" Harry hissed.  
_

Harry heard more of the Parseltongue as it echoed through the memory, though it seemed only he could hear it.

_"It's going to kill someone!" he shouted._

"Yeah," Harry said, rather amused as he watched his other self hurtling down the corridor, "I was pretty freaked out about hearing a voice only I can hear saying it wants to kill.

_"Harry, __what __was that all about?" said memory-Ron, wiping sweat off his face. "I couldn't hear anything..."_

"I agree with you, mate," the real Ron said.

"Here we are, the part I wanted you to see in this memory," Harry said as memory-Hermione shouted.

He pointed to the wall ahead and everyone except Ginny gasped right along with the trio in the memory. As Ginny grasped his hand, Harry read the words on the wall, right along with his younger self.

_THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN  
__OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE._

"Enemies of the heir, beware," Sirius said, as memory-Ron pointed to the torch underneath, "I see what you meant by that... that is kind of coincidental."

As the memory Harry, Ron and Hermione walked forward, the real Harry looked at the torch.

"Is that... Mrs. Norris?" Neville asked, pointing toward the torch..

"Yeah, she was petrified," Harry said.

_"Let's get out of here," memory-Ron said._

_"Shouldn't we try and help —" Harry began awkwardly._

_"Trust me," said Ron. "We don't want to be found here."  
__  
_"Well, the other me was pretty smart," Ron said, grinning.

Harry turned and heard the crowd of students coming toward them. Even in the memory, they were loud. Then they heard one distinct voice.

_"Enemies of the Heir, beware!" the voice said, "You'll be next, Mudbloods!"_

Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Neville groaned as they turned and saw Draco emerging from the crowd.

"Nice to see Malfoy back to his old self for a change," Ron said, "Except for that whole insult thing."

"So that is who the 'enemies of the heir' was meant for?" Hermione asked in a small voice, "Muggleborns."

"Yes," Harry said, "And that is all you need to see here. Next Filch accused me of killing his cat, Snape was his usual self, and Dumbledore came in and said that he would be able to cure the cat with a Mandrake Draught once it was ready."

"So that is where you came up with that," Sirius said.

"Yeah," Harry said. "So now we will fast-forward a few months. The next victims were mostly human. Nobody was killed, they were all just petrified. Colin Creevey, Justin Finch-Fletchley who was found near Nearly-Headless Nick who was also petrified, and also Penelope Clearwater..."

"Percy's girlfriend?" Ron asked.

"Indeed," Harry said, "And there was one more..."

Harry looked at Ginny, and she frowned. She knew what this next memory was.

"This next memory is the emotional one I was talking about," Harry said, " Some of you will not like this one. It was a pretty hard time for me when it happened. Memory sequence two."

Everything looked as if they were surrounded in fog, before it cleared up again. They were now walking down a corridor, and at the other end was the Hospital Wing. Just ahead of them were the memory versions of Harry, Ron, and Professor McGonagall.

_"This will be a bit of a shock," said Professor McGonagall in a gentle voice as they approached the infirmary. "There has been another attack . . . another __double __attack."_

"Penelope Clearwater was one of them," Harry said, as he pointed to a bed, where the Ravenclaw laid, "And the other... well..."

He pointed to the bed next to Penelope, where the petrified memory-Hermione lay on the bed. Both Ron and memory-Ron cried out "Hermione!" The actual Hermione gasped, right along with Neville and Luna. Sirius put a hand over his mouth as he looked at Harry. Ginny frowned and put her arm around Harry's and he heard a very brief sniffle as she put her face into his arm.

"She was fine, of course," Harry said, "When you're petrified, I guess you can't really feel anything. Some think that you're lost in your own mind. It was never revealed by those who had been petrified. Oh... right, I guess I should tell you this part. Fifty years ago, Hagrid was accused of opening the Chamber of Secrets. I... don't know how I am going to clear his name this time... I can't give any proof without saying I'm from the future."

"Hagrid?" Hermione asked.

"No way!" Ron muttered.

"Yeah, same way the other two of you responded when you heard that," Harry said.

"Hagrid wouldn't hurt a water wimple," Luna said.

"Okay," Harry said, "It is time for one of the frightening memories. This memory was one of the scariest moments of my life."

"You've had more than a few of those, Harry," Ginny said.

"True," Harry said, "Memory sequence three."

Everything went foggy again, and when they could see again they were in the dark Forbidden Forest at night.

"You were in the Forbidden Forest!" Ron asked.

"Er... Ron," Hermione said, "I think that ginger head near Harry is you."

"We – you and the other me - were in the Forbidden Forest!" Ron exclaimed.

"Are you kidding?" Ginny said, "The other you loved the forest..."

Ron raised his eyebrows, and Ginny chuckled.

"Well.. at least the other you loved it enough to go in there multiple times," she said.

"Oh, look, Fang!" Luna said.

"Oh... so we were okay with Fang then, right?" Ron asked.

"Fang's a bloody coward," Ginny said.

Ron frowned. "Right... where are we going?"  
_  
_"Hmm... we must have already passed the car," Harry said, as he looked around, "Ah well, that's not important... that was just funny, now that I think about it... but the next part..."

"Uh... guys... the other you, the other Ron, I mean... looks very scared," Neville said.

"Here we go," Harry said, "Brace yourselves."

Suddenly, three very large spiders swooped in from the side, causing Ginny Ron, Hermione, Neville and even Sirius to scream. The spiders grabbed the memory Harry, Ron and Fang and scurried forward.

"Spiders?" Ron choked out, as he watched his other self in horror, "I hate spiders!"

The memory rushed forward and they were now in a clearing. The spiders started clicking and talking.

_"Aragog! Aragog!" the spiders chanted._

"They're talking?" Neville asked.

"Acromantulas," Sirius said, "I should have realized where we were... James, Remus, Peter and I accidentally tread onto these spiders when we were running one night during a full moon. They weren't very happy."

Harry nodded then heard a thrashing and crushing of sticks, and the others all gasped in horror, as the enormous spider, Aragog, revealed himself.

"Okay... so this is a very long conversation," Harry said, "Aragog told us one key important thing. We thought he might have been the monster in the Chamber. This was when we didn't know about the snake. He told us he wasn't the monster, and that the student who was killed fifty years ago – I did forget to mention that, oops – was killed in a bathroom."

"I know who you're talking about," Sirius said, "she was killed by a Basilisk?"

"Mmhmm," Harry said.

"Who?" Ron asked.

"You'll see," Harry said, "Memory sequence over."

It went foggy again, but Harry could see everyone.

"A few days later," Harry said, "we went back to the hospital wing to check on Hermione... we learned that the Mandrake Draught was going to be ready, and even though she couldn't hear us, we felt better just to tell her. When she was petrified, she was coming back from the library -"

"No surprises there," Ron snorted and Hermione blushed.

"- she was in the library," Harry said, "and had discovered what the monster was – the basilisk. We found the page from a book in her rolled up fist."

"She tore a page from a book?" Ron asked, looking at Hermione scandalized.

"If I was in a hurry, I'd do it!" Hermione said.

"It told us about the basilisk," Harry said, "And Hermione had written pipes below it. It was using the plumbing to get around the castle... and that was when we figured the location of the Chamber of Secrets had to be the second floor bathroom. And then... memory sequence four."

As soon as they got into the memory, they heard McGonagall's voice overhead. "_All students to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers __return to the staffroom. Immediately, please."_

Memory Harry and Ron were standing there in the Hogwarts staffroom.

_"Not another attack?" memory-Harry said, "Not now?"_

_"What'll we do?" said Ron, aghast. "Go back to the dormitory?"_

_"No," said Harry, glancing around. "In here. Let's hear what it's all about. Then we can tell them what we've found out."__  
_  
They ran into a cabinet, and Professors McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick and Sprout arrived.

_"It has happened," McGonagall told the silent staffroom. "A student has __been taken by the monster. Right into the Chamber itself."  
__  
__Professor Flitwick let out a squeal. Professor Sprout clapped her hands over her mouth. Snape gripped the back of a chair very hard and said, "How can you be sure?"_

"_The Heir of Slytherin," said Professor McGonagall, who was very white, "left another message. Right underneath the first one. 'Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.' "_

_Professor Flitwick burst into tears._

_"Who is it?" said Madam Hooch, who had sunk, weak-kneed, into a chair. "Which student?"_

_"Ginny Weasley," said Professor McGonagall._

Everyone who was viewing the memory, besides Harry and Ginny, gasped and looked at Ginny. Ginny frowned and looked at Harry, who squeezed her hand.

_Lockhart walked into the room, and said "So sorry — dozed off — what have I missed?"_

"Git!" Ron growled, as he looked at memory-Lockhart.

"Okay, so the other Professors believed he could find the Chamber," Harry said, "and he was a stammering mess. Unfortunately, we couldn't do anything until that evening... and that was when we found Lockhart... in his office... trying to pack and run away. Next memory please."

The memory switched to the corridor outside Lockhart's office, where memory Harry and Ron were knocking on the door. Lockhart peered through the door.

_"Oh — Mr. Potter — Mr. Weasley —" he said, opening the __door a bit wider. "I'm rather busy at the moment — if you would be quick —"_

"Professor, we've got some information for you," said Harry. "We think it'll help you."

_"Er — well — it's not terribly —" Lockhart said, "I mean — well — all right —"_

_He opened the door and they entered._

_"Are you going somewhere?" said Harry._

_"Er, well, yes," said Lockhart, ripping a life-size poster of himself from the back of the door as he spoke and starting to roll it up. "Urgent call — unavoidable — got to go —"_

_"What about my sister?" said Ron jerkily._

_"Well, as to that — most unfortunate —" said Lockhart, avoiding their eyes as he wrenched open a drawer and started emptying the contents into a bag. "No one regrets more than I —"_

_"You're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!" said Harry. "You can't go now! Not with all the Dark stuff going on here!"_

_"Well — I must say — when I took the job —" Lockhart muttered, now piling socks on top of his robes. "nothing in the job description— didn't expect —"_

_"You mean you're running away? said Harry disbelievingly. "After all that stuff you did in your books —"_

_"Books can be misleading," said Lockhart delicately._

_"You wrote them!" Harry shouted._

_"My dear boy," said Lockhart, straightening up and frowning at Harry. "Do use your common sense. My books wouldn't have sold half as well if people didn't think I'd done all those things. No one wants to read about some ugly old Armenian warlock, even if he did save a village from werewolves. He'd look dreadful on the front cover. No dress sense at all. And the witch who banished the Bandon Banshee had a hairy chin. I mean, come on —"_

_"So you've just been taking credit for what a load of other people have done?" said Harry incredulously._

_"Harry, Harry," said Lockhart, shaking his head impatiently,_ _"it's not nearly as simple as that. There was work involved. I had to track these people down. Ask them exactly how they managed to do what they did. Then I had to put a Memory Charm on them so they wouldn't remember doing it. If there's one thing I pride myself on, it's my Memory Charms. No, it's been a lot of work, Harry. It's not all book signings and publicity photos, you know. You want fame, you have to be prepared for a long hard slog."_

_He banged the lids of his trunks shut and locked them._

_"Let's see," he said. "I think that's everything. Yes. Only one thing left."_

_He pulled out his wand and turned to them._

_"Awfully sorry, boys, but I'll have to put a Memory Charm on you now. Can't have you blabbing my secrets all over the place. I'd never sell another book —"_

_Harry reached his wand just in time. Lockhart had barely raised his, when Harry bellowed, "Expelliarmus!"_

_Lockhart was blasted backward, falling over his trunk; his wand flew high into the air; Ron caught it, and flung it out of the open window._

Harry looked over at his friends, who all had expressions somewhere between amusement and shock.

"So... what do you think about that, Hermione?" Ron asked.

"Good looks aren't everything," Hermione muttered, "What an absolute – ugh! And we have to take his classes until June?"

"I'd arrest him for fraud if I could but I have no proof besides the obvious one that would reveal secrets," Sirius said.

"So... Ron and I escorted him to the girl's bathroom on the second floor," Harry said, "Next memory sequence please."

The memories swirled and went foggy, then they were in Myrtle's bathroom. Memory Harry, Ron and Lockhart were all there. As was Moaning Myrtle.

"A ghost lives in a bathroom?" Ron asked.

"Ooh... I know her!" Hermione said, "She's a very sad ghost. It is very hard to go pee when she's moaning and crying in the toilet next to you. I usually try to avoid that bathroom."

"So... we had a conversation with her," Harry said, and he moved his wand to speed up the memory, "and she told us that before she died, she saw a great big pair of yellow eyes... right over by those sinks. And... here we go."

_"Harry," said Ron. "Say something. Something in Parseltongue."_

_"Open up," Harry said._

"_English," Ron said, shaking his head._

He tried again, and this time they heard him hissing loudly, which made Ron, Hermione, Neville and even Sirius jump.

"That... is creepy, mate," Ron said, "I mean – whoa!"

The sinks began to move backward, as even a few of those watching the memory moved along with it. Soon a large pipe was revealed.

"We'll move along here," Harry said, and the memory rushed forward, then he raised his wand and it stopped.

Ron whimpered loudly... when the memory returned to a normal pace, it had put him inches away from the large snake wasn't the only one who whimpered. Memory-Lockhart nearby whimpered and fell down. Memory-Ron motioned for him to get up and Lockhart tackled him. Lockhart stood up with Ron's wand in his hand.

"Hey... something's different about my wand," Ron said, "It looks... broken."

"Yeah, it broke earlier in the year," Harry said, "Almost snapped in two... it was sorta still usable."

_"The adventure ends here, boys!" Lockhart said. "I shall take a bit of this skin back up to the school, tell them I was too late to save the girl, and that you two __tragically __lost your minds at the sight of her mangled body — say good-bye to your memories!"_

_He raised Ron's Spellotaped wand high over his head and yelled, "__Obliviate__!"_

The memory flashed forward a few seconds.

"What was that?" Hermione asked.

"The place had caved in," Harry said, "and rocks were falling, and I had to dive out of the way. So I didn't really know what happened to Ron and Lockhart in this moment. Ron, however, was fine... but Lockhart's memory charm had backfired, because the wand was broken... the spell hit him. Ron was forced to stay behind and clear the rock, and I went forward to find Ginny."

The memory moved forward, until they were standing in front of a large door. Memory-Harry hissed again, and the door opened.

"Welcome," Harry said, as they moved forward into the chamber, "to the Chamber of Secrets."

"Blimey," Ron said as he looked around, "It is huge."

"Er... what's that down there," Hermione said, pointing across the Chamber.

Beside Harry, Ginny moaned, and buried her face into his sleeve.

"It's okay, Ginny," Harry whispered.

He watched as his memory self ran forward, and if Ginny wasn't there next to him, he'd want to run forward himself.

"Ginny?" Ron asked, as he walked forward.

He turned and looked toward Ginny and Harry. Harry closed his eyes as he heard his memory self pleading.

_"__Ginny__!" Harry muttered. "Ginny — don't be dead — please don't be dead —"_

Harry opened his eyes and looked toward Ron, Hermione and the others, Hermione had both her hands over her mouth, and Sirius was looking on with wide eyes.

_"Ginny, please wake up," Harry muttered desperately._

_"She won't wake," said a soft voice.  
_

Everyone turned and looked on as the tall, handsome black haired boy started walking over in their direction. Ginny sniffled and turned her face from Harry's sleeve, as she looked at the figure.

"It's okay, Ginny," Harry said, "He isn't real..."

"I know," Ginny said, "It's just... I only saw him for a second before I fainted... and then I only saw him in my nightmares afterward."

"Harry," Sirius said, "Who is that?"

_"Tom," Memory-Harry asked, __Tom Riddle__?"  
_

_Riddle only nodded.  
_

"_What d'you mean, she won't wake?" Harry said desperately. "She's not — she's not — ?"_

_"She's still alive," said Riddle. "But only just."  
__  
"Are you a ghost?" Harry said uncertainly._

_"A memory," said Riddle quietly. "Preserved in a diary for fifty years."_

_"You've got to help me, Tom," Harry said, raising Ginny's head again. "We've got to get her out of here. There's a basilisk . . . I don't know where it is, but it could be along any moment... Please, help me —"_

_Riddle didn't move. Harry lifted half off the floor, and bent to pick up his wand again. He looked up. Riddle was still watching him — twirling Harry's wand between his long fingers.  
_

"_Thanks," said Harry, stretching out his hand for it.  
_

_A smile curled the corners of Riddle's mouth. He continued to stare at Harry, twirling the wand idly._

_"Listen," said Harry urgently, "We've got to go! If the basilisk comes —"_

_"It won't come until it is called," said Riddle calmly._

_Harry lowered Ginny back onto the floor.  
_

"_What d'you mean?" he said. "Look, give me my wand, I might need it —"_

_Riddle's smile broadened._

_"You won't be needing it," he said._

_"What d'you mean, I won't be — ?" Harry asked._

_"I've waited a long time for this, Harry Potter," said Riddle. "For the chance to see you. To speak to you."_

_"Look," said Harry, losing patience, "I don't think you get it. We're in the Chamber of Secrets. We can talk later —"_

_"We're going to talk now," said Riddle, still smiling broadly, and he pocketed Harry's wand._

_"How did Ginny get like this?" Harry asked slowly._

"We'll move along a bit," Harry said, looking at Ginny, who was looking extremely frightened, "He was quite the one to brag. Everything he explained to me was what Ginny basically told you before we came into the memory."

The memory moved forward, and then returned to normal. Riddle was still continuing his speech.

_"...__ I made Ginny write her own farewell on the wall and come down here to wait. She struggled and cried and became __very __boring. But there isn't much life left in her... She put too much into the diary, into me. Enough to let me leave its pages at last... I have been waiting for you to appear since we arrived here. I knew you'd come. I have many questions for you, Harry Potter."_

_"Like what?" Harry spat._

_"Well," said Riddle, smiling pleasantly, "how is it that you — a skinny boy with no extraordinary magical talent — managed to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How did you escape with nothing but a scar, while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?"_

_There was an odd red gleam in his hungry eyes now._

_"Why do you care how I escaped?" said Harry slowly. "Voldemort was after your time..."_

_"Voldemort," said Riddle softly, "is my past, present, and future, Harry Potter..."__  
_  
Hermione, Neville and Sirius looked from Riddle to Harry with wide eyes. It seemed they realized what he had meant. Harry watched as the words formed in the air.

TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE

Riddle waved Harry's wand around, and the words changed:

I AM LORD VOLDEMORT

Ron gasped. "This boy is...?"

"I always wondered how he came up with that name," Sirius said, tapping his chin in thought.

_"You see?" he whispered. "It was a name I was already using at Hogwarts, to my most intimate friends only, of course. You think I was going to use my filthy Muggle father's name forever? I, in whose veins runs the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself, through my mother's side? I, keep the name of a foul, __common Muggle, who abandoned me even before I was born, just because he found out his wife was a witch? No, Harry — I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak, when I had become the greatest sorcerer in the world!"_

_"You're not," Harry said._

_"Not what?" snapped Riddle._

_"Not the greatest sorcerer in the world," said Harry, breathing fast. "Sorry to disappoint you and all that, but the greatest wizard in the world is Albus Dumbledore. Everyone says so. Even when you were strong, you didn't dare try and take over at Hogwarts. Dumbledore saw through you when you were at school and he still frightens you now, wherever you're hiding these days."_

_"Dumbledore's been driven out of this castle by the mere memory of me!" he hissed._

_"He's not as gone as you might think!" Harry retorted._

Ginny grinned as she looked at Harry. "Dumbledore's man through and through."

Harry smiled and nodded. Then they heard the musical song of Fawkes the Phoenix. Harry turned and saw the phoenix flying through the chamber toward them.

"Is that... the Sorting Hat?" Hermione asked, about the same time Riddle asked the same question.

"Tom gets a bit chatty here again," Harry said, "So we'll go past this and... now."

_"Now, Harry," Riddle said, "I'm going to teach you a little lesson. Let's match the powers of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, against famous Harry Potter, and the best weapons Dumbledore can give __him..."_

Riddle walked over to the giant statue of Slytherin's head, and started hissing.

"He just said 'speak to me Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts four'," Harry explained, "And... this part gets a little scary. Don't worry... you can't get hurt watching a memory, so it can't hurt you."

Harry stared, just as his memory-self did, as the mouth of the statue opened, and the Basilisk started to slither out onto the floor. Everyone viewing the memory besides Harry screamed or gasped. Memory-Harry ran backward down the sidewalk like floor in between the two bodies of water. Harry then tripped. Ron and Sirius groaned, and Ginny and Hermione whimpered. The basilisk slithered across the room toward memory-Harry.. and then looked up, as they heard the phoenix song again. Fawkes dived toward the snake, pecking and scraping. The Basilisk cried out as squelchy sound were heard.

"Fawkes blinded him!" Sirius said.

Memory-Harry muttered, calling for desperate help, and the Basilisk's tail swished the hat, and it landed near him.

"Er... how is a hat going to help you?" Ron asked.

"Oh – Ron, remember what he told us during the summer!" Hermione said.

The sword appeared in the hat, and memory-Harry pulled it out, and clambered to his feet.

"The Sword of Gryffindor," Hermione said.

The Basilisk lunged blindly — memory-Harry dodged and the snake hit the Chamber wall. It lunged again, and its forked tongue lashed Harry's side. Memory-Harry raised the sword in both his hands. The basilisk lunged again, and this time its aim was true — Harry threw his whole weight behind the sword and drove it to the hilt into the roof of the serpent's mouth. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville and Sirius cheered... and then instantly groaned when they saw the long fang protruding from Memory-Harry's arm as he pulled away. He slid down against the wall, as the Basilisk fell to the floor with a crash. Riddle walked over to him.

_"You're dead, Harry Potter," Riddle said, "Dead. Even Dumbledore's bird knows it. Do you see what he's doing, Potter? He's crying. I'm going to sit here and watch you die, Harry Potter. Take your time. I'm in no hurry. So ends the famous Harry Potter, said Riddle's distant voice. Alone in the Chamber of Secrets, forsaken by his friends, defeated at last by the Dark Lord he so unwisely challenged. You'll be back with your dear Mudblood mother soon, Harry... She bought you twelve years of borrowed time . . . but Lord Voldemort got you in the end, as you knew he must..."_

"As I said," Harry said, "he really liked to talk..."

Riddle looked down at Fawkes and a look of panic struck his face. He pointed memory-Harry's wand at the bird.

_"Get away, bird," said Riddle's voice suddenly. "Get away from him — I said, __get away __—"_

"Fawkes was healing you, Harry," Sirius said, "wasn't he?"

Harry nodded. There was a bang from a spell and the phoenix took off.

_"Phoenix tears..." said Riddle quietly, staring at Harry's arm. "Of course...healing powers...I forgot... But it makes no difference. In fact, I prefer it this way. Just you and me, Harry Potter...you and me..."_

And then there was a rush of wings, as Fawkes flew back over and dropped the diary in front of memory-Harry. He immediately took the Basilisk fang and plunged it into the diary.

Riddle emitted was a long piercing scream as he writhed and twisted, and then he exploded in a flash of white light that even made those watching the memory look away.

"Nice job, Harry!" Sirius said.

Harry grinned and shrugged.

"Look!" Ron said, pointing to memory-Ginny.

She was stirring and then sat up, and Harry heard the real Ginny murmur beside him. Memory-Ginny looked from the Basilisk then to Harry. She gasped and began to cry.

_"Harry — oh, Harry — I tried to tell you at b-breakfast, but I c-__couldn't __say it in front of Percy — it was __me, __Harry — but I — I s-swear I d-didn't mean to — R-Riddle made me, he t-took me over — and — __how __did you kill that — that thing? W-where's Riddle? The last thing I r-remember is him coming out of the __diary —"_

"_It's all right," said Harry, holding up the diary, and showing Ginny the fang hole, "Riddle's finished. Look! Him and the basilisk. C'mon, Ginny, let's get out of here —"_

_"I'm going to be expelled!" Ginny wept as Harry helped her awkwardly to her feet. "I've looked forward to coming to Hogwarts ever since B-Bill came and n-now I'll have to leave and — __w-what'll Mum and Dad say__?"_  
_  
_Then everything went black, and Harry could only see his friends and godfather.

"Everyone raise your wands," Harry said, as he raised his own.

He felt himself raise up into the air, and soon he was sitting in a chair, and everyone else was around the table. Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna and Sirius all looked at Harry and Ginny.

"Don't look at me like that," Ginny muttered, "Everything that happened was because I was a 'silly little girl'... I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for Harry. I don't deserve those impressed looks you give the both of us... only him."

"Ginny, we understand," Sirius said, and their friends nodded, "None of that was your fault. You didn't know writing in a diary would do these things."

Ginny shrugged and shook her head. Harry took her hand and held it.

"So that writing on the wall in the Owlery," Hermione said, "It was sort of similar to that whole 'Enemies of the Heir, Beware' thing."

"Yeah, but Muggleborn aren't the likely targets this time," Ron said, "Pure blood is never always pure. This is in the complete opposite direction."

"So that message is just a big coincidence?" Hermione asked.

"Pansy wasn't the only one who came after us in the Time Chamber," Harry said, "It is possible the other Death Eater came with her, but we don't know who it was. They were recruiting a new force in those few weeks before everything happened, so it could have been someone who was older or younger."

"Either way," Ginny said, "It could be someone who is a student in this school."

"Or it could be just a big coincidence like Hermione said," Sirius said, "Fate could be playing tricks with you, and the message's last line was written to be eerily similar. Could be anyone. As Ron said, it could be going in the complete opposite direction. Someone is attacking purebloods... or maybe even Slytherins? Might not even be a Slytherin."

"I hope not," Harry said, "Because that raises the suspects up much higher."

"What if it isn't a student?" Ron asked, "Maybe it is Snape. Sirius, you left him in the dungeons, and came up here with Harry. Crabbe could have been on his way to dungeons and Snape caught him. Neville, where did you find Snape?"

"Dumbledore's office with McGonagall and Dumbledore," Neville said.

"Ron," Hermione said, "we thought it was Snape last year, and we were completely wrong, weren't we?"

"Doesn't mean we're wrong this time," Ron said.

Everyone went silent and Harry thought about the possibility that it could have been Snape. He was on probation, wasn't he? People would find out he was a former Death Eater... and he did sound as if he wanted to get to the bottom of this whole hazing incident. But he wouldn't attack a student to do so, would he?

"So," Ron said, breaking the silence, as he looked at the Pensieve, "Glad we don't have to deal with the diary, mad spiders, or the Basilisk this time."

* * *

**So this chapter was partially filler, because it was them visiting the Pensieve, but I tried to keep the main storyline for second year in it as well with the thoughts at the end.**

**Hope you liked this chapter anyway! Next chapter is the first meeting of the Dueling Club.**

**.**  
_  
_


	72. Synchronicity

**Chapter 72  
Synchronicity**

**Disclaimer: Recognizable sections of this chapter come directly from Chapter 11 of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" by J.K. Rowling. I do not take claim for these, only my own additions.**

* * *

Neither Sirius nor one of Harry and Ginny's friends spoke much of what they witnessed in the Pensieve for the next couple of days. Either they were still deep in thought about what they witnessed, or as Ginny told Harry Saturday evening before they drifted off to sleep, perhaps they were still finally realizing just how serious she and Harry were that they were from the future. Ron and Hermione did seem the most affected by it, though, because they where the two that were focused on in the memories with Harry and Ginny, Hermione had seen herself Petrified, and it was Ron's sister who he had seen laid out unconscious, near death, in the Chamber.

The six friends mostly worked on their homework together or talked about stuff other than the Pensieve. They were excited when Harry and Ginny told them about the Dueling Club idea, even though nobody knew when the first lesson would be.

And then, on Monday morning, when Harry and Ginny made their way downstairs to the Great Hall, a few Professors were there, handing out something,

"Another free edition of the Daily Prophet?" Harry asked Ginny, "More arrests perhaps?"

"Nah," Sirius said, as he walked over to them, "But I talked to Amy last night. She says there could be more arrests soon. But this is something just as good. You'll like this."

Sirius handed Harry and Ginny each a piece of parchment.

**INTRODUCING THE HOGWARTS DUELING CLUB!**

**What: A range of offensive and defensive dueling spells taught by different instructors (Professors). First lesson will teach low-level offensive and defensive dueling spells.**  
**Where: Great Hall**  
**When: Saturday, 4 October, 1:00PM – 4:00PM**  
**Instructor: Professor Lockhart**  
**Guest Instructor: Auror Sirius Black**  
**Attendance: Optional; All students welcome**

"Sirius?" Harry asked, "You're a part of this?"

"Just the first lesson," Sirius said, "Something fun to do, since I can't watch your game against Slytherin the week after. Snape offered to be a part of it, but it is against his probation right now. Besides... this is your brain-child, so I wanted to be a part of the debut."

Harry was about to reply, when he heard another voice.

"Did I hear that right, Auror Black?" Lockhart said, coming up from behind Harry and Ginny, "The Dueling club was their idea?"

"Er... yes it was," Harry said, cursing mentally.

"Bet I inspired you, didn't I?" Lockhart asked, grinning, "You two could be a future part of the Dark Force Defense League."

"Really?" Sirius asked, "I'm not too sure about that. I expect Harry will follow in my footsteps as an Auror, right? And... Ginny... a... Quidditch Player!"

Sirius winked as Harry and Ginny grinned and nodded.

"Bold statement, Auror Black," Lockhart said, "But I am usually right about these things."

"That's a bit of an insult to the Auror Department, Professor," Sirius said, "Might have to show the students how a real duel plays out, you and I... what do you say? For a good show to start off the Dueling Club. We could just use Disarming spells of course... since that is the first lesson."

"I – well – err," Lockhart said, then smiled, "Of course, Auror Black! I will be most pleased to show the students how a member of the Defense League may disarm an Auror, even though such thing is never usually heard of! We are usually allies."

"That sounds brilliant," Harry said, "I'm sure you'll do well in the duel, Professor."

"Thank you, Harry," Lockhart said, "I must go finish grading those papers. I will see you in class, eh?"

"Er...we have class with you tomorrow, not today," Harry said.

"Right!" Lockhart said, "I forgot! Always looking forward to my classes, aren't you?"

Before Harry could respond, Lockhart grinned and walked away.

"Still wish I had some proof to arrest him," Sirius muttered, narrowing his eyes as he watched the back of Lockhart,

"Embarrassing him in your duel is just as good," Harry said.

"Even better!" Sirius said, with a grin that reminded Harry of Lockhart.

* * *

The Dueling Club was the big topic amongst students for the following week. It was also a big focus in some classes. Professor Flitwick, a celebrated duelist was very excited about the Club, and said he himself would be instructing the students in one of the future lessons if the first one was successful. In Professor Lockhart's class, he told stories of his famous duels over the years against Dark wizards in different countries. On Friday, even Professor Binns had changed his boring lectures for the week and focused on one of the greatest duels in wizarding history, Dumbledore vs. Grindelwald.

Nobody seemed to realize it was Harry and Ginny's idea to start the Dueling Club. Most students thought Lockhart had formed it, since he was the instructor for the class.

Finally it was Saturday afternoon, and at least half of the students, including most of the second years, had crowded into the Great Hall. The five tables were all placed against the walls, and the familiar dueling platform Harry and Ginny recognized from the first timeline was placed where the Head Table usually stood. Professors Lockhart, Snape, McGonagall, Flitwick and even Dumbledore were there; Lockhart was standing on the dueling platform, dressed in purple robes. Sirius near him as well, dressed in official Auror robes.

"Gather round, gather round!" Lockhart addressed the students. "Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent. A wonderful turn out for the first official meeting of the Dueling Club! I would like to see it was I who formed this Club, but it was not."

_He's going to tell them, isn't he? _Harry asked Ginny, who was standing next to him.

"I heard last weekend," Lockhart said, "that it was two of our own students who thought of the idea: second years Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter!"

_And you are actually shocked he name-dropped us? _Ginny asked Harry

Harry didn't respond; he was completely aware of almost all of the students looking at him and Ginny. Sirius glared at Lockhart; obviously he was just as angry at this. Harry knew this would probably regenerate the gossip, and Sirius was probably thinking of this as well.

"Yes, yes, a wonderful idea by two students so young," Lockhart said, "But I'm sure they were inspired by my published works, where I expressed the need to defend yourself on countless occasions."

"Or perhaps they were inspired because of the recent attack on their fellow classmate," Sirius asked, and his response sent positive whispers and murmurs around the room.

"Er – an excellent reason as well!" Lockhart said, "And a perfect time to introduce my assistant. Everyone should know who this is – he's been here for a couple of weeks now. He is one wizarding Britain's proud sons of the Auror Department, Auror Sirius Black. As an Auror, he knows a bit about dueling himself, and has agreed to help me with a short demonstration to start us off. Now... er – Auror Black, please choose what spell we should show these wonderful students!"

"Your first lesson will be a simple Disarming spell," Sirius said, and a few older students groaned; Harry shook his head... how easy the Disarming spell was to underestimate, "Simple, but very effective, when it is perfected, and it will stop your opponents from using unfriendly spells immediately, because they will not have their wand."

"Excellent words," Lockhart said, "I am not sure even I could have said it any better! Shall we begin. First, we must bow. That is the sign of a professional duelist and a good person too!"

"How many Dark wizards did you bow down to," Sirius asked, "before they hit you while you weren't facing them, Professor?"

Many of the students snickered. Professor Lockhart stammered and then grinned.

"Very true," he said, "You must know who you duel. Are they friendly or Dark? Will they duel unfairly or by the rules? Auror Black, I am sure you duel by the rules."

"Of course," Sirius said, "I will politely bow."

Both Lockhart and Sirius bowed quickly and backed up to opposite ends of the platform, and held out their wands toward each other.

"As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position," Lockhart told the silent crowd. "On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course. This is a Disarming duel, as Auror Black said."

Lockhart looked as if he was taking deep breaths. The students looked on excitedly.

"One," Lockhart said, "Two – three!"

Both of them swung their wands above their heads and pointed them at their opponent; Sirius cried: "_Expelliarmus_!" There was a dazzling flash of scarlet light and Lockhart was blasted off his feet:

He flew backward off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it to sprawl on the floor.

Harry, Ginny, and their friends clapped first and the rest joined in with them. Sirius winked in Harry and Ginny's direction.

Lockhart was getting unsteadily to his feet. His hat had fallen off and his wavy hair was standing on end.

"Well, there you have it!" he said, tottering back onto the platform. "That was a Disarming Charm — as you see, I've lost my wand — ah, thank you, Miss Brown. Excellent dueling, Auror Black, but I must say it was a rather lucky shot... if I wanted to stop you, it could have only been too easy."

Sirius rolled his eyes and pointed his wand back at Lockhart.

"But that is enough of a demonstration!" Lockhart said, very quickly, "Okay... so... the first lesson of course is Disarming Spells. Divide yourselves into pairs, but only with your fellow year or one year below you if you have friends or family in those years. Do your best, because after you practice, we will be deciding on two students from each year to show off their skills to the rest of the students in attendance! Twenty-five points will be given to each student who wins... so of course your opponent will be in a different house than yourself if you are chosen. Auror Black, myself and the other Professors will help you divide into pairs if you need help."

Harry and Ginny decided they would pair up with their friends, so Harry chose Ron, and Ginny chose Hermione. Neville and Luna paired up as well. Around them, students divided into pairs, and spread out around the Great Hall. Incantations were called, and wands started to fly from hands. Harry was about to bow to Ron, when Lockhart walked over.

"Splitting up the dream team, are we?" Lockhart asked Harry and Ginny.

"We thought it best to help our friends," Harry said, "Injuring each other – err – might not look good for publicity you know."

"Ah – of course!" Lockhart said, "Does that mean you are ready for that interview? Perhaps a week from today?"

"Quidditch match, Professor," Ginny said, "Both of us may be in it, but Harry definitely will."

"Of course!" Lockhart said, "I had forgotten. Okay, let's see how your disarming skills are!"

Harry and Ron bowed to each other and backed up a few feet.

"Remember the incantation?" Harry asked Ron.

"Yeah," Ron said.

"Ready!" Lockhart said, "One – two – three!"

"Expelliarmus!" Harry and Ron said together.

Harry ducked, and Ron's wand left his hand, and flew toward Harry, who caught it. Nearby, Hermione and Ginny disarmed each other, and their wands collided in mid-air.

"Excellent!" Lockhart said, as Harry walked over to Ron and gave him back his wand, "Very impressive, Harry. Miss Granger, Miss Weasley, seems the two of you are well-matched."

_Nah, _Ginny said, _I was making it easy on Hermione. Don't want to work too hard yet._

"Seems so, sir," Ginny said.

"Very good," Lockhart said, "Mr. Weasley, I am sure you'll be able to do your best, but Harry is very good."

"We'll work on it," Harry said.

Lockhart smiled and walked away from the group to check on others. Over the next half-hour, the six friends tried to disarm each other, before splitting up and partnering up with their other friends. Hermione disarmed Ron twice, though Ron couldn't disarm her, but he was able to do so against Neville and Luna. Harry disarmed Ginny three out of four times, and Harry was able to disarm Hermione, Neville and Luna three times a piece too. Luna disarmed both Neville and Ginny, the latter after she quickly grabbed her wand when it left her hand and did the spell, which surprised Ginny.

Then Lockhart and Sirius started calling up two volunteers per year. Wood defeated one of the Slytherin Quidditch players in his year, Percy was defeated by his girlfriend, Penelope, and Fred Weasley defeated a Ravenclaw.

"Second years now!" Lockhart said, "Auror Black, you pick first."

"Harry," Sirius said.

Harry rolled his eyes and walked forward through the crowd toward the platform.

"Excellent," Lockhart said, "Er... let's see... hmm... ah, next week Slytherin and Gryffindor face off against each other in Quidditch, so let's have the Seeker vs. Seeker, as a preview! Blaise Zabini, come up here please!"

_Oh, wonderful, _Ginny said, _Can't trust him to just use disarming spells._

_Yeah,_

_Harry said, as he watched Blaise make his way up onto the platform, but what should I do? I don't want to use too many serious spells... not with all these people watching us._

_Leg-Lock or Body-Bind. Stunners only if you have to._

_Right..._

_Good luck, my love._

Hary backed up to Sirius' side of the platform, and Blaise to Lockhart's side.  
_  
_"Okay, Mr. Potter and Mr. Zabini," Lockhart said, "_When I count to _three, cast your charms to disarm your opponent — _only _to disarm — we don't want any accidents. Winner of the duel receives twenty-five points for their house. Now... this is a friendly duel, of course, so bow to each other."

Harry and Blaise only bowed very slightly.

"Excellent," Lockhart said, "Wands at the ready, appropriate dueling position!"

Harry steadied his wand arm and pointed his wand at Blaise, who in turn pointed his own wand at Harry."One," Lockhart said, "Two..."

"Expelliarmus!" Blaise said, before Lockhart could get to three.

Harry gripped his wand and the disarming spell failed. He cast his own, and Blaise ducked to the ground. He rolled over and pointed his wand at Harry.

"Rictusempra!" he said.

Harry side-stepped it.

"I said disarm only!" Lockhart said, as Blaise quickly jumped to his feet.

"Locomotor Mortis!" Harry said.

The spell hit true, and Blaise's legs locked, and he fell over. Harry breathed a sigh of relief. But suddenly, Blaise's legs were free and he started getting back to his feet.

_Someone did a counter-curse! _Ginny said.

"Stupefy!" Harry said.

Blaise ducked again, and pointed his wand quickly at Harry, then growled, "Stupefy!"

Harry didn't expect Blaise to do retaliate with the same spell, so he wasn't ready to dodge it. He tried to duck, but the spell hit him in the shoulder, and he was forced backward, blacking out, Stunned, before he hit the ground.

When he woke up, Sirius was kneeling over him. He heard commotion in the crowd, but it wasn't cheering for Blaise. The commotion was coming somewhere toward the direction of Harry's friends... and he couldn't see Ginny anywhere. He sat up and looked around.

_Ginny? _He called, _where are you? _

The crowd parted as Dumbledore and McGonagall walked over in Ginny's direction, and Harry saw her sitting on the ground looking rather dizzy and confused.

_Wh-what? What happened?_

_Ginny? Are you okay?_

_I-I think I fainted! I just remember watching you get Stunned, and I fell..._

_You fainted when I did? Could our Bond have done that?_

_I... I bet it did! We should tell Dumbledore. He's coming over here now._

_I'll tell Sirius what happened. _

"Are you okay, Harry?" Sirius asked.

Harry lowered his voice to a whisper. "Ginny fainted when I did. Something to do with our Bond I think. I want to talk to Dumbledore."

Sirius nodded and looked at Lockhart. Harry noticed that Blaise had a smirk on his face, as he looked at him.

"He's fine, but I should take him to the Hospital Wing just in case," Sirius said. "Could you have a substitute instructor for the rest of the lesson?"

"Of course!" Lockhart said, "Er – Professor Snape. Come up here, please."

Harry looked at Snape, who was looking slowly from him to Ginny, then blinked and looked at Lockhart. He nodded grudgingly and walked through the crowd. Harry stood up and followed Sirius over to Ginny, who was now at her feet.

"... just exhaustion, I'm sure," Dumbledore was saying to the students who was looking at Ginny, "I will take her to the Hospital Wing. Professor McGonagall, Professor Lockhart, I have no wish to stop this wonderful first meeting of the Dueling Club early just because its – ah – creators must leave early. Please continue. There will be no punishments for the overactive duel. Harry has volunteered to be an instructor for the Club, and he was just teaching everyone, and Blaise was a good student. Thank you, both of you, for that show. Congratulations, Mr. Zabini."

"Thank you, Headmaster," Blaise said.

"Come, Auror Black, Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley," Dumbledore said, and turned.

Harry walked with Ginny as they followed Sirius and Dumbledore out of the Great Hall. They were silent until they reached the corridor leading to the Hospital Wing.

"Professor," Harry said, "when I was stunned, Ginny said she fainted too. Do you think –?"

"Your bond is too blame?" Dumbledore asked, "I do... in fact, it seems this is a new development that may happen from time to time, and may be just as much as an annoyance as when the Bond was healing over the summer. You see... I believe the two of you are experiencing what is known as 'magical synchronicity' – meaning if you suffer pain or something such as being Stunned, those who are synchronized with you suffer the same fate. It is usually done by a rare, and not very well known Dark curse. It seems your Bond has taken on the effects of this curse when it senses danger."

"Great," Ginny said, sarcastically, "So we could be dueling together against somebody, and one of us gets stunned, and we both end up fainting."

"As I said, it is an annoyance," Dumbledore said. "But we can hope it will not happen every time."

"I'm getting rather tired of being introduced to new symptoms of our Bond," Harry said, "I haven't read all of Flamel's book, but I'm sure there isn't every symptom listed in there."

"No, I am sure there is not," Dumbledore said, "This is a learning experience for all of us. For now, we will go check you two in with Madam Pomfrey, and see if the diagnostics spells can tell us more."

"I don't know why the Bond would do this," Ginny said, "We've been doing all we can to keep it happy in a sense. I mean, I risk discovery every morning when I go from Harry's dorm to my own."

"What?" Sirius asked, "You... do you mean you sleep in his bed still?"

"I gave them unofficial permission to do so," Dumbledore said, "Nobody but you and I know about this."

"The first evening we were back here," Ginny said, "I had this desire to sleep next to Harry. I thought it was my own desire, so I teleported to him, and we slept pretty well. When I returned the next morning to my own bed, I couldn't get back to sleep. We've been doing this for over a month now... last week, I tried to sleep in my own bed, and two hours after I went to bed, I still couldn't sleep. So I teleported to Harry's bed..."

"I was sleeping okay," Harry said, "But when she joined me, I felt better."

"Well, as long as you're both happy," Sirius said, "How can I complain?"

They arrived at the Hospital Wing, where Madam Pomfrey walked out of her office as soon as she heard them.

"Oh, dear," she said, "Did something happen at the Dueling Club meeting? I told you Albus, I told you it was dangerous!"

"Are we able to talk freely in here?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, Headmaster," Pomfrey said, "Only patient is Mr. Crabbe, and he isn't going to hear anything until we can wake him up."

At the end of the Hospital Wing, only one bed had a privacy curtain up, and Harry knew this was where Crabbe was.

"Unexpected side-effect with Harry and Ginny's Soul-Bond," Dumbledore said, "Harry, here, was Stunned, and when he was hit, Ginny fainted as well."

"Stunning spell?" Pomfrey asked, shaking her head, "I thought they were learning Disarming Spells today."

"Ah, complications arose," Dumbledore said.

"As they usually do in this school," Pomfrey said, and Sirius laughed, "Lay down you too. One bed, or two, Albus?"

"Two are fine, I think," Dumbledore said.

Harry and Ginny walked over to two neighboring beds and laid down.

"Visible Diagnostic spells," Dumbledore said, pointing his wand at Harry.

Madam Pomfrey pointed her wand at Ginny, and soon, two visible globes arose over the beds. Harry had seen this a few times already. He looked at the globe, and was relieved to see he still had a half of their soul and each other's soul. But at a second glance he noticed something odd. The pulsing in each of the four lights glowing around the partial souls were all moving at the same time, same pace.

"Well, that is most peculiar," Madam Pomfrey said, as she looked at the pulsing lights, "It is almost as if they are -"

"In synch," Dumbledore finished, "Yes. Synchronicity."

"Synchronicity?" Pomfrey asked, "Doesn't a spell usually have to do that? A curse?"

"I've never heard of the Synchronicity Curse," Sirius said.

"It is an old Dark curse," Dumbledore said, "Though it had gone out of style sometime after Grindelwald's downfall. He used it, and taught his followers to use it. You see the use for it, of course... why take down one opponent at a time, when you can take down two? As for Harry and Ginny... we can tell through their Soul-Bond that it was something the Bond did to them, not a curse. Will this last, and if it goes away, will it return, perhaps at random times? We may never know unless it happens again. But... I think after the two of you calm down from the adrenaline rush of the Dueling Club, it may subside for now. I'd suggest relaxation."

Harry and Ginny nodded in understanding. After Madam Pomfrey gave them potions to calm down the possible after-effects of fainting, they returned to their Common Room. Students were returning now, and their three friends had already arrived. They asked what happened, and Harry explained it.

"So," Ron said, bewildered, "You two could be dueling and one of you gets hit, and both of you go down? That's hardly fair!"

Harry grunted. "Since when has 'fair' liked me lately?"

* * *

**Okay... so some bad news. My computer is having a few problems... the fan is being rather loud, and the computer likes to heat up and shut down at times. So this may put a damper in how often I update for a while. I could have only one or two updates a week... we'll see what happens.**

**So I had the Synchronicity effect in mind ever since I thought of the Dueling Club, and I am happy to say it went well.**

**I'm sure people are going to ask why Harry was defeated so easily... well, he hardly expected Blaise to be able to use a Stunning Spell, and it hit Harry's shoulder before he could dodge it. So he almost got out of the way... just not quick enough. Blaise, however, showed some quickness!**

**Next chapter is the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match for the second year! What will happen now that Blaise is the Seeker, and the Rogue Bludger won't come into effect? We'll see!**


	73. Gryffindor Vs Slytherin, Year 2

**Chapter 73  
Gryffindor Vs. Slytherin, Year 2**

**Author's Note: Deepest apologies for not getting this chapter up sooner. As I stated in the last, I've been having computer problems, which aren't fixed yet, and are still a bother. Between that, real life stuff getting in the way (have a family wedding to attend this coming weekend) and a bit of writer's block, I haven't had much of a chance to write. I know before now there has been quick updates throughout the story, and I hope to get these quick updates back again, but have to deal with stuff in real life first. For now, I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**This story now has 820 reviews, as of this update, and is becoming very close to being my top reviewed story. Also it has 320,000+ hits, which is less than 70k from reaching my most viewed story so far. So thank you all!  
**

* * *

**(Ginny)**

The cool early October winds whipped past Ginny as she flew across the Pitch on her Nimbus 2001. Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson were on either side of her; Angelina had the Quaffle in her hand. At the other end of the Pitch, Alicia Spinnet was headed in their direction, trying to defend and intercept; Fred and George were ready with their Beater bats, to ward off the Chasers with Bludger; Oliver Wood was ready to guard the rings. Harry and Ron were the only two not in the air, having finished up their practice half-an-hour ago; Harry would play on Saturday, and Ron would not.

It was the final practice before Gryffindor would face Slytherin in the first Quidditch match of the term in two days. Today, Oliver was testing the Chasers to see who would make the starting team at the match. Katie and Angelina were already starting. Oliver wanted to test Ginny's offense and Alicia's defensive maneuvers. Ginny had good defense, while Alicia was rather good at scoring. Whoever did better today in those skills they needed improvement on would play in the game.

"Triangle pass play!" Angelina said loudly, over the torrent of wind, "Ginny, ascend!"

Ginny nodded and rose higher into the air. As she did, Angelina passed the Quaffle to Katie, who flew off toward the rings, while Angelina and Ginny tried to keep up while staying in the triangle position. Ginny knew this play well – it was one of the Harpies favorite plays, and she practiced it many times.

_Ginny! _Harry said in her mind, _Fred's hit a Bludger... coming Katie's way!_

"Bludger!" Ginny said to Katie, loudly, "Coming for you, Katie, pass it!"

Katie immediately passed the Quaffle toward Ginny, and flew out of formation as the Bludger just missed her, and shot through the hole of air in between her and Ginny.

"This is your shot, Ginny!" Angelina said.

Ginny smiled in response. As she looked on, she saw Alicia coming her way. She had a few possible choices of getting past her. She could either dive, raise higher, or head right for Alicia and hope she was frightened enough to get out of the way. Then she figured out another possible play.

She motioned Angelina forward and urged her broom forward toward Alicia, as Angelina followed her. Then she faked a pass toward Angelina, who immediately realized what she was doing. Angelina tucked in her arms and flew off higher into the air, and Alicia took the bait and changed directions to chase Angelina. Ginny held onto the Quaffle tightly and sped toward the rings, watching Oliver to find a weakness. He was used to her faking it, so maybe he expected it... or was he expecting her not to fake? She quickly decided as she approached the rings, and threw the Quaffle straight toward the middle ring with all her strength. Oliver flew toward it, but it grazed past his fingertips and scored through the middle ring!s

A shrill whistle from Oliver's direction was heard, and he raised his hands: the signal for the end of practice. Ginny landed on the ground near Harry and Ron, and wiped her brow. It may have been fairly cool in the air, but she was sweating from the adrenaline. She was quite happy to be back on solid ground. Practice had gone on for at least three hours after class had gotten out, and dinner would be available soon.

"Great practice today everyone," Oliver said, "I'd say a lot more, but I am sure two girls here want to hear my decision for the game on Saturday. We'll start with Alicia... you were doing very good at scoring and passing today. But it was all about the defensive work that I needed you to focus on. You are good at side-by-side flying with opponents, but Ginny did not fall for your distractions, and was able to distract you by faking a few passes to her fellow team-mates. Ginny... when you're faking or not faking attempted passes, you do very well, but you need to switch more often on whether or not to fake, because it can get predictable. Keepers, like myself, are trained to watch Chasers and see if they are faking or not. Not everyone of those Keepers has that foresight, so be smart with how you try to score. However..."

He looked from Alicia to Ginny... then he looked at Angelina and Katie.

"I am not the one the final starter flies with up there and passes the Quaffle to," he continued, "This is Angelina and Katie's choice today. Who do you two girls want to fly with you on Saturday?"

"Ginny's very good at scoring when she can get near the rings," Angelina said, "You caught a few of her attempts today, but it isn't you she'll be going up against. I choose Ginny."

"Alicia is excellent at the rings," Katie said, "But... that last play, I didn't even hear that Bludger coming – nice one, Fred – and Ginny was ready to catch the Quaffle and she warned me in time, then went on to score. Sorry, Alicia... I choose Ginny."

Ginny grinned and Oliver raised his eyebrows and looked at her.

"You're starting on Saturday, Ginny," Oliver said, "But don't think this is permanent. The four of you will still have to compete for starters for the next two matches as well. Congratulations, Ginny. Alicia... still one of my best scorers, but Slytherin team is very offensive and we need defense too... watch the match from the seats and make sure to use what you see in your favor for the upcoming practices."

Alicia looked downtrodden, but nodded.

"Practice is over," Oliver said, "Hit the showers, and go get dinner. Stay healthy, and rest up for Saturday's game."

* * *

**(Sirius)**

Meanwhile, on the fourth floor of Hogwarts, where the guest quarters were located, Sirius was pacing back and forth while looking at his pocket-watch. He had wanted to watch the Gryffindor team practice today since he was going to miss the match on Saturday, but an hour ago, he received post from Amelia to contact her office at the Ministry via fire-call around six that evening; it was almost six now. The fireplace in his quarters was only accessible for fire-calls and not travel, and it was only active when the room was being used.

Sirius wondered what Amelia could possibly want that couldn't wait until tomorrow evening. Tomorrow afternoon, he would finish up his last watch duties on Severus Snape, and would report back to the Ministry on Snape's behavior. Sirius would have liked to get Snape on something... but it seemed he was cooperating. There was nothing to suggest he was contacting anyone associated with the Dark Arts, outside of discussion beyond the subject of parent-teacher posts and conversations. There was also nothing to suggest - as Sirius, Harry and Harry's friends had thought – that Snape had anything to do with Vincent Crabbe's attack.

As for that investigation, Sirius had done all he could at the castle, and he had decided it was best to work on it privately at the Ministry with those he trusted – Amelia, in other words – and let Dumbledore and the Professors handle everything at Hogwarts' end. Though he had tried to do his fair share...

Until he had accompanied Harry and Ginny to the Hospital Wing with Professor Dumbledore, he had kept an eye out at the Dueling Club for any student using spells that might be too high-leveled for their education or age. He had even suggested those students who dueled each other himself because he wanted to see if they were capable of powerful spells in duels. Whatever happened to Crabbe seemed to be quite advanced. But other than the duel between Harry and Blaise Zabini, nothing had gone out of order. Zabini's use of Rictusempra was a adolescent-level jinx and with enough experience, even a first year could use that. His use of the Stunning spell was the result of mimicking Harry's use, and a spot of good luck. Even if the spell was a bit advanced, Sirius suspected that Blaise had learned some spells outside his curriculum during the summer, but had no proof, nor suspicions, that he had learned something that could curse Crabbe like that.

Sirius took another glance at his pocket-watch and smiled. He then walked over to the mantle of the fireplace and took some Floo powder from the bag. He threw the powder into the fire, which turned green and stuck his head in.

"Amelia Bones' office, Ministry," Sirius said.

The fire swirled and spun around. Soon, he was looking at the familiar decorations of Amelia's office.

"Sirius?" Amelia called; apparently she had heard the ash shift, "Is that you?"

Before Sirius could answer, Amelia appeared in his vision, smiling as she saw him.

"Good timing," she said, "Just arrived a few moments ago. Been in urgent meetings with a few of our allies in the internal investigations. It seems Valiance Crabbe has decided to flee the country. Leads point in the direction of Bulgaria, though he may not be going there."

"He's fled the country?" Sirius asked, "When is son was attacked less than a week ago?"

"I'm not sure if he knows about his son or not," Amelia said. "Dawlish went to Crabbe's residence last weekend, and he wasn't there. He may have fled before his son was attacked."

"So could it be possible his son was attacked because he fled?" Sirius asked.

"Depends," Amelia said, "what is your main theory on this attack? Was Crabbe's son attacked because of these investigations and the fact the father is apparently a Death Eater?"

"That would lead me to believe," Sirius said, "that whoever is behind this attack knows which individuals are Death Eaters. Which means more kids of Death Eaters could get attacked."

_Though, _Sirius asked himself, _what does that have to do with 'pure blood is not always pure'? Many pure-bloods believe that what Voldemort and the Death Eaters did was right._

"Now, now, Sirius," Amelia said, "We can't have that getting out without proof. The only solution to that would be for every child of those involved in Dark Arts, Death Eaters or not, to be sent home. Students and parents would ask questions, not to mention we could have more Death Eaters or those involved in the Dark Arts fleeing the country as well. That is not very proactive in our investigation."

"No, it isn't," Sirius said, "And speaking of that... my cousin, Cissa, should be home from Bulgaria soon. Which means I should be expecting a letter to meet her soon. Anything on the big target's end yet?"

"He's been attending many of the court cases where the full Wizengamot is needed," Amelia said. "Which is a lot, because the Wizengamot is down in numbers thanks to the investigations. And not just with the arrests. A couple of the elder members resigned."

"Dark Arts involvement?" Sirius asked.

"Fear of association, I reckon," Amelia said, "Or they don't want to raise their hand when someone dangerous is being convicted of a crime, and make themselves a possible target to allies of those criminals. Anyway, Fudge has been showing up a lot, and raising his had quite a lot too. But he does not comment on anything the media asks him. Everyday there is something in the Prophet along the lines of 'Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge was not available for comment' or something like that."

"Keeping his nose clean, in other words," Sirius grunted. "At least he doesn't suspect anything of what we're doing in terms of him. So... anything else?"

"You could tell me where you're taking me on Saturday night?" Amelia suggested.

Sirius laughed; she had been trying that for days through fire-calls and posts, ever since Sirius told her about the dinner plans that were now off postponement.

"And miss out on blindfolding you Saturday evening?" Sirius joked.

Amelia narrowed her eyes. "You wouldn't dare –" she then paused and rolled her eyes. "You're joking with me, right?"

"You'll just have to see on Saturday," Sirius said, with a smirk, "I should get going. Harry, Ginny and their friends should be back from the Pitch soon. Shame I have to miss the match on Saturday."

After goodbyes, usual declarations of love and Amelia's promise to meet Sirius at Potter Manor the following evening for their much-awaited reunion, Sirius backed out coughing and spluttering. He then headed off out of the guest quarters, and saw Hermione walking down the corridor from the library's direction.

"Hello, Hermione," Sirius said, "Heading down to the Great Hall for dinner?"

"Yeah," Hermione said, "I hope practice is over. Ginny said something about Oliver choosing the Chasers today for the match."

"You're coming from the library?" Sirius asked, "I thought you would have gone out to the Pitch with Neville and Luna to watch practice."

"Some things are more important," Hermione said.

"Ah, homework," Sirius said.

"No homework today," Hermione said, "I was actually reading up on that whole synchronicity thing that happened to Harry and Ginny last weekend. I meant to before today, but I've been so busy this week. For a couple of days, whenever I get a chance, I've been trying to look up spells and curses that were similar to what happened to Crabbe. And I couldn't find anything... nothing at all."

"I wouldn't expect you to, Hermione," Sirius said, "I doubt there are books about that here at Hogwarts, even in the Restricted Section. And even if there were, I'm sure the headmaster would have had those books taken out of the library in light of recent events. Or... you know... books like that may not even exist."

Hermione frowned. "I guess I didn't think about that."

"Not everything can be found in a book," Sirius said, then grinned, "as scandalous as that sounds."

Hermione chuckled and nodded.

"Come on," Sirius said, "Let's go see if Harry and the others are back from practice."

Everyone had indeed returned from practice. Harry, Ginny, Ron, Neville and Luna were all sitting in their usual spots at the Gryffindor table, when Sirius and Hermione had arrived.

"So?" Sirius asked the team, as Hermione joined her friends, "How did practice go?"

"Guess who is playing third starting Chaser on Saturday?" Ron asked.

Sirius raised his eyebrows and looked at Ginny, who grinned, before taking a sip from her goblet.

"Congratulations!" Hermione said, clapping lightly, "I knew you could do it."

"I expected to play one of the three games," Ginny said. "I really wanted to play against Slytherin, so I was working my backside off out there today."

"It was a good practice all around," Ron said, "Everyone is ready for the match. You should have been out there to watch us, Hermione."

"I was in the library researching stuff," Hermione said.

"Again?" Ron asked, "Fourth time this week!"

"Well," Hermione said, "Perhaps if I had help..."

"I had practice today!" Ron said.

"What about yesterday?" Hermione asked.

Ron's lips creased into a frown and he shrugged. Hermione looked on expectantly.

"I'll take this as my cue to leave," Sirius said, "Good luck with that answer, Ron."

Harry, Ginny and Neville snickered, and Sirius winked and headed up to the Head Table, where Professor Dumbledore was sitting.

"Good evening, Sirius," Dumbledore said, when Sirius took the seat next to the headmaster, "Any news on the Gryffindor front? There seems to have been a bit of a celebration among Harry and his friends."

"Ginny's the third starting chaser on Saturday," Sirius said, as he started serving himself things for dinner.

"Indeed?" Dumbledore asked, "Wonderful. The match should be very exciting. Oh, but of course you are leaving for England tomorrow, yes?"

"Yeah," Sirius said, "Can't do much else here... there's new situations in England for me to tend to. I must ask... did you contact Vincent Crabbe's father concerning the boy's attack?"

"I thought it best he stays oblivious for now," Dumbledore said, "Given that he is a possible Death Eater, I would hate to have to decline invitation towards him into the castle. It would lead to questions I would not wish to answer. Why do you ask?"

"Apparently he's fled the country," Sirius said, "According to Amelia, that is. And it is possible he left as early as the day of, or the day before his son got attacked."

"That is most peculiar," Dumbledore said.

"I thought so too," Sirius said, then looked at Hermione, who was listening to something Harry was saying. "Hermione Granger has been very busy in the library this week. Apparently she is looking up information on curses and symptoms similar to what happened to Crabbe. She's having no luck apparently."

"In my time here, I've read every book in the library at least once," Dumbledore said, "If the information is there, I would know. If this spell was taken from a book, it must have been from the culprit's home or a shop."

"A shop," Sirius echoed slowly, as thoughts raced through his mind, "I wonder if the culprit could have discovered the book in Borgin and Burke's... I may have to talk to Mr. Borgin again."

"That would be very wise," Dumbledore said, nodding.

Sirius raised his goblet of pumpkin juice in agreement and drank from it. Then, down at the Gryffindor table, Harry stood up and walked out of the Great Hall, in a hurried pace. Ginny followed soon after, leaving their friends looking at each other confused.

"Wonder what is up with them," Sirius said, mostly to himself.

"Most of the time, I try to avoid that question," Dumbledore said, chuckling, "Especially with those two. It usually leads to unwanted answers."

* * *

**(Harry)**

_Harry, wait up! _Ginny called through their link, _I'm coming with you... though I wish I knew where you were going._

Harry stopped at the tapestry that led to the shortcut to the seventh floor and looked over his shoulder. Ginny was hurrying over to him. He pushed back the tapestry and let her into the passageway, then followed her in.

"Okay, Harry," Ginny said, "You left half your dinner on the plate."

"Hermione said that Sirius told her there probably wasn't any information about the curse on Crabbe in the Hogwarts library," Harry said, "But what a book with the information still exists. Whoever did this must have learned the curse somewhere. Especially if it was a student. What if they brought the book to school?"

"Yeah, so?" Ginny said, "We wouldn't prove it if they did."

"Unless we found it," Harry said.

"Okay, first off, there might not even be a book," Ginny said, "Second... it could be any student who has it."

"I would bet it is a Slytherin," Harry said, "Remember what Sirius said... apparently Crabbe was seen in the dungeons before he came up to the Owlery. So maybe he was on his way to the Slytherin Common Room, when his attacker came from the Common Room and asked him to come along."

"And he'd just do it?" Ginny asked, "He'd have to be pretty thick – oh, right, this is Crabbe we're talking about."

"Exactly," Harry said. "So... I figured we could use Polyjuice Potion to search the Slytherin dormitories. We're planning to do so anyway to confront Draco and see if he can tell us if anything happened to him. We could search then as well."

"That could take a while!" Ginny exclaimed..

"We can brew enough potion to last long enough under disguise," Harry said.

"Okay, but we still planned to do this around Christmas, Harry," Ginny said, "What if there are more attacks by then?"

Harry frowned and shrugged. "It is possible, but we're going to have to take our chances."

"So that is what we're doing?" Ginny asked, "Going to the Room to brew the potion?"

"Yeah," Harry said.

"You do realize we're going to have to go there every day to work on it," Ginny said, "someone is bound to notice we're missing."

"You mean your brother or our friends, right?" Harry asked, "We'll tell them about it soon. We may need their help with this anyway."

* * *

Sirius left an hour after the final class on Friday, after he said his goodbyes to Harry and his friends. He promised he was still going through with his plans, to ask Amelia to move in to Potter Manor, during dinner the following day. He wished Harry and Ginny good luck during the match and left with Dobby.

Afterward, Harry and Ginny took their friends up to the mind-exercise room, and showed them the cauldron making the Polyjuice Potion, and told them of their plans of what they do in the Slytherin Common Room come Christmastime. Neville and Luna already had plans to go home during Christmas, and Hermione wasn't sure what she'd be doing, though she said she was interested in helping if she could stay during the holiday break. Ron agreed right away to help, though he was rather disgusted at the idea of using the Potion.

The Gryffindor and Slytherin match would take place at one-thirty on Saturday afternoon, so at noon, the team, including Ron and Alicia, even though they would not play, sat down for lunch together in the Great Hall to talk last minute strategy. At a quarter to one, Professor McGonagall asked for the two teams to head down to the Pitch. As Harry and Ginny passed their friends, and Ron sat down next to Hermione, they wished them good luck and gave them thumbs up gestures.

"Sky is clear of clouds and it is rather nice, though a bit cool," Oliver said, as he led the team into the locker rooms fifteen minutes later, "I am sure it is very windy up there, so you'll have to be careful of how you fly. Don't get caught in those torrents."

Harry put on his uniform and gloves and grabbed his broom. Oliver called for a short ten minute flurry of pre-match practice, so everyone could test their flying against the wind. Once the crowd started coming in, everyone headed back in.

_Nervous, Ginny? _He asked Ginny, when they sat down with their teammates.

_A bit, _Ginny said, _Haven't played an actual seven-on-seven match in a while. But the reason I wanted to be a part of this match is so I could prove to myself I could play in my usual style even in my eleven year old body._

_You still have the mind of the Harpy Chaser... should mean something._

Ginny smiled but before she could reply, Oliver signaled for everyone to listen.

"Last year we lost the cup because of circumstances we could not control," Oliver said, and his eyes went toward Harry and Ginny for a mere second before he looked back at the full team again, "But that was the past... this is the present... this is today, and today we can be well on our way with winning the cup with a big victory against Slytherin. We all know Slytherin likes to score high, and how they can still be a threat. Even when they lose, they can still win the cup... but not this year. This year the cup is for Gryffindor. It has our names on it. They may have a new Seeker we have not seen in a game yet, but we have a Chaser they have not seen play either."

Everyone looked at Ginny, and she blushed.

"You may be young, Ginny," Oliver said. "But you can play... prove that to them and make sure they underestimate you. Don't make me regret this choice, especially when it wasn't mine."

"Aye, aye," Ginny said.

"That is what I want to hear," Oliver said. "And remember, you are not alone out there. You work very well with Angelina and Katie... make that a triple threat the Slytherins will never forget. Potter, we do not know what Zabini will do, but he knows what you can do from watching you last year. He has that advantage. Do not give him any more advantages. If you can keep the match lasting long enough so we can score some points to help us through the term, do so. But if he looks as if he is going to crowd the Snitch, and go after it right as the whistle blows, do not let him catch it."

"He won't beat me," Harry said, "That's a promise."

"I know that from last year, Potter," Oliver said, "Prove it again this year. Fred and George..."

"We'll keep the Chasers away from you," George said.

"And the Bludgers away from our Chasers," Fred said, "Especially our sister... she might need that help."

Ginny scoffed. "Just don't aim one at me on purpose."

"We would never do that!" Fred and George said together.

Overhead, they heard Lee Jordan start the beginning commentary of the match, and the Slytherin team's footsteps echoed as they headed past the locker room and out to the Pitch.

"That's our cue!" Oliver said, "Huddle up! You know what to do on three!"

The teammates stood up and put their hands in together. Oliver put up one, then two, then finally three fingers.

"Go, go Gryffindor!" the team chanted once, and made their way out toward the Pitch.

"... and Flint!" Lee Jordan said, as the green and silver blurs of colors flew through the air, "And the Gryffindor team... Weasley, Weasley, Weasley, Bell, Johnson, Potter and Wood!"

As their last names were called, the seven players flew off into the air. The twins were first followed by Ginny and her fellow Chasers.

"Yes, that is right!" Lee said, "Do not adjust your ears, there are three Weasleys in the air today! Two days ago, The Beaters' little sister, Ginny Weasley won the starting spot for today's match against Slytherin over regular Chaser Alicia Spinnet. This is her debut match! Also starting their debut match is the Slytherin's new Seeker Blaise Zabini. He has his hands full against Harry Potter today, but whose hand will come down with the Snitch at the end of the match? That's the question on my mind as we watch the players take to the center of the Pitch!"

Harry hovered in the sky and saw Blaise doing the same. A smirk crossed Blaise's lips as he looked on at Harry... Harry knew he was thinking about the Dueling Club, and what was considered an upset when Blaise stunned Harry. Perhaps Blaise was hoping for another upset today?

Madam Hooch released the Snitch, and the Bludgers, as Lee Jordan commented on them. Oliver and Marcus Flint shook hands. Oliver then turned and flew back toward the rings. Harry looked down at Ginny, who looked back at him and winked.

_Ready? _Harry asked.

_Let me score a few rings before you catch that Snitch, eh?_

_We'll see._

_Prat!_

Harry chuckled and grinned. He looked back at Blaise, who was looking back at him again... no, he seemed to be looking past Harry. Harry looked over his shoulder. The Snitch was hovering a few yards below the rings. Madam Hooch blew the whistle and the game began. Harry didn't take the time to watch what happened with Ginny and the rest of the Chasers. He turned his broom and flew off in the direction he had seen the Snitch. Below him, he saw Blaise flying toward the rings.

"... the Slytherin Chaser has the Quaffle and she is heading toward the rings!" Lee Jordan's voice echoed around the Pitch.

Harry heard a whoosh of wind, and looked over his shoulder, just in time to see the six Chasers coming his way. He rose into the air just enough to hear the whipping sounds of parts of the Chasers uniforms as they flew below him, Ginny tailing the lead Chaser, who had the Quaffle. Harry looked around for Blaise and the Snitch. Blaise was hovering in the air across the Pitch and looking wildly around. He seemed to have lost the Snitch. Harry did a quick check for the Snitch, but couldn't find it, then returned his sights on the action with the Chasers. The female Slytherin Chaser threw the Snitch toward Flint, and he caught it then immediately threw it toward the rings...

"Amazing last-second save by Wood!" Lee Jordan said, after Wood caught the Quaffle which was aimed at the left ring, "And Gryffindor takes posession as Wood passes it to Katie Bell."

Katie flew off down the Pitch with, Ginny and Angelina, and the three Slytherin Chasers tailing her. A nice hit to one of the Bludgers by Fred sent it soaring toward the Slytherin Chasers, and they had to swerve away to miss it, leaving the three Gryffindor Chasers alone with the Quaffle. Ginny and Angelina moved below Katie, forming the triangle maneuver. Katie passed the Quaffle to Angelina, who passed it to Ginny, and they flew off toward the rings.

"Nice quick passes in the triangle maneuver!" Lee said, "But here comes Flint!"

Ginny broke away from the triangle and dove toward the ground, then rose into the air toward the rings, but Flint was still on her tail.

Harry then saw George flying toward a Bludger, and knew what he was trying to do.

_Keep flying, Ginny! _Harry said, _George will deal with Flint._

_Good. Have you seen the Snitch?_

Harry looked around for the Snitch, but could not find it anywhere. Across the Pitch, Blaise was watching the Chaser action.

Suddenly, the crowd groaned... but it was coming from the Slytherin side, and Harry looked back at the Chasers. Flint was diving toward the ground as a Bludger flew past his head.

"Nice shot from George Weasley to aid his sister!" Lee said, "And it is just Ginny and the Slytherin Keeper!"

Harry watched as the distance between Ginny and the rings shortened in length by only a few yards. Ginny then faked the Quaffle toward the right ring, and threw it toward the left...

"... and the Slytherin Keeper falls for the fake... and Ginny scores!" Lee said, before cheering loudly, "Gryffindor takes first blood, 10-0, with a nice play by the youngest Chaser!"

The game went on with the Gryffindor and Slytherin Chasers going back and forth trying to score. Both Ginny and Angelina came up with interceptions, just as the Slytherin Chasers attempted scores, and went onto score themselves. Harry and Blaise were just spectators trying to look for the Snitch, but not finding it.

"... and Ginny scores her fourth of the day!" Lee said, forty-five minutes later, over the cheers of the Gryffindors, "Making the score 100-50 in favor of Gryffindor. She's a wild one out – whoa, was that the Snitch?"

Harry turned and looked toward the Head stands, where the Professors and Lee were sitting, and indeed saw the Snitch hovering near the stands. Blaise was just as far away from it as Harry was, but on the other side of the Pitch. Harry flew toward the Snitch's direction, his Nimbus 2000 gaining speed. Just as he and Blaise reached each other, the Snitch dived toward the ground and they both dove toward it, the ground coming closer every second. Over the rush of wind, as Harry reached his arm out, he could hear Blaise urging his broom on.

Then there was a collective gasp from the stadium, and Harry heard the tell-tale signs of a Bludger coming closer. He could see it out of the corner of his eyes, but he knew that if he let up, Blaise would catch the Snitch. He urged his broom forward on, gaining ground on the Snitch. Then he heard Blaise scream and move away, as the whooshing sound of the Bludger moved behind them. Harry reached forward toward the Snitch... inches away, and he moved his hand over it, then grabbed it! But he didn't have time to celebrate, the ground was coming closer. He pulled up and heard a thud, followed by a jolting feeling as his broom spun, and him with it... and he crashed into the ground, skidding and rolling over his broom, as his body hit the dirt.

"Potter's broom gets nailed with the Bludger just as he caught the Snitch!" Lee said, "That was a bad crash! Does he still have the Snitch?"

Harry blinked and opened his eyes and saw, through blurry vision, the Snitch fluttering in his fingers. He didn't have his glasses on anymore... they must have fallen off when he was rolling, but he didn't care. He raised his hand and revealed the Snitch.

"He does!" Lee said, loudly, his voice echoing across the Pitch, "Potter has the Snitch! Gryffindor wins! 250-50!"

Harry groaned as he moved his limbs to make sure he could... he was sure he would have bruises by the following morning.

_Harry! _Ginny's panicking voice said.

Harry sat up, then looked forward and saw through his blurry vision, a long streak of red hair coming toward him.

_Ginny... I'm fine... just a bad crash._

"Nothing broken," he said out loud, as Ginny neared him and kneeled down on the ground.

"Actually there is," Ginny said, grinning.

She lifted up, with both hands, Harry's glasses... they had been snapped in two, half of each in each one of her palms.

"They can be repaired," Harry said, then saw the rest of his team, including Ron, Hermione and Alicia, running over to him; Neville and Luna joined as well, "Hey guys..."

"Are you okay, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"That was a bad crash!" Ron said, "That Bludger hit your broom, just as you caught the Snitch! But we won!"

"Yeah," Harry said, as Fred and George helped him to his feet, "Only thing broken are my glasses."

"Harry... have you thought about getting contacts?" Hermione asked, as she looked at the broken glasses, at least for Quidditch matches?"

"I'm used to my glasses," Harry said.

Harry picked up his broom, and Ginny took his hand. They headed toward the locker rooms.

"And yet I am sure everything is blurry for you right now," Hermione said, behind them, "Ginny has to help you get to the locker room. What happens if you lose your glasses in the middle of a match?"Harry frowned. He had thought about getting contacts once... when he was in the Auror Training Corp, he was doing a practice duel, and his opponent had summoned his glasses, which made his vision blurry and he had lost the duel because of it. His instructor at the time, a Muggleborn Auror, had suggested contacts. After this, Harry had used spells to keep his glasses on his face... he had just forgotten about it today.

"I'll be fine," he finally said.

"That's the spirit!" Oliver said, "We can get those glasses repaired in an instant. What is more important... very nice catch, Potter! Great win for Gryffindor. Though do be more careful... Ginny's a better Chaser than a Seeker, and we do need you. Nice job out there, Ginny... knew I could count on you."

"Though I am sure I will have to keep it up to play against Ravenclaw, right?" Ginny said.

"Future captain in you with that mind-set!" Oliver said, "Right you are! You four Chasers are on equal ground now... all three starting spots are up for grabs again."

"We can worry about that later, Oliver," Katie said, "We have a win to celebrate!"

_Do you agree with Hermione? _Harry asked, _Think I need contacts?_

_I believe we discussed that very topic before... and I believe you didn't listen to me when I told you you should get them... Hermione's right. These glasses are a weakness._

_I was quite fine for many years with these, you know?_

_Yeah, because nobody tried to remove your glasses in a duel, and when someone finally did, you lost. You were lucky it was a practice duel. I won't lose you because you lost your glasses, Harry._

_I'll think about it, Ginny. I promise._

Ginny squeezed Harry's hand and then placed the broken pieces of Harry's glasses in his hand. She parted from him as they made their separate ways into the different locker rooms. Harry twisted his hand and felt his wand there.

"Reparo," he whispered.

He felt his glasses repair in his hand, and he put them back on his face. He opened his locker and looked in the small mirror there. A frown creased his lips as he looked at his glasses. They were a weakness... but they were also like a close friend... they had been together everywhere, and having contacts would seem like the death of a friend, even if he still used them with the contacts. He closed his eyes and opened them...

… and he was not looking at the mirror anymore. He was looking at a locker that wasn't his. He gasped as he realized what had happened.

_Ginny? _He asked. _What are you looking at right now?_

_My locker... I'm about to get changed. Why?_

_I see it..._

His vision moved and he saw Katie in the distance.

_You're seeing what I'm seeing? Sight-share?_

_Guess I have it now._

_Prat... obtain it when I am in the locker room, huh?_

Harry chuckled and blinked rapidly. His vision then changed and he saw his locker again.

_Okay, it is back to normal. Wow... that was strange._

_I wonder why you are just getting it now?_

_Maybe it has something to do with my glasses being broken... you said that was a weakness. This is a cure to that._

_Not really... you just don't want to get contacts. I'll see you soon. I'm going to take a shower and get dressed. Try not to get your sight-share back then._

_I'm not so sure I can control it yet._

_You're enjoying this aren't you?_

_Maybe..._

_Prat!_

* * *

**So... Harry finally has the sight-share power of the Bond. I had reviews that said I was only doing bad things lately with the Bond... what with the synchronicity, and the incident of the Bond's injuries, so I decided to do a good thing...**

**I was going to have Sirius' dinner with Amelia in this chapter, but I decided against it. It will be briefly described in a paragraph or letter next chapter. Also... something big happens in the investigation and that will happen next chapter, right along with Halloween!**

**Hopefully I can get the next chapter up within the next week or less. As I said in the beginning author's note of this chapter, I will be busy over the next couple of days so I won't be able to focus too much on the story. But I promise to look over my notes and get back into my quick updating stride soon. I will complete this story, I also promise that. We have a long ways to go still!**


	74. Hell and Heaven

**Chapter 74  
Hell and Heaven**

**Author's Note: Huh... what's this? I'm back? That is right. I do apologize for the very long absence in chapters from this story. It is more popular than I imagined, and unfortunately the inevitable Writer's Block came and bit me in the backside. This story WILL be completed even if it takes another year. That is a promise.**

**Also, on my FFN profile, you will see some information concerning updates that have to do with my stories. If I don't update my stories for a week or more, just keep an eye on that and it will more than likely give you the answers you need.**

**This chapter takes place the same day as the Quidditch match in the previous chapter.**

**Warning: Minor Character Death**

* * *

_Saturday,_ _October 3__th__, 1992_

Sirius bit off a chunk from his Honeyduke's Best chocolate bar as he looked up at the large building as the small boat he was in approached it. It had been a year and a half since he had last set his sights on this building.

Azkaban Prison. His residence for nearly ten years. He knew he would be coming back here sometime due to his Auror profession... he just didn't think it would be this soon.

_At least this time, I'm going to be on the right side of the bars when I talk to someone. Still, this isn't the best place for me to be when I have a romantic date tonight with Amelia._

Sirius had returned to England, the previous night from Hogwarts after his nearly one-month stint there to be a wizarding version of a parole officer, over-looking Severus Snape's classes and attitude to make sure he was no longer a Death Eater.

"No absolute proof that Snape is still a Death Eater, even with the snake and skull tattoo on his arm."

That was what he had told the Head of the Auror Department, Rufus Scrimgeour, when he went into the Ministry only an hour before. Sirius was rather good at reading expressions on people's faces, however he could not read Rufus'. Rufus Scrimgeour was very good at his job.

Then he updated Rufus about his investigations into the attack on Vincent Crabbe, and how he had thought that the culprit had bought a book from Borgin and Burke's and found the spell inside that, when used, had made Vincent Crabbe appear to be dead but was very much alive.

He requested a meeting with prisoner Edward Borgin to interrogate him about the possible book and Rufus had said it would take weeks to get a temporary prisoner transfer back to the holding cells in the Ministry from Azkaban. Sirius didn't like that... he needed to do this now. He needed to find the culprit before another student was attacked or killed at Hogwarts.

"Look, Black," Rufus had said, "If you want to talk to Edward Borgin, that is fine with me. But... you're going to have to go back to Azkaban to do it. You can do it tomorrow, for all I care. But I cannot bring him back here right now. It could take weeks..."

Amelia was waiting for him when he returned to Potter Manor after his meeting with Rufus, where they had a nice dinner courtesy of Melina the house elf, before making love twice to make up for the weeks they had missed with each other, and fell asleep curled up to each other.

After telling Amelia he would be back in time for their romantic date and giving her a sweet long kiss, he went back into the Ministry and requested a Portkey to the Ministry. He had to wait an hour to get it, so he went to Hogsmeade, picked up some chocolate for the trip, and arrived just in time to take the Portkey to the boat dock in the North Sea, where he met the captain of the ferry that brought Aurors, as well as prisoners, to Azkaban.

Now he was looking up at Azkaban Prison: the triangular building built out of bricks, stone and steel, wrapped in every protective charm imaginable, and guarded by "the devil's creatures" – as Sirius called them – the Dementors. The high rocky cliff the prison sat on in the middle of the North Sea was partially made out of some erosion by nature itself, and the rest by wizards.

However, if you talked to some people, those usually seen gulping down firewhiskey in the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade village, they would tell you 'that goddamned building was built by the devil himself" to which someone would respond "Cornelius Fudge wasn't born when that prison was built!" and the patrons would laugh.

"If there is a Hell on earth," Sirius muttered, "It is this damn forsaken place."

"I couldn't last a week inside," the ferry's captain said, "If it wasn't for my supply of chocolate, I'd get sick every time I arrived on shore. I have no idea how you lasted nearly ten years."

"Knew I was innocent, that is the only thing I can think of," Sirius said, before he bit off another chunk of chocolate, ending that conversation.

Ten minutes, the ferry made its way onto the shore, and Sirius stepped out.

"How long do you think you'll be here?" the captain asked.

"A hell of a lot less than ten years!" Sirius laughed.

_Best way to survive this... joke about it._

"Less than an hour in the prison, I hope," Sirius said, "So maybe between an hour and two because I have to walk up there and back as well."

"I'd rather not have to just sit here," the captain said, "I'll drive around these waters a bit and come back. Send sparks up in the air when you're on your way back, eh?"

Sirius agreed and took his wand out then pointed it to the ground near him. He closed his eyes and thought back to the day he was proclaimed innocent by his Amy herself, and the day he saw his godson Harry.

"Expecto Patronum," he said, clearly.

He opened his eyes and watched a silver version of Padfoot jump out of his wand and appear on the ground. The Patronus barked and walked beside Sirius as he trudged his way up the paved path along the rocky cliff. When he arrived twenty minutes later, two Aurors stood outside the large black, steel doors. A silver ape and fox, the two Aurors' Patroni, sat beside their caster.

"Auror Sirius Black," Sirius said, showing his badge and credentials, "Here to interrogate prisoner three-seven-six-six Edward Borgin."

"Auror Thom Bettany," the burly Auror said, and offered his hand, then motioned to his more attractive female partner, "Auror Layla Mercer. Aye, we've been waiting for you, Black. Got word from the Boss that you were coming back. Glad to see you're on our side this visit."

"So am I," Sirius muttered, "Dementors?"

"Other side of the prison for your visit," Bettany said, "Though I'm sure we'll still be able to feel their presence, so we have our silver friends walking about. Walk with us, and we'll talk."

When he said this, Auror Mercer raised her wand and the large steel doors opened. As soon as Sirius, his two fellow Aurors, and their Patroni walked through the doors, they shut with a loud clang that resonated through the small entrance hall. Two more Aurors were stationed here, one just inside the doorway, and the other across the room beside another steel door, though this one was much smaller than the entrance doors. The Auror nodded to Sirius and opened the door. He walked behind Bettany and Mercer as they led him through the door toward the first large room of prison cells.

His mind suddenly went back to being escorted in and out of this prison by Aurors, and he shivered. Sirius cleared his throat and reached into the pocket of his robes, and took out another bar of chocolate.

"You okay there, Black?" Mercer asked.

"Memories coming back of this wretched place," Sirius said, as he unwrapped the chocolate bar, bit into it and swallowed the piece, "I'll be all right."

Sirius had only walked by these cells twice. He had not been imprisoned in this part of the prison. The Death Eaters, murderers and rapists were in Cell Block B and C. This was cell block A for people like Edward Borgin whose crimes weren't as serious as those that Lucius Malfoy, Patroclus Nott, Bellatrix Lestrange, Peter Pettigrew and many others were guilty of.

Peter. The thought made Sirius shiver again. To think he was putting together a plan to actually break Pettigrew out of this prison next year, so he could complete the journey that would bring back Voldemort. Sirius was sure Harry and Ginny knew what they were talking about when it came to this plan, and their plan to rid the world of Voldemort the night he returned, but it still gave him chills to think about.

"Pepper-Up Potion will be administered on the prisoner," Bettany said, "Not a big dose, just enough to temporarily snap him out of the place Azkaban may have already sent his mind into and allow you to ask him questions and he, in return, hopefully answer them. Veritaserum is on hand if you believe you need it used on the prisoner."

"Better do it just in case," Sirius said, "The sooner I can get answers, the sooner I can get out of here."

"You're the boss right now," Bettany said.

Two minutes later, they were at Borgin's cell at the other end of Block A. Two more Aurors stood there and Sirius smiled when he saw them. McMann and Lays, the two Aurors who he had seen almost every day for two of the ten years he had been here.

"Finally got that promotion from Cell Block B and C, to Block A, did you two?" Sirius asked them.

"Ha, laugh it up, Black," McMann said, "What I wouldn't give to see you back in here."

McMann hated Sirius... it was no secret. McMann liked to see criminals slowly deteriorate in this prison, and it irked him that Sirius was not exactly a picture of bad health after being in here so long.

"Cool it, McMann!" Bettany said, "Black is the reason a few of the walking dead are behind bars, and not out there killing innocents and Aurors like us."

"Walking dead" was another name for people in Peter Pettigrew's, and a few other prisoners, situation – in here for a long stint before they are sent to the Dementors to be Kissed.

McMann glared at Sirius, but nodded. "My apologies, Black."

Sirius shrugged, having no wish to reply to the man that had given him many glares like that for two years.

"You two," Bettany said, nodding to McMann and Lays, "go inside the cell and give the prisoner this. Make sure he does not do anything harsh."

Bettany took out a small vial of Veritaserum from his robes and handed it to McMann.

"Aurors, wands on the prisoner," Bettany said, "Prisoner! Go to the wall and place your hands there now!"

Sirius looked into the cell and saw Edward Borgin laying in his bed. Borgin did not move an inch.

"Prisoner!" Bettany said, tapping his wand on the bar, "Wake up and stand up now!"

Borgin still did not move.

"Something's wrong, Bettany," Mercer said, "I'm not even sure he's breathing."

Bettany swore. "McMann! Lays! Get in there now! Black, Mercer, wands on the prisoner just in case."

Sirius looked on as Lays unlocked and opened the cell door with a spell. McMann pointed his wand at Borgin as he walked toward him then proceeded to shove him with his foot. When Borgin didn't move, McMann pressed a hand to him... then a second later he jumped back.

McMann swore loudly, and looked at the four other Aurors.

"What is it, McMann?!" Sirius demanded.

"Look for yourself, Black," McMann said, and Sirius walked into the cell and looked at Borgin.

Borgin's mouth was wide open and his lips were blue.

"You ain't getting anything out of this one, Black," McMann said, "Prisoner's been Kissed. He'll be dead by the end of the day."

Sirius swore. "Who is responsible for this?!" he bellowed at the four Aurors, "This man was supposed to spend ten years here for his crimes then be released. In no way was he to be subjected to the Kiss!"

"We'll investigate this, Black," Bettany said, "We'll send his body back to the Ministry so officials can examine his body for foreign spells or substances. The only thing I can think of is someone made him Dementor bait."

"Dementor bait?" Mercer asked.

"Gave him a slow-acting poison or cursed him somehow," Bettany said. "Whatever they did, Borgin became attractive to the Dementors. Irresistible. The poison or curse activated and – bam! – he probably had no chance to fight back – no wand, weak from the days he's been here so far."

"Someone didn't want him talking to Aurors about anything he has sold recently," Sirius said, "Damn it. Okay, I will be going back to the Ministry and telling them about this. Every Auror, including the four of you will be questioned and sent home, replaced by a new shift. I don't know if this was an inside job, or someone outside before he was taken into custody, but we will get to the bottom of this."

"Now, wait a damn minute!" McMann said, "I didn't bloody do this!"

"Then you have nothing to fear," Sirius said, "Bettany, you have roll-call of every Auror who was stationed here today?"

"All here and accounted for," Bettany said.

"Make sure they are all present when their replacements come," Sirius said, "Anyone not present probably got scared and ran off and they're responsible."

"Of course," Bettany said.

"Do something with Borgin until he can be brought back to London," Sirius said, "I need to get back to the Ministry."

"Lays, McMann, take care of it," Bettany said.

Sirius then followed Bettany and Mercer back to the entrance room of the prison and back outside. He headed back down the path, and halfway down, sent sparks up in the air. As he made his way down to the shore, and waited for the ferry which he could see coming his way, his mind reeled.

Edward Borgin Kissed. He'd be dead by the end of the day. No victims of Dementors lasted long after they had been Kissed. He thought of what Bettany had said about "Dementor bait"... coroner results would tell them if Borgin had been given a poison or cursed before or after he had been sent to Azkaban. If it was before... well... there was a good chance whoever attacked Vincent Crabbe had done this as well. There must have been a book or scroll or information Borgin had, that they purchased and didn't want him giving anything away about them.

He thought of the suspects, and there was a very good chance a student had done this... a student had been responsible for Vincent Crabbe's attack and now Borgin's murder. Who would want to do these terrible things and ruin their lives forever?

_That is what I am going to find out if it is the last thing I do._

* * *

Needless to say, an hour later, Rufus Scrimgeour was seething mad to learn that a prisoner had been Kissed without a Ministry official giving the Dementors orders to do so. This had never happened in the history of Azkaban prison.

Amelia Bones was also present when Sirius had arrived at Scrimgeour's office. She had been having a meeting with him concerning other possible connections to Lucius Malfoy. Sirius smiled when he saw her there. Seeing her face smiling back at him so lovingly was exactly what had needed at that moment. She was the voice of his freedom the day he was proclaimed innocent. She was his rock – she and Harry were the reasons he was able to get up everyday and go on with his life. He found he was still partially affected by his near-decade long stint in Azkaban, and going back there that day didn't help things at all. Seeing her was like eating a brick of chocolate after being surrounded by Dementors... she was the cure for his insanity.

"If this gets out to the Daily Prophet, we are going to have a real problem on our hands," Rufus said, "Dementor bait? If the gen-pop hears about something like that, the whole wizarding world will go mad with fear. People already fear Dementors, they do not need to hear that there is a poison or curse that makes them attracted to Dementors."

"What is the official story then?" Amelia asked.

"Auror mistake," Rufus said, "We'll say this was an execution day. Prisoner numbers were confused and the Dementors were sent to the wrong cell. Find an Auror who was stationed at Azkaban during this, convince them to take the blame, and give them a two week vacation with a two-month pay bonus of Galleons for their sacrifice. But keep this investigation a secret! I mean, are you mad, Sirius? The fact that there could be a student at Hogwarts right now who did who knows what to a young boy, AND had a hand in killing a man?"

"It was either a student or Professor, Rufus," Sirius said, "We can't put the blame on just anyone for that yet. The best we can do is to keep investigating this and hope something turns up before another student gets injured."

Rufus nodded. "You told me last night that Dumbledore and the Professors are doing their own investigations?"

"Yes, sir," Sirius said.

Rufus stared at Sirius for a moment and shrugged. "Let them. Give them the job, but keep the investigation active here in the Department too. The most important investigation right now is still the possibility of finding an apprehending more Death Eaters, Black. How are you doing on finding Valiance Crabbe?"

"I just got back from doing my job at Hogwarts, Rufus," Sirius said, "I can't give you that answer until sometime next week."

Rufus nodded. "Get it done. What about Igor Karkaroff?"

"We're still working on it," Amelia said, "I'm considering making deals with the Bulgarian Ministry of Magic."

"Work on it then," Rufus said. "Leave me. I need to take care of this Azkaban disaster. Looks like I have to be the one to pick out the replacement Aurors. Means I'll have to take some out of the field to do so. If this is not hell in a hand-basket, I do not know what is!"

Sirius and Amelia walked out of the office.

"Auror Black!" Rufus' secretary said as Sirius and Amelia were about to leave the office, "Owl post came for you while you were out."

Sirius walked over to the desk, took the scroll of parchment and walked back over to Amelia. He unrolled the scroll and read the note as they walked out into the long hallway, and headed toward Amelia's office.

"Narcissa says she will be back in Wiltshire next Friday," Sirius said, looking up from his note, "And wants a meeting with me next Saturday to discuss the big fish and her name-change back to Black."

"Looks like our plans for the big catch by the end of month will be right on schedule," Amelia said, "Mad-Eye will be happy. He retires the first week of November."

"We'll make sure he's a part of this capture," Sirius said.

They made their way into the Magical Law Enforcement office and into Amelia's office. As soon as Sirius walked into the office, he yawned. Amelia smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him softly on the lips.

"Go home and get some sleep, Sirius," she said.

"I still need to set up the reservation for the restaurant for tonight," Sirius said.

"No restaurant," Amelia said, "I don't need a lavish date to be happy. We'll have another wonderful romantic dinner at your home, and a late night, just you and I."

"I want to spoil you," Sirius said, "I've planned this for a while."

"But you did not put the events that happened today into your plans," Amelia said, "You could not have foreseen this. You did not plan for this trip to Azkaban, nor the events that took place there. I can see it is still affecting you. I don't need to be spoiled. You spoil me enough by being with me... by accepting me back after I was so rotten to you so many years ago. I sometimes find I don't deserve you."

"There's no way I wouldn't have taken you back," Sirius said, "And it is I who do not deserve -"

Amelia pecked him on the lips to quell him. "No lavish restaurant. You and me, and Dobby and Melina's cooking again. Go home, get some sleep and I'll be there by seven-o-clock tonight."

"I'll find some way to spoil you tonight, Amy," Sirius said, "I promise you."

"I look forward to it," Amelia said.

She kissed him once again and he returned the kiss. They exchanged 'I-love-you's' and Sirius left the office.

* * *

Sirius took a long nap and woke up a few minutes after five-o-clock, then took a much needed relaxing bath that lasted about an hour. He dressed into his best robes, and prepared himself to look his best. It was a quarter-to-seven when he went down to the main floor of Potter Manor. The smells floating through out the house told him that Melina was nearly dinner. He went into the party room, where Dobby was decorating a small table with candles, flowers and dishware. Feet behind the table there was a large maroon and gold rug laid out on the floor.

"Dobby has planned dinner and dancing for Master Sirius and Lady Amelia," Dobby said, when he saw Sirius.

"'Lady' Amelia?" Sirius asked.

Dobby only smiled.

"I have no plans on popping the question tonight, Dobby," Sirius said, "My one important question is enough for this evening."

"Dobby knows," Dobby said. "Dobby also knows that the other important question will come soon, and Dobby feels that there is a good chance 'Lady' Amelia will be the appropriate name to call her."

"Well, not at the moment," Sirius said, "Call her Amy... she likes that. Just Amy."

"As Master wishes," Dobby said, "Does Master want Dobby to prepare the Ogden's Old Firewhiskey that Master and Amy are so partial to?"

"Sure," Sirius said, "Butterbeer as well."

Dobby bowed and disappeared from the room with a snap of his fingers. Sirius was impressed by Dobby's attitude. It seemed those few weeks of being in the kitchens away from him had improved their relationship very much.

A ringing sound filled the air and Sirius walked toward the front door of the Manor. Melina had already let Amelia in, and she was waiting for Sirius there at the door when he arrived. She was wearing a flowery peach dinner dress and a pearl necklace.

"Dinner is ready, Sir," Melina said, "Melina can bring it to the table if Sir wishes."

"I think that would be all right," Sirius said, "Thank you, Melina."

The house-elf bowed and vanished. Sirius walked over to Amelia and took one of her hands, then lifted it and kissed it softly.

"You look very beautiful this evening, my dear," he said.

"You look very dashing yourself," Amelia said, with a smile.

She kissed him on the cheek and he led her back toward the party room. Melina was now placing a covered plate in front of each chair. In the middle of the table, a bucket full of ice sat there, with a bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey inside. Dobby was pouring Butterbeer into two glasses. Sirius led Amelia to one of the chairs, pulled it out, and she sat down on it.

"Would Sir and Miss like some music with their dinner?" Melina asked.

Sirius looked at Amelia. She smiled and looked back at Melina.

"Romantic, please," she said.

Melina snapped her fingers, and romantic instrumental music began playing overhead.

"An apple cobbler is waiting for you when you finish dinner," Melina said.

"Thank you, Melina," Sirius said, "I'm sure we can find it. You and Dobby are excused for a few hours."

"Have a wonderful night, Sir and Miss," Melina said, and she and Dobby vanished.

Sirius and Amelia uncovered their plates, and found steak, baked potato and salad there.

"Wonderful," Amelia said, smiling, and started in on her food.

Sirius cut into his steak, bit into a piece and grinned. "Melina cooks just like her mother. I miss that elf. You know she cooked all of the food for James and Lily's wedding by herself?"

"She loved James and Lily, so I'm not surprised," Amelia said.

"Almost everyone who knew James and Lily loved them," Sirius said. "Seeing Harry and Ginny together remind me so much of his parents. From a distance, you could swear you were looking at a young James and Lily."

"How are Harry and Ginny doing?" Amelia asked.

"I told you about the Synchronicity thing between them last night, right?" Sirius asked.

"Yes," Amelia said, "Poor dears. If that acts up in the most terrible times, it could be bad for both of them."

"Especially if the whole Triwizard Tournament and Graveyard thing happen the same way in a couple of years," Sirius said.

"I was thinking about that," Amelia said, "Harry turns fourteen that year. If he gets placed in a Tournament... you do remember him telling us about his growing magic once he turns fourteen, right?"

"Yeah," Sirius said, "I've been thinking about that too. It is a long ways away, but maybe I can help Harry and Ginny prepare themselves for that. I'm sure they know some things about controlling their magic, but they'll need my help."

"Our help," Amelia said, "I'll help them too."

Sirius smiled. "Anyway, something else happened with their Bond at the Quidditch match. Harry wrote me a letter after the match and Hedwig was waiting for me when I woke up. Remember that Sight-sharing Ginny was telling us about?"

Amelia nodded, before she took another bite of her steak.

"Harry gained that power today," Sirius said.

Amelia grinned, "He was so worried he was never going to get it. He thought it was a power only for her."

"Yeah," Sirius said, "He caught the Snitch, and won the match for Gryffindor today, and he said when he caught it, he crashed to the ground."

"Is he okay?" Amelia asked, her expression radiating concern.

"He says the only thing he broke was his glasses, but they were easily repaired," Sirius said, "But he said he was practically blind on his way back to the locker room, and while he was in the locker room, his sight changed and he saw through Ginny's eyes."

"Oh no," Amelia said, "Was she in the girl's locker room?"

Sirius laughed. "She was, but he said he didn't see anything too bad. Ginny actually wrote part of that letter, and she said it was just like Harry to gain those powers while she was in the locker room. She said that if he gained the powers a few minutes later, she would have been in the shower."

Amelia laughed. "I can hardly imagine what sight-sharing must be like."

"Me either," Sirius said, "Guess you have to experience it to know how it is."

"Oh, don't lie," Amelia said, "I know you would have loved to share sight with me, and have it come at the most inappropriate time."

Sirius shrugged and Amelia laughed, shaking her head. Sirius took a drink from his glass of butterbeer and sighed. He knew he needed to ask this question now. He just hoped Amelia answered positively.

"Amelia," he said, "There is a reason I wanted this date to be so lavish. Why I was hoping we were in a restaurant. I was wanting to ask you a question – not the one you might think."

"Oh?" Amelia asked.

"Does that disappoint you?" Sirius replied.

"You'll know when you want to ask that question," Amelia said. "What were you wanting to ask?"

"I want to know if you'll move in with me and Harry, and possibly Ginny," Sirius said.

Amelia raised her eyebrows.

"Harry said it would be all right with him," Sirius said, "He knows how much I love you. You're already here quite a bit when I am actually here."

Amelia picked up her napkin and brushed her lips with it.

"I've been wanting to sell my house for a while, Sirius," Amelia said, "I need a change of venue. Yes, Sirius, I would love to move in here with you."

Sirius smiled.

"Were you worried I'd say no?" Amelia asked.

"I don't know," Sirius said. "I thought it would take you a bit longer to answer."

"I lived in that house since before we – since before Lily and James were married, Sirius," Amelia said.

"Since before we broke up," Sirius said, nodding.

Amelia sighed. "Nobody's ever been in that house with me more than a couple days' visit. Before you ask, those two men I dated may have spent a night or two a piece there."

Sirius took a drink from his glass so he wouldn't react to that. He hated knowing that there were two other men in her life, no matter how brief the romance was. It was two men who was not him while he spent nearly a decade in Azkaban. Ten years he could have been with Amelia. He could have had a family with her by now.

When he broke out of his thoughts, he saw that Amelia had left her chair and was kneeling next to him.

"I know what you are thinking, Sirius," Amelia said, "You are my life now. I haven't spared one thought for those two men for one second since you came back into my life. I love you and it will always be that way. I'd love to move in with you... and Harry, and possibly Ginny."

Sirius grinned and brushed a hand on her cheek.

"I love you too," he said, "You don't know how much. Thoughts of you kept me alive all these years. They kept me sane. Azkaban made me forget how much I loved you and I hate that damn place for doing that to me. But the day you told me I was a free man, it was like it all came back to me in warm waves and I remembered exactly how I felt about you."

"Sirius, I know you probably want to wait," Amelia said, "But there would be no better time than now to ask me that... other question."

Sirius stared at Amelia for a moment, and she smiled at him. He inhaled and exhaled.

_Ah, the hell with it. This is a pretty romantic moment._

"Marry me, Amelia Bones," he said, "Make me the happiest man in the world."

"I should have said this the night of James and Lily's wedding," Amelia said, "Yes, I'll marry you, Sirius Black."

Sirius grinned and pulled her toward him gently and pressed his lips to hers. They kissed for nearly a minute before they parted.

"Thank you," Sirius said, "I was... planning on asking you on Christmas Eve in front of Harry, but he may be staying at Hogwarts."

"You didn't need to wait, Sirius," Amelia said, "I would have said yes, if you started that conversation last Christmas the way you finished our last here."

Sirius grinned. "I guess I need to find the ring I was going to give you so many years ago."

Then he kissed her again.

They finished dinner and desert, and danced for a little while, before they went to bed early and made slow, passionate love that lasted hours.

And as Saturday turned into Sunday, and his new fiancee slept, nestled up to him, Sirius wrote a letter to his godson. He then fell asleep afterwards, holding Amelia, his dreams filled, not with memories of Azkaban, but with memories of him and Amelia.

* * *

**His letter will be seen next chapter.**

**Well... this chapter turned out a bit different than I had planned. My original plans had Mr. Borgin alive and Sirius would have interrogated him and discovered someone had wiped his memory, but I liked his fate better. Also... I had originally planned on Sirius only asking her to move in with him... I had not planned on Sirius popping the question to Amelia until basically the moment she said what she did before he asked her. It was like she said that line to me to make me convince myself to have Sirius ask her. That was a weird feeling. Some authors say their characters talk back to them when they're writing... that happened to me as I wrote that scene!**

**But I needed them to have that moment, because Sirius was going through hell that day. His whole trip back to Azkaban was getting to him, and he needed that piece of heaven with Amelia. So that is why I did that.**


	75. Chapter 75: No Title

**Chapter 75  
No Title**

**Author's Note: This was originally going to be a second consecutive Sirius-centric chapter (mostly) but that will have to wait until the next chapter. This is almost like filler... kind of the aftermath of the events in the last chapter.**

_Sunday, October 4__th__, 1992_

Harry woke up on Sunday morning to find Ginny perched on one elbow and her beautiful brown eyes staring into his green ones. He smiled and she grinned and leaned in toward him for a soft kiss.

_Good morning, my love, _she said, while she was still kissing him.

_Good morning._

Ginny backed away and snuggled up to him. As he rubbed his hand across her back, he realized the fabric he felt was not her nightgown.

_Hey, _Harry said, _you're in one of your weekend outfits. How long have you been awake?_

_Nearly half-an-hour. It is nearly nine-o-clock now. I was going to wake you up soon anyway. And yes, I did go back to my dorm and change. You were still asleep when I finished, so I teleported back. Hermione was awake when I went to the room, and I'm sure she suspects I returned here since I didn't come out from my curtains. But she already knew I was coming here, so no big deal. We still haven't broken our promise to Professor Dumbledore._

_We're pretty lucky so far. It's been over a month._

_You better not tell me I have to stop coming here every night. I'll ignore you for a week and even telepathy won't get through to me._

_Our Bond wouldn't like that._

_Then don't even suggest it in the first place, Potter._

_You know... you calling me 'Potter' hasn't upset me ever since you took my name, so I don't know what you're expecting from that._

Ginny stuck out her tongue, sat up and wrapped the Invisibility Cloak around her body so she looked like a floating head.

_Get dressed. I'll meet you downstairs so we can go to breakfast._

_Yes, ma'am._

Ginny pecked him on the lips, then covered herself fully with the cloak. Harry opened the curtains around his bed, and saw that Ron was sitting on his bed, getting ready.

_Whoa, that was close! Distract Ron, so he doesn't hear my footsteps.  
__  
_"Morning, mate," Harry said.

"You're still in bed?" Ron asked, "You never sleep in, even on weekends."

"Quidditch match and the party last night wore me out, I suppose," Harry said.

"Better not make this a common occurrence," Ron said, "Ginny might think you're ignoring her and -" he looked around and Harry realized he and Ron were the only two in the room, "- teleport into your bed because she misses you."

_Oh, if only he knew, _Ginny said, _No wait... I don't want him to know. Okay, nearly downstairs now.  
_

Harry laughed. "She might."

Harry blinked and suddenly he was under the Invisibility cloak and walking into the Common Room. Hermione, Neville and Luna were sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace talking to each other. He walked over to the staircase going to the girl's dormitory, walked up a few steps, looked around and turned around then took off the cloak and walked back toward the Common Room, and over to Hermione, Neville and Luna.

He blinked and he was now looking at Ron, who was staring at him.

"Damn," Harry said, blinking, "That was... whoa."

"What?" Ron asked, "What happened to you? Your eyes rolled back into your head... that was different than when you speak telepathically to Ginny."

"One moment," Harry said.

_Ginny? Tell Hermione, Neville and Luna I say hi._

_What? How did you –? Ohh, audio-sharing or...?_

_Just shared your sight for nearly a full minute there. I saw you walking under the cloak into the girl's stairwell, take off the cloak, then come back downstairs and sit with them._

_Nearly a minute? I couldn't do that for a couple weeks after I received my sight-sharing for the first time._

_That was so strange. I can't control it yet... I had to force myself to blink and get back into my own eyes._

_Yeah, it may take some time to control. I only got the hang of it this summer, really. Harry... I swear to Merlin, if that happens while I am in the shower..._

_I've already seen you –_

_I don't care, Harry. I let you see me then. Showers are supposed to be private unless I invite you to come in with me._

_All right, I promise I will try not to look at you in the shower. Ron's wanting me to explain what happened. Apparently our eyes roll back in our head when we share the other's sight._

_That's... a little creepy._

_Yeah, see you soon._

_'Kay._

Harry looked back at Ron and shrugged.

"Sorry, needed to talk to Ginny about what happened," he said.

"What did happen?" Ron asked.

"After the Quidditch match yesterday, I shared sight with Ginny for the first time," Harry said, "I just did it again. I can't control it yet."

Ron narrowed his eyes. "What did you see?"

"Relax, Ron," Harry said, "She's down in the Common Room with Neville, Hermione and Luna. I expect they're waiting for us."

"Oh," Ron said, "You wouldn't... you'd never... try to use that sharing stuff while she's... you know..."

"Taking showers?" Harry suggested, and Ron nodded. "Just promised her I wouldn't do it unless she wants me to."

"Good," Ron said, then raised his eyebrows, "Wait, what was that last part?"

Harry laughed. "Trust me, you don't want to know what we did when we were newlyweds. I know how this sounds, Ron, but there may come a time when we use this sight-share stuff to... you know... do that kind of stuff... because it reminds us of our days when we were newlyweds."

_I never thought about that. That does sound like fun, kinda. I mean... it isn't going to affect us that way because of our Bond, but it would be fun to do that sometime._

_Just tell me when and I will concentrate hard on it._

_Prat! It will be my decision! No concentrating!_

_Yes, ma'am._

"You don't know how weird it is for me to hear stuff like that, mate," Ron said. "I keep forgetting how old Ginny really is... in her mind. She's still my baby sister to me."

_Oh, Ron... Harry, tell him I want you and I to talk to him on our walk down to breakfast. I'll send our friends down now and tell them I want a heart-to-heart with my brother._

_'Kay._

He relayed the message to Ron, who grudgingly agreed with Ginny's request. They finished getting dressed and headed downstairs, where Ginny was waiting by the portrait hole. The three walked out and started off down the corridor toward the Grand Staircase.

"Ron," Ginny said, "I know I've told you this before, but I want you to understand this. I will always be your baby sister, no matter how old I am. That hasn't changed. You may be my youngest brother, but you're still my big brother, and you always will be, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," Ron said.

"Those things that Harry said – yes, I heard that, Ron," Ginny said, when Ron glared at her, "We both, very much, miss our old lives. We may have said before that we don't, but as time passes, we do miss our old lives. We're okay with this predicament we're in, but... at the end of this month is our two-year wedding anniversary. Two years – some couples still refer to themselves as newlyweds even then, because to them – to us – we're still in that stage where we're... still lost in that feeling you get when you get married to the love of your life. Trust me... you'll know that feeling sooner or later."

Ron blushed and Ginny chuckled.

"Harry and I," Ginny said, "This Bond we have – it is going to keep us from doing anything too serious.. you know what I mean by that, yes?"

Ron nodded. "Yeah... like..."

"You don't have to say it," Ginny said, putting a finger on his lips for a moment before dropping her hand back to her side, "I'm glad you understand. Our Bond will stop us from doing those things until we're...older. Until our bodies are older. How old... I can't tell you that right now. But even if – like you said – there's a point where I might have a temptation to teleport into his bed, trust me when I say we will only cuddle up and sleep. Perhaps share a good night kiss, because that is what we're limited to. That is all we did this summer. Well... other than take baths together."

Ron raised his eyebrows and looked across Ginny toward Harry, who shrugged and nodded.

"Yes, Ron, we did," Ginny said, "I know what you're probably thinking. I don't need Legilimency to know you're thinking about that. Yes, Ron, he has seen me... like that, even at this age. So... don't even say a word about it."

"Fine, I won't," Ron said,

"There may come a time when he sees me in the shower through his sight-share," Ginny said, "But it would only be because I want him to. Maybe I will, maybe I won't. What I mean by that is... we may find we want to get creative with our relationship because we miss that freedom we had as newlyweds. Harry was right. If we were back in our own time, this past year would have been far different for us than it has been."

Harry snickered and Ginny smacked him in the back of the head.

_Shut up, prat. I'm trying to convince Ron to be okay with things we may do that he knows about._

_Okay, okay._

"So... even if we find those creative ways to enhance our relationship," Ginny said, to Ron, "That is between him and me, and I trust him – he would never do anything I wouldn't want him to do. He loves me too much to risk that."

"She's right," Harry said.

"So... please," Ginny said, "I'll still always be your baby sister, I'm just... a bit different than what you're used to."

"I understand," Ron said, "I just... it is still taking me a bit of time to get used to everything. Seeing the two of you kissing is -"

"We'll try to control our public displays of affection around you," Ginny said, "We promise."

Ron nodded. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Ginny said, "Now, can we go down to breakfast, before it literally disappears?"

Harry and Ron agreed, and the three of them headed down the Grand Staircase. When they arrived ten minutes later, the hall was bustling with students talking to each other, and it seemed like half the students had a Daily Prophet in their hands.

"Something's happened," Harry said.

They hurried down to their usual spots where Hermione, Neville and Luna were sitting.

"What's going on?" Harry asked, as he, Ginny and Ron sat across from their friends.

"Here," Hermione said, pushing the Daily Prophet near her across the table, "Pretty horrible. Oh, and an owl was here when we arrived. They had a letter for you. It is there on top of the newspaper."

Harry nodded, as he eyed the scroll of parchment. He took it off the cover of the newspaper, and the headline of the day glared up at him in big bold letters. Ginny gasped as her eyes caught the title.

**AUROR'S BIG MISTAKE COSTS  
AZKABAN PRISONER THEIR LIFE**

**Azkaban Prison has had its ups and downs over**  
**the years. Last year, current celebrated Auror**  
**Sirius Black was released from his former life**  
**sentence there when he was deemed innocent.**  
**It is widely known he would have never had to**  
**serve his sentence if mistakes hadn't been made.**

**And now another costly mistake has cost another**

**Azkaban Prisoner their life. Edward Borgin, recently**  
**sent to Azkaban for a ten year sentence for accepting**  
**bribes, owning and selling Dark Artifacts and other**  
**various crimes, was found a victim of the Dementor's**  
**Kiss (for more information on the Kiss, see Pg. 4)**  
**Saturday afternoon, during a routine cell check.**

**Auror Thom Bettany, who was blamed for the big**  
**mistake was quoted as saying: "Aurors rarely**  
**accompany Dementors to prisoner executions. I must**  
**have given the Dementors the wrong cell-number,**  
**and it cost the prisoner his life."**

**Head of the Auror Department Rufus Scrimgeour was**  
**quoted as saying: "What happened was a tragic**  
**accident. Yes, I call it tragic, because Mr. Borgin would**  
**have been released in ten years to return to his life.**  
**A man's life ended because of this mistake. However,**  
**Auror Bettany is a wonderful Auror, and one of the best**  
**in the Department. His guard duty stint at Azkaban had**  
**affected his mind, and it was a complete accident. He**  
**has been given two weeks off paid-vacation and he, and**  
**his fellow Aurors who were stationed at Azkaban are**  
**being removed from their duties there and coming back**  
**home to do normal Auror jobs. No Auror should spend**  
**that long at Azkaban doing guard duty. They are not the**  
**prisoners. Do not blame Auror Bettany. He is only human  
****and we all make mistakes."**

**There was no comment on which prisoner was actually**  
**scheduled for execution.**

**Edward Borgin's obituary can be seen on Pg. 7.**

"That was the bloke that owned that shop in Knockturn Alley, right?" Ron asked, "The one that Sirius arrested last month?"

"Yeah," Harry said.

"Auror mistake?" Ginny scoffed, "This has to be the first time that has ever happened in the history of that prison. If that is what really happened, I'll eat Harry's Invisibility Cloak."

Harry glared at Ginny, while their friends snickered.

_No, really, Harry. Remember that book we were talking about? The one that might have the spell used on Vincent Crabbe? What if it was bought from Borgin's shop?_

_Borgin was Kissed, Ginny. It is suspicious, but how could someone walk into Azkaban and kill him? Especially if it was a student in this school? They're... most of them... just children!_

_I dunno, Harry. How are we going to get into Azkaban and free Peter Pettigrew? We're only children._

_Sarcasm doesn't suit you, Mrs. Potter._

_Shut up and open Sirius' letter. He was going to ask Amelia to move in with him yesterday, remember? Maybe that is what this is about._

Harry grabbed the scroll of parchment and unrolled it, then began to read:

_Harry and Ginny,_

_Last night was one of the best nights of my life. After one of the most hellish days – can't explain now, maybe later – I had a very romantic dinner with Amy. Amy didn't want me to take her out to a lavish restaurant, so we resorted to having a nice candlelight dinner, along with dancing, in the party room at Potter Manor._

_I'm sure you are wondering if I asked Amelia to move in with me. Yes, I did... and she said yes._

_However, that wasn't the best part of the night._

_In a totally unplanned move, I asked Amy to marry me and..._

_SHE SAID YES!_

_It wasn't exactly the most romantic way of doing it, however. She was comforting me because of something else, and she was kneeling next to me, while I was sitting in a chair. I didn't even do it properly, nor did I have the ring with me – still have to find it, I know I still have it somewhere! But it was just a random spontaneous moment, and now Amelia Bones is my fiancee._

_I was going to ask her during the Christmas holidays anyway, but somehow it just came out and it all worked out in the end._

_You know, I just realized we were like... ten feet from the spot in that room where I asked her to marry __me the first time. At least it went better this time._

_I have no idea when we are going to have the wedding. We haven't talked about it yet. In fact, I am writing this while Amelia is next to me, sleeping after a delightful finish to a beautiful evening. I imagine this won't find you until Sunday at breakfast. But I didn't want to write it in the morning, because I hardly doubt me and Amelia will be getting out of bed much._

_If you know what I mean..._

_Your happily-engaged godfather,_

_Sirius_

_P.S. My god-fatherly advice for this month: Harry, don't use your new sight-sharing ability to invade Ginny's privacy. And if you do, don't get caught._

Harry laughed and rolled up the parchment. Ginny was grinning as she filled her plate with various breakfast foods.

"What are you two so happy about?" Hermione asked.

"Somehow Sirius meant to ask Amelia to move in with us to Potter Manor last night," Harry said, "And ended up asking her to marry him. She said yes to both."

Hermione gasped and clapped lightly. "Ohh, that's wonderful! When you write back, tell him congratulations from us."

Ron, Neville and Luna nodded in agreement.

"I'm going to go tell Susan," Ginny said.

Ginny stood up and Harry watched as she walked down between the tables over to Susan Bones. She whispered the message into Susan's ear and Susan gasped and turned toward Harry. Harry gave her a thumbs-up motion and she grinned and turned back to Ginny and hugged her. Ginny grinned and walked back over to the table and sat back down beside Harry.

_Harry, I think we should tell her about our Bond sometime. Since she is Amelia's niece, she will be as good as family when Sirius and Amelia get married._

_I'll think about it, Ginny. Maybe we can tell her after the wedding, whenever that will be. I'm so happy for Sirius. I would have never expected this when we were going through our plans our first day back in time._

_We didn't know about his previous relationship with Amelia. But yes, I am very happy for him too. Good things like this gives me hope that everything we're doing is for the better._

Harry gave her a mental smile as he continued eating his meal. He had to agree with her. Even with the attack on Vincent Crabbe and the new mystery he hadn't predicted, things were looking pretty good when it came to giving so many people a happily ever after.

Starting with Sirius was just fine with him.  
_  
_


	76. Gone Fishin'

**Chapter 76  
Gone Fishin'**

**(Sirius)**

_Saturday, October 10__th__, 1992_

It was a few minutes after ten-o-clock, Sirius raised his Auror badge to the large brass gate outside Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire, and the brass gates opened by themselves. He pocketed his badge and tightened his grip on the black briefcase in his left hand, before walking toward the large manor. Inside the briefcase were important papers concerning today's meeting with Narcissa Malfoy.

It had been a very long week for Sirius.

On Monday, he had found the engagement ring he had purchased so many years ago for Amelia when he was first planning to propose to her. Now it was where it should be, on her hand as a sign of her devotion to him and his own devotion in return. On Tuesday, there were rumors in the Daily Prophet of Sirius and Amelia's engagement. Sirius and Amelia met that day for lunch and decided to be up front with the public and media concerning their engagement, and on Wednesday, there was a nice article announcing the engagement of celebrated Auror Sirius Black and the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Amelia Bones.

The announcement of his engagement wasn't the only thing that Sirius had been dealing with during the past week. The results of Edward Borgin's autopsy had come back earlier in the week: the man had been given a slow-acting poison that was timed to take affect when he was near Dementors. Slowly he would have become more and more irresistible to the Dementors before they actually couldn't help but give him the Kiss. Now they had to find out who had given Borgin the poison.

Sirius had also been busy filling out the request of surname-change, something only a Head of the family could do, for Narcissa. He would only give the results of this quest once Narcissa gave him the information he so desired, the reason for his visit to Malfoy Manor today. The information Narcissa had would be the bait needed to catch the big fish. Though he knew, even with this information, that fishing trip may not have immediate results.

He reached the large front door of the lavish manor, and tapped the knuckles of his free hand against the door. He had to wait nearly a minute, before the door opened and Narcissa stood there.

"Cousin, I have been expecting you," the tall blonde woman said, her lips curved into a soft smile.

"Cissy, how good to see you," Sirius said.

"Do come in," Narcissa said, as she stepped back from the door, opening it farther.

Sirius walked into the house, and Narcissa closed the door, then led him into the large sitting room. The room looked exactly the same as it had when he had been there on the day Lucius was arrested. The large rug was back in the middle of the floor, covering the door to the now-empty hidden cellar beneath the room.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" Narcissa asked, motioning to a small tray, complete with a teapot, two cups, and two jars, as she and Sirius took seats on a chair and love-seat.

"Yes, milk, no sugar, thank you," Sirius said.

Narcissa began pouring the tea into two cups. "I heard about your recent engagement to Amelia Bones. My congratulations to the both of you and wishes for a very happy future."

"Thank you," Sirius said, then accepted the cup that Narcissa gave him, "How was your visit to Durmstrang Institute?"

"Informative," Narcissa said, taking her own cup, and making herself comfortable on the loveseat, "Other than their obsession with the Dark Arts, I cannot say a bad thing against the school. They have a wonderful school Quidditch league, which Draco is interested in. I do wish Draco would change his mind, but if he does not, he will be very much welcomed to that school. On that note, Sirius, Igor Karkaroff told me to say hello to you."

"He knows of my intentions to arrest him?" Sirius asked.

"Of course he does," Narcissa said, "He isn't dim or foolish. He has good ears, hears a lot of things. He knows exactly what you are doing concerning the allies of the Dark Arts."

"So he probably isn't going to come to England anytime soon," Sirius said, "and it is nigh impossible to arrest him while he's Bulgaria. Lost cause for now. I'll keep an eye on him."

"We both know why you are here, cousin," Narcissa said, "Tell me, what have you done about my request?"

"I want to hear your information concerning Minister of Magic Fudge before I tell you much," Sirius said, "I will only tell you that if you give me what I want, you will get what you want."

Narcissa nodded and took a sip from her tea. "Cornelius Fudge should not have obtained the title of Minister of Magic as easy as he did. If it wasn't because of help from Lucius, he may not have even become the Minister at all. I'm sure you know that Lucius' father, Abraxas, could have become the Minister of it wasn't for his untimely death due to dragon-pox."

"Yes, I am aware of that," Sirius said.

"Abraxas and Cornelius were good friends," Narcissa said, "and through Abraxas, Lucius was well-connected with Cornelius as well. When Abraxas died, Cornelius promised Lucius that he would make Abraxas proud if he ever became Minister."

"What else did he promise Lucius?" Sirius asked.

"Power in the government of the Ministry," Narcissa said. "Membership in the Council of Lords and Ladies, Wizengamot chair, most powerful member of the Hogwarts school governors. All Cornelius wanted was Lucius' help. Lucius gave him illegal donations to help Fudge get closer to the title of the Minister. And there was one other thing..."

"Yes?" Sirius asked.

Narcissa shook her head. "Show me what you have. This last piece of information will give you exactly what you want."

Sirius stared at Narcissa for a moment. She only looked at him behind her cup of tea as she took another sip from it. Sirius shrugged, picked up the briefcase resting by his legs and opened it with two taps of his wand. He took out a cream-colored folder and passed it to Narcissa. Sirius watched her as she read through the papers.

"This will completely separate me from Lucius?" Narcissa asked.

"One of those pages will break the wedding bond with your signature," Sirius said, "And no harm will come to you. The charms set upon you by Lucius when you bound yourself to him through marriage will break completely harmlessly. It also gives you full custody of Draco, and complete ownership of this property and Lucius' vault, even when you go through with the next part of the deal. The next piece pf parchment, however, requires my signature as Head of the Blacks. Without it, your name cannot go back to Narcissa Black. This is no blackmail or bribery... completely legal due to our agreement. Before I will sign that parchment, you must do two things. Give me the rest of the information you possess, and give me a written statement, with your signature, of everything you've told me today concerning Cornelius Fudge."

Narcissa nodded. "Cornelius Fudge tried to blackmail Lucius at one point. He knew about Lucius' past with the Dark Arts. He knew Lucius was a Death Eater, knew he lied to the Wizengamot about being under the Imperius Curse by Voldemort, and he did nothing about it. He wanted the title of Minister of Magic and Lucius could give that to him."

A smile curved Sirius' lips. This was exactly what he needed. He took out a quill, ink-bottle and scroll of parchment. He set down the ink-bottle and parchment, then held up the quill.

"This is an Honor Quill," he said. "You will not be able to use it if anything you said to me, anything you're going to write in the statement is false. If everything you said is honest, take this quill and write out your statement, and sign it. Then we can complete my side of the agreement, and you will once again become Narcissa Black."

Narcissa took the Honor Quill without hesitation, then wrote out her statement. This took a few minutes, before she finished with her signature and gave the parchment back to Sirius, who looked over it. When he was satisfied, rolled up the parchment and nodded back to Narcissa. She then signed her name on the two pieces of parchment inside the folder. When she signed the first, a black band of magical light spilled out of her fingers and she closed her eyes.

"I feel so... free," Narcissa said, breathing deeply.

Sirius smiled. Narcissa, still breathing hard, handed Sirius the surname-change document, and he proceeded to sign it will the quill. He then stood up and Narcissa did as well. He held out his arm, and Narcissa grasped him around the wrist, as he did the same with hers.

"I, Sirius Orion Black, Lord of the Black House and bloodline, hereby give you, Narcissa, back your surname that was taken from you in a vow of marriage that is now broken. You will now and forevermore, unless you request to change it once again, be known as Narcissa Black."

A reddish-gold ring of light wrapped around Sirius and Narcissa's arms before they both vanished below Narcissa's skin. She closed her eyes, and her eyelids fluttered. She opened her eyes a few moments later and looked at Sirius.

"Thank you, cousin," she said, "You do not know what it means to be rid of the name of Malfoy."

"It is nice to know there is another good Black back in our family," Sirius said. "If you ever believe you can convince young Draco to drop the name of his father, he will be welcome into his mother's house of Black."

"I doubt he will ever make that choice," Narcissa said, "But thank you for that option."

"I must be going now," Sirius said, as he gathered up his things and placed them back in the briefcase, "This information on Cornelius will give me exactly what I want to take him down. Unfortunately, I fear it may still take a few days before we can put together everything to make the arrest."

"I wish you the best of luck," Narcissa said. "Once again, cousin, congratulations on your engagement."

"Thank you," Sirius said. "Out of curiosity... what will you do now? This house is yours, as is Lucius' vault."

"I cannot live here," Narcissa said, "too many memories. I will most likely try to sell this house and find my own flat for myself and Draco somewhere in London. I will probably find myself a career of some sort, perhaps in an Apothecary. And... though I fear it make take some time, I will try to make amends with Andie."

"I wish you the best of luck with it all," Sirius said, "I do hope this is only a temporary goodbye."

"I feel it will be," Narcissa said. "Please, keep me updated on your wedding, and perhaps I can attend it and celebrate your soon-to-be marriage to Amelia Bones."

"I will do so," Sirius said.

"Then this is only a temporary goodbye," Narcissa said.

Sirius bowed slightly, and proceeded to leave the house. He gripped the briefcase in his hand, protecting it like a trusted treasure.

Because it was a trusted treasure. Inside it had the key needed to bring down the big fish. Now it was time to begin the fishing expedition.

* * *

**(Andromeda Tonks' PoV)**

_Saturday, October 17t__h__, 1992_

Andromeda Tonks hummed mindlessly to herself as she prepared the spaghetti sauce for the pasta dinner that night between her, Ted and Nymphadora.

Ever since Nymphadora had found herself a flat of her own this past summer, it had been custom to visit her parents every Saturday for dinner. When she and Charlie Weasley had tried to resume their relationship this past summer, Charlie had visited one Saturday for dinner.

Andromeda smiled to herself as she thought of Charlie and her daughter. She was fully aware that her daughter was in love with two men, one of those men a good friend of hers. Nymphadora had not done anything concerning her romantic life over the past month, but she hoped there would be some results concerning that soon. She did not like to see her daughter so alone in life. She was too vibrant and fun-loving to spend life alone. Even if she didn't think of marriage for a couple years, Andromeda hoped her daughter could at least find a potential mate to spend her time with.

_Love is, of course, _she thought, _the greatest gift the world has given us. My daughter should never be a stranger to that._

Her thoughts were broken when she heard a clicking sound on the kitchen window. A grey eagle owl was perched there on the windowsill. She took her wand, pointed it at the pot, and the wooden spoon began stirring the sauce by itself. She opened the window and the owl held out its leg, where a scroll of parchment was tied to it. She untied the parchment, and the owl hooted and flew off.

Andromeda closed the window, then unrolled the scroll. She was rather confused when she recognized the writing. The last time Cissy had written to her was over twelve years ago to announce the birth of her son, Draco. She started to read the letter:

_My dear Andie,  
__  
I know it has been forever since I have written to you, and I apologize for such. Even when you were burned from our family tree, I still considered you my sister. I have always done so, though I may have forgotten such until recently._

_Last Saturday, cousin Sirius visited me in Wiltshire and we had a nice discussion with wonderful results. This discussion had been planned for since Lucius' arrest, and it finally came into play. I gave him some information that he needed to assist him in his Auror investigations – the results to which, I am sure you will hear about it when he is successful due to my information._

_In return for the information, Sirius gave me a reward I've been wanting for some time now. I am happy to say I am no longer married to Lucius, and Sirius has also given me back the name of Black._

_Andie, I can almost not explain how I feel now ever since my marriage bond has been broken safely. I cannot begin to describe this because you were lucky enough to not use a marriage bond when you married your dear Ted. I am sure not all marriage bonds are the same as mine was, but I recently discovered the bond between me and Lucius had been done with the Dark Arts. I am almost sure of it. I am almost sure it did not give me too many freedoms or desires where it did not concern Lucius._

_You see, I feel so free. I do not think about Lucius much anymore... it has been days since I've thought about him. Then, just yesterday, when I was walking through Diagon Alley I found myself experiencing something I have not done so since my marriage bond. I actually felt attractions to men besides Lucius. None were strong, nor do I think they will amount to anything, but they were still there. I found myself feeling these desires for men as I watched them do their shopping. Before this past week, that would have been taboo to me. It was like I was acquired to be devoted to Lucius, and I am sure I had been forced into that devotion due to the marriage bond. But now I am free of that bond, and I have never felt better in my life._

_My reason for writing this letter, Andie, is this: I want to reunite with you. I want to bring back those sisterly affections and bond we had before our parents struck you from our family when you married Ted. I have no feuds with you. There is no Dark or dangerous reasons for this request. I only want us to be sisters again._

_Perhaps we can arrange a reunion and we can talk about those things we have missed between each other for these many years._

_I do not expect you to respond right away, my dear sister. Please think about this._

_Forever your sister,_  
_Narcissa Black_

Andromeda felt tears stream down her face as she finished the letter. Ever since she had been removed from her family due to her marriage to her dear Ted so many years ago, she never thought she would be reunited with her sisters. She had no wish to reunite with Bellatrix, but she always hoped there was a chance for Narcissa.

"Andie?" Ted announced, "I'm home! Is Nymphadora here yet?"

Andromeda quickly rolled up the parchment and turned to the archway of the kitchen, where Ted appeared.

"Andie?" he asked, as he walked over to her and put his arms around her, "What is wrong? You're crying."

"Narcissa has finally broken away from Lucius Malfoy's grasp," Andromeda said, "I think I have a sister again."

"Oh, that is wonderful," Ted said, "You've been hoping for this for so long."

"So very long," Andromeda said, nodding.

She sniffled and buried her head in her husband's chest. He held onto her and hummed the tune of the song from their first dance at their wedding so many years ago. She chuckled and felt happy tears fall down her face. Ted always knew how to make her happy. That was why she had fallen in love with him so many years ago, and hadn't looked back even though her relationship with him had stricken her from the family tree.

Falling in love with Ted Tonks had been the best choice she had ever made. Now she had to make another choice when it came to her sister.

* * *

**(Sirius)**

_Friday, October 30__th__, 1992_

One-o-clock in the afternoon on the day before Halloween found Sirius Black in Amelia Bones' office. He and Amelia were sitting at her desk waiting for some visitors, before they would finally be able to do what they had been planning for some time now.

After months of hoping, praying and gathering up information, it was time to go after the big fish, the big name in their internal investigation. Resting against Sirius' chair was his trusty black briefcase, filled with parchment, each piece littered with the proof of accusations they were about to dish out. There was absolutely no way the information could be denied.

The door to Amelia's office opened and Alastor Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Nymphadora Tonks and John Dawlish walked in. Sirius and Amelia stood up as the four Aurors gathered around them.

"All right, we're all here," Moody said, in a gruff voice, "What do you want us for?"

"I believe you are retiring next week, am I correct, Alastor?" Sirius asked.

"That is correct," Moody said, "One more week and I am out of here."

"How would you like to finish your career with a nice – eh – let's call it a fishing trip?" Sirius asked.

Moody stared at Sirius with both eyes, real and magical. "How big of fish?"

"The biggest," Sirius said, "No bigger than this one."

Kingsley, John and Tonks looked pleased at this information.

"Do you have the bait?" Moody asked, "Can't catch fish without the proper bait."

Sirius picked up his briefcase. Moody's magical eye looked down toward it. He grunted and nodded in approval.

"What are we waiting for then?" Moody asked, "Let's go."

The five Aurors and Amelia left the office, and Amelia's secretary Samantha eyed them as they passed.

"Hold my messages, Sammy," Amelia said.

"What excuse should I give, Madam?" Samantha asked.

Amelia looked at Sirius, who smiled and turned to Samantha. "Tell them we've gone fishin'."

"Sure thing," Samantha said, looking amused.

Sirius bowed slightly and led the group out into the corridors, then toward the lifts. Soon, they were making their way down the corridors of the first floor of the Ministry that led to the Ministerial Offices. When they walked in the front room that led to the Minister's office, the secretary behind the desk stood up.

"Minister Fudge is very busy right now with meetings," the secretary said, "You'll have to come back."

"Oh, I don't think he will have to worry about meetings any time soon," Sirius said.

The secretary raised her eyebrows and sat back down. Sirius walked over to the door, and the two Aurors there, placed as the Minister's personal guards, moved away from it. Sirius opened the door and led his team into the room.

Cornelius Fudge was not alone in his office. Rufus Scrimgeour and Madam Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge were there.

"What is the meaning of this, Black?" Rufus demanded, "We are having a meeting here!"

"Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge," Sirius said, ignoring Rufus, "You are under arrest for association with a known Death Eater, treason on your own country, blackmail, and accepting blackmail and bribes."

Cornelius raised his eyebrows as he looked at Sirius and the group there.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about, Black!" Fudge growled.

"Outrageous accusations!" Umbridge exclaimed, "How dare you accuse your own Minister, your own boss, of such!"

"Where is your proof, Sirius?" Rufus asked, "And why didn't I know about this investigation?"

"This was not your problem to begin with, Scrimgeour," Amelia said, "I lead these internal investigations against Ministry workers, including the Minister... and others."

Amelia looked at Dolores whose stoney expression changed to fright as she sank back down in her chair.

"As for your proof," Sirius said.

He set down the briefcase on the Minister's desk and tapped his wand against it. He picked up two cream-colored folder and handed one to Rufus and one to Fudge.

"Don't even think about destroying those, Fudge," Sirius said, "I have plenty of copies and I have placed charms on them all, including those in your hand. If you try to destroy it, you will be harmed by the charms."

Fudge's eyes went back and forth as he read through the parchment. His face flushed white and red. Rufus' mouth opened and closed and Sirius heard him mutter to himself.

"Accepting illegal donations," Rufus said, "blackmail... wait, what is this?"

"Everything should be clear," Sirius said.

"I didn't ask you," Rufus said, then looked at Fudge, "Did you really know Lucius Malfoy was lying to the Wizengamot about his role as a Death Eater? That he was never placed under the Imperius Curse? And you never told anyone?"

"Whoever told you this must be lying!" Dolores said, "Cornelius would never -"

"That information came from Narcissa Black, formerly Malfoy," Sirius said, "Written by herself with an Honor Quill."

Dolores' expression softened and she looked down at her knees.

"Cornelius?" Rufus asked.

"Yes," Fudge said, his voice full of resignation, "I did know that."

"Then everything Narcissa Mal – I mean Black – says here is true?" Rufus asked, "You promised Lucius Malfoy high-ranking jobs in this Ministry, if he helped you become Minister, and you knew he was a Death Eater?!"

Fudge sighed and looked at Sirius and Amelia.

"What do you want?" he asked, "I don't need to be arrested for this. I would never survive Azkaban, and we can't trust the Dementors, ever since Edward Borgin was accidentally Kissed!"

"There is one thing you can do, Fudge," Amelia said. "One thing. Say the words and we'll forget about all of this. The press will not get hold of it."

Fudge's mouth opened and closed like a fish as his eyes went from the parchment in his hands, to the parchment in Rufus' hand. He closed his eyes for a few moments, then opened them and looked toward Amelia.

"I, Cornelius Fudge, hereby, he said, then sighed, "resign as Minister of Magic, and from the Wizengamot, and give the Wizengamot powers of Minister until a new Minister can be voted on."

Sirius smiled and looked at Amelia.

"Resignation accepted, Minister," she said.

"Amelia, as you are the only member of the Wizengamot now in this room," Rufus said, "I request my name be up for choice as Minister of Magic."

"I am also putting up my name for Minister," Amelia said. "I will also resign from my spot as Head of the Magical Law Enforcement in order to seek out this office. Rufus, if you really do want to be in the running, you must also resign from the Head of your office."

"I will accept resignation," Rufus said, nodding, then looked at Moody, "Alastor, will you take the job?"

"I am retiring, Rufus," Moody said, "I do not want it."

Rufus frowned and looked at Sirius. "Sirius, will you take the job?"

"Me?" Sirius asked, "Surely, you -"

"You would have had my job if you hadn't been wrongly imprisoned," Rufus said, "You had a key hand in taking down Lucius Malfoy and other allies of the Dark Arts... and if I am correct, you have just taken down Fudge here."

Fudge sighed and sank back into his chair. He looked around the office as if he was trying to keep it in his memory.

"There is nobody better in my opinion to hand my job over to," Rufus continued.

"I will accept the job, Rufus," Sirius said.

"Good," Rufus said.

"Kingsley, Dawlish," Sirius said, "Remain here with Fudge and make sure he writes out a statement concerning his resignation, then escort him out of the Ministry. Alastor, Tonks, go to Hogwarts and speak to Albus Dumbledore Due to Fudge's resignation, and Amelia's run for Minister excusing her from the decision, Albus is the head of the Wizengamot at the moment. Ask him to meet with the rest of the Wizengamot and inform them of their temporary powers of Minister, and Amelia's and Rufus' decisions to run for Minister."

The four Aurors nodded and Alastor and Tonks walked out of the office.

"Amy?" Sirius asked, turning to Amelia.

"I will go find my replacement for my office," Amelia said, "And we can meet at home tonight to discuss the future."

Sirius smiled affectionately and Amelia excused herself from the office. Sirius then turned to Rufus.

"We'll go fill out the paperwork officially making you the Head of the office," Rufus said.

"Of course," Sirius said, then turned to face Umbridge, "Dolores!"

"Y-yes, Sirius," Dolores said.

"Under magical law, you have Madam Undersecretary until Madam Bones or Rufus becomes Minister and chooses their own," Sirius said, "Please make yourself useful and inform the Daily Prophet about the events that have just happened in here. Speak nothing of Fudge's crimes, only of his resignation."

Dolores looked as if she wanted to retort, but she only looked at Fudge, who nodded. She turned to Sirius, bowed slightly and walked out of the office.

"Cornelius," Sirius said, "I wish it was not this way, but we all make mistakes."

"Thank you for accepting my resignation and not arresting me," Fudge said, "You did not have to do that. You could have made me suffer the way you suffered inside Azkaban, and you did not."

"Next time, I might not be so lenient," Sirius said, then nodded to Rufus and led the former Head of the Auror office out of the Minister's office, as Kingsley and Dawlish walked over to the former Minister to assist him.

"I don't know how you did it, Black," Rufus said, "But congratulations on this achievement. I'm not sure I could have done that myself."

"Thank you," Sirius said, "I wish you luck against Amelia for the Minister job. You'll need it."

_Check and mate. Now it is time to bring in the better pieces in this chess game we call the Ministry, and hopefully Amelia will be the queen.  
__  
_Sirius smiled as he and Rufus headed back to the lifts. He loved a good fishing trip.

* * *

**I have been planning that last scene for quite a while. At the moment I have no idea who will replace Amelia in her office. I need to figure out who that will be.**

**Next chapter is another Halloween at Hogwarts! Harry and Ginny's second wedding anniversary (technically), reactions to the events of the last part of this chapter, and quite possibly a big bang to end the day! Halloween isn't Halloween at Hogwarts without its share of interesting events!**

**Also, if you noticed, three weeks passed in this chapter that had nothing to do with Harry, Ginny, or Hogwarts. The start of the next chapter will summarize any interesting things that happened in those three weeks.**


	77. On The Pitch

**Chapter 77  
On The Pitch**

**Warning: Sensuality and slightly graphic descriptions of nudity, involving minors. Reader discretion is advised.**

Edit: Made a mistake. Had to reupload.

**(Harry)**

The month of October seemed to breeze by at Hogwarts Castle. Things began to go back to normal, and the attack on Vincent Crabbe was all but forgotten. Nobody visited Vincent in the Hospital Wing, because as Madam Pomfrey said, speaking to the young man was probably useless because it seemed he was frozen inside his own body. That was the only conclusion that Madam Pomfrey and Professors Dumbledore and Snape had come to: Vincent Crabbe was alive but probably lost in a magical coma until the Mandrake Draught could restore him.

Harry and Ginny's classes went on as usual. Homework piled up every week and every night they stayed up until past midnight finishing up their work with their friends. Their routine of Ginny teleporting to Harry's bed to sleep every night and stealthily returning to her bed the following morning had not been discovered, so they were still repeating this process every day.

The Dueling Club had two more meetings on October 17th and 24th. Snape and Flitwick assisted Lockhart over the two meetings, and even though Lockhart had a bad duel with Sirius the first meeting, he still opted to show off in duels against Snape and Flitwick. After the very first lessons, the students were interested in seeing more of the spell that Blaise Zabini had hit Harry Potter with, so Snape and Lockhart dueled using Stunning spells, ending in Lockhart getting stunned. Most of the younger students were not skilled enough to achieve these spells, so they practiced Tickling Charms and Leg-Locker Curses during the second lesson. During the third lesson, Professor Flitwick showed off his skill using Shield Charms, blocking Disarming, Stunning and other spells that Lockhart was sending his way.

Meanwhile, Harry and Ginny were still helping their friends learn at their own pace in their private dueling practices in the Room of Requirement. They also, once again, practiced more of the skills of Occlumency so they could learn to protect more memories.

The Polyjuice Potion was coming along magnificently. Every day, at least two or three times a day, Harry, Ginny, or one of their friends would check up on it and stir it, or add a needed ingredient. Harry figured it would be nearly finished by the second week of November. Polyjuice Potion stayed fresh for two months after the final ingredient was added, which was perfect because they were planning on using it during the Christmas holidays. It would still be useful by then, even if it was completed by the middle of November.

Harry also kept an eye on Draco, Nott and Parkinson. They still remained a trio – or 'Slytherin shun club' as Ron called it – ignoring their fellow housemates during mealtimes. There were times Harry swore he saw bruises on Draco and Nott, probably due to illegal hazing, but before he could get proof, the evidence was gone, and Draco and Nott were certainly not saying anything about the bruises to anyone.

When Harry woke up on Halloween morning, he almost screamed. His eyesight was not blurry, as it usually was before he put on his glasses, and he was looking at himself. His eyes were fluttering and blinking, and he could see the whites in them. He soon realized what was going on, and growled in annoyance, then blinked rapidly and opened his eyes to find Ginny perched up one elbow and staring at him.

_Damn sight-sharing! It took effect as soon as I woke up and I saw me through your eyes. That was so bizarre.  
__  
_Ginny's mental giggling rang through his mind.

_It is not funny, Ginny!_

_I think it is. You haven't had any luck controlling it?_

_No, none at all._

_You just need to practice. Luckily for you, I think I know a way we can practice it today._

_How?_

_Nope, not telling. That would ruin the surprise. By the way, happy second anniversary._

Ginny leaned toward him and kissed him softly on the lips. He returned the kiss and she backed away after a few moments.

_Happy second anniversary to you too._

_How long are we going to keep referring to this day as that?_

_Until we decide to have a new wedding?_

_Hmm... I do like that idea. I'm all for having another lovely honeymoon._

Harry smiled and leaned back toward her and kissed her again. Her head fell back against her side of the pillow, and Harry leaned into the kiss and opened his lips, allowing her tongue entry. He heard her moans inside his mind as she brushed her tongue along his inner lips then his tongue. Harry backed away and Ginny's chest rose and fell, breathless from his kiss.

_We're lucky our Bond keeps us from acting up, _Ginny said,_If it did not, I might be feeling very giddy from your kiss._

_Too bad. If we were back in our older bodies, that kiss might have turned into a lot more._

_I'm sure we can find ways around just kissing._

_Oh... what do you have in mind? Anything for today?_

_Nope, still not telling, Mr. Potter. You'll have to wait._

_Just means I do have something to look forward to. Hmm, what time is it?_

Ginny shrugged again, and Harry turned and opened his curtain slightly, then picked up his pocket-watch. It was nearing eight-o-clock. As he moved to close the curtains, he heard a familiar voice groan.

"Today of all days!" Ron said, as he walked over to his bed, "Why today? Why Halloween?"

Harry turned around back to his bed, and found nobody there.

_Under your cloak, _Ginny said, _I'll try to get out of here. Keep Ron distracted. Love you._

_Love you too._

Harry sat up and opened the curtains. Ron was now sitting on his bed, completely dressed in one of his weekend outfits.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"Wood assigned practice for this afternoon," Ron said, "Practice on Halloween? We don't even have another match until January!"

"Most of the Quidditch players on our team and the other teams are third years or older," Harry said, "There is a Hogsmeade visit scheduled for today, so I'm sure Oliver assigned it because the other teams wouldn't have claimed the Pitch today.

"But we have two-and-half-months until our next match!" Ron said.

_I'm back in my dorm, Harry. Get dressed and we'll go to breakfast soon. _

_'Kay._

"Wood's always been like this, mate," Harry said, "But I wouldn't want to be Oliver today. I'm sure Katie planned a romantic Hogsmeade date with him, and Fred, George, Angelina and Alicia probably didn't want to miss this visit either."

"He mentioned the Hogsmeade visit on the notice," Ron said, "He wants those who are visiting back by one because practice is at two, and it will last until five.

"Still gives them three hours to visit Hogsmeade," Harry said, "Smart of Oliver to do that. Give them what they want and they'll be more cooperative."

"Still... practice on Halloween," Ron said, "There should be laws against that. Especially since this is the weekend and we have all day to celebrate the holiday."

Harry began to dress into one of his weekend outfits while he listened to Ron rant about the Wood's insane choice of practice dates. Neville woke up in the middle of this rant, and told Ron to shut up, then began getting dressed too. When Harry finished, he, Ron and Neville went downstairs, and met Ginny, Hermione and Luna there. Harry was forced to listen to more of Ron's ranting about practices to Ginny, having conveniently forgotten that Ginny had probably heard it all through the audio-sharing powers between her and Harry.

_Best to let him get it over with now, _Ginny said, when Harry asked her why she wanted to listen to Ron's mad rants, _He's like Mum. If you don't let them vent early, they're mad all day. We don't need him angry during practice, or we'll all get punished for it._

_Knowing Oliver, you are probably right._

When the six friends arrived at the Great Hall, the whole hall was filled with chatter and whispers among students.

"Wow, everyone's already excited for the Halloween feast," Ron said.

"Don't think it is about Halloween," Ginny said, "Look."

She pointed toward the four Heads of House, who were at the end of each of their respective House tables, with piles of Daily Prophets in their hands. Harry and Hermione each took one from Professor McGonagall, then the friends walked down to their section on either side of the Gryffindor Table. Harry, Ginny and Ron sat on one side and Hermione, Neville and Luna sat on the opposite side. Harry set the Daily Prophet on the table and his eyes widened at the headline.

**MINISTRY OF MAGIC SHAKE-UP! MINISTER OF MAGIC  
FUDGE RESIGNS! TWO DEPARTMENT HEADS ALSO  
RESIGN IN HOPES FOR MINISTER OF MAGIC OFFICE!**

**Halloween may take place today, but there were tricks and some**  
**treats a-plenty in three big offices in the Ministry of Magic.**

**Friday afternoon, Cornelius Fudge resigned from the title of**  
**Minister of Magic and his seat in the Wizengamot citing that the**  
**reason was for health and personal reasons. But were these**  
**the actual reasons for his resignation? Six Ministry workers,**  
**including five Aurors (Sirius Black included) and Madam Amelia**  
**Bones were seen walking into Fudge's office shortly before he**  
**was said to have resigned from office.**

**Cornelius Fudge had this to say about the rumors of him being**  
**forced to resign:**

**"The reasons behind the visitors to my office had nothing to do**  
**behind the reasons I resigned. They heard of my thoughts about**  
**this resignation and had come to see if they could help in any**  
**way. But I must resign, and these people, my friends, have**  
**been very helpful."**

**The Wizengamot, currently headed by Hogwarts Headmaster and**  
**Chief Warlock, Albus Dumbledore, has taken the temporary title**  
**of interim Minister of Magic until a new Minister can be voted into**  
**office. It already seems as if there are two hopefuls for the office**  
**and they are very big names in the Ministry of Magic.**

**Who are they?**

**Rufus Scrimgeour put in his name for the race for the office and,**  
**to show he was serious about his desires to become Minister of**  
**Magic, resigned from his job as Head of the Auror Office. His last**  
**big step as the Head of the Auror Office was to name his successor.**  
**Celebrated Auror Sirius Black has been named the new Head of**  
**the Auror Office.**

**Amelia Bones also followed in Scrimgeour's steps and stepped down**  
**from her job as Head of the Magical Law Enforcement, in order to**  
**put her name in the race for the Minister of Magic office and title. No**  
**replacement for her office has been named yet, nor has there been**  
**any rumors of possible candidates.**

**Scrimgeour and Bones will meet with the Wizengamot at the end of**  
**November, 30 days from now, in order to plead their reasons for**  
**wanting to become the most powerful person in the British Ministry**  
**of Magic and the United Kingdom portion of the wizarding world.**

**More comments are expected from Cornelius Fudge, Rufus Scrimgeour**  
**Amelia Bones and Sirius Black concerning this news in the near**  
**future.**

**We here at the Daily Prophet. wish Cornelius Fudge the best of luck**  
**with whatever he wishes to do in the near future, and give our full  
****support to both candidates for the seat of Minister of Magic.**

Harry set down the Daily Prophet, and Ron pulled it over to him. Ginny was still reading the article from the looks of her eye movement. Across the table, Hermione's wide eyes were darting back and forth across the page, and her lips were moving soundlessly, as she read the article. Harry began filling his plate with bacon and scrambled eggs as he waited for Ginny to finish the article.

_Sirius, the Head of the Auror Office, _Ginny said, as she began putting food on her plate,_and Amelia, possibly the new Minister of Magic by the end of next month._

_Exactly what we need to get into the Department of Mysteries and destroy the Time Pool._

_Health and personal reasons. Yeah, right. What do you bet Sirius got something on him that had to with Lucius Malfoy, and Fudge didn't want to be arrested so he resigned?_

_Either way, it is what Sirius was trying to achieve – what we were trying to achieve – with this. With Fudge's removal from office and the possibility of Amelia in office... the right choices will be made for a better future._

_Yeah, but what if Rufus Scrimgeour becomes the Minister? You obviously remember what happened with him in the old timeline. He became obsessed with you trying to help him with the war against Voldemort._

_Tried to use me as poster boy for the Ministry. Yes, I remember. We just have to hope Amelia will be chosen as Minister._

_She has a very good chance. Rufus was not a part of the Wizengamot, Amelia is. If she brings up the internal investigations and her assistance in the help to bring down Lucius Malfoy and the others, and she has good plans for the future, I think she'll get it._

_We'll give her some advice. We can write to her and Sirius about it. I want to write a letter to Sirius anyway to congratulate him._

_Looks like he beat you to it._

Ginny stealthily nodded toward the ceiling and Harry looked up. Hundreds of owls were heading to their owners. He spotted Hedwig's white figure distinctly as she swooped in toward him and dropped a scroll of parchment onto Harry's plate and perched herself on a large bowl of porridge.

"Thanks, Hedwig," Harry said, and gave her a piece of his bacon, "Stay here for a bit, I'm going to reply."

Hedwig gobbled it up in two bites and nuzzled her beak against Harry's hand in gratitude. Harry opened his scroll of parchment and placed it in his lap so Ginny could read it too.

_Dear Harry and Ginny,_

_Happy Halloween!_

_Once again, do not be afraid to read this in public. Nobody who doesn't know about your secrets will be able to see anything in this letter and will think you are just reading a simple I-miss-you letter from home._

_If you have not read the Daily Prophet this morning, DO NOT read this letter yet. Roll up this parchment now and read the newspaper, kids._

_Read it? Good! As you can see I had a very busy Friday. As you will probably guess, Fudge's reasons for his resignation was not for health and personal reasons. It was for a bit more... darker... reasons than_

_that, and he decided to resign instead of go to Azkaban. As you can see, Amy and Rufus Scrimgeour immediately put in their names for the Minister seat. Since they had to drop their own jobs to do so, I was named the Head of the Auror Office! That is right... I am now Boss Padfoot!_

_Amy is still going through a list of possible names for her job as I write this. We had fun last night celebrating Fudge's removal from office, my new title, and planning Amelia's fight to become the Minister. We have some things planned out, but if you can figure anything out, we'd love to hear from you._

_I also do remember that this is your second wedding anniversary – are you still referring to it as that? – so congratulations. I hope your day today is not as eventful as last year with that troll, and that you find some way to have good, clean fun for just the two of you to celebrate the day. I know you probably miss the – er, more intimate – parts of your relationship, but I remind you that those parts will come in less than three years. I'm sure you can find other things to do between yourselves until then._

_No, Amy and I have not had too many thoughts about our wedding since our last letter. Though we have given thoughts about having our wedding at the start of next summer. I know you want to go to your summer-home in France. I was thinking Amy and I could marry then, and we could have a honeymoon in France, and you could come with us to your summer-home. Amy said she is thinking about that suggestion and will let you know later._

_Remus, Amelia and I are going to, once again, visit your parents graves today and check on your home in Godric's Hollow. I might even let your parents' portrait know today is Halloween. On second thought, that might depress them._

_Have a wonderful, safe and Happy Halloween (if it is not too much to ask)_

_Sirius_

When Ginny looked away from the letter, she and Harry resumed eating, so they wouldn't be discovered talking telepathically.

_So, _Ginny said, _I was right... Fudge didn't want to go to Azkaban, so he resigned._

_I don't blame him, do you?_

_No, not really, I suppose. I probably would have done the same thing. However, I love the sound of Sirius and Amelia marrying at the beginning of this summer. I'd hate to intrude in on their honeymoon, but it would be a perfect opportunity for us all to go to our summer-home._

_Yeah, it would. I'm going to reply to this letter. Want me to tell them anything from you?_

_Congratulations, thanks for anniversary wishes, and I agree with Sirius' plan for their wedding. You and I can discuss our plans to help Amelia gain the Minister seat, and tell them later._

_'Kay._

"Does anyone have a quill?" Harry asked aloud.

Hermione reached into the pocket of her jeans and passed a quill over to Harry, all while still looking at the Prophet.

"Do you always carry Quills around?" Ron asked her, "Even on the weekends?"

"Yes," Hermione said, simply, "Never know when you'll need one. Harry needed one, didn't he?"

"Point," Ron said.

Hermione smiled very briefly, before she returned her gaze to the newspaper. Harry stealthily vanished Sirius' writing and started writing his own letter.

_Sirius,_

_Happy Halloween!_

_Thank you for your wishes on our happy anniversary. We'll try to be careful today on Halloween, but I remind you – we don't go looking for trouble, it usually finds us. Please do talk to my parents' portrait and tell them I am thinking of them today._

_We think your idea for your wedding and honeymoon is perfect, but do you really want us to intrude on your honeymoon? I mean, we'd be happy to come along with you, but this is for you two._

_Congratulations on becoming Head of the Auror Office. I am sure the Office will never be the same again with Boss Padfoot at the helm!_

_Ginny and I will discuss strategies for Amelia, but I have one idea for now. If Amelia becomes Minister, one of the first things she should do is take the Dementors out of Azkaban, and train a force of Aurors especially to survive Azkaban's dark effects while doing their guard duty. Without the Dementors, they will be able to stay there longer without becoming too affected, but they will need to be extra vigilant, because the prisoners will no longer be affected by Dementors either._

_We'll discuss more of this later..._

_Stay safe and enjoy the day,_

_Harry (and Ginny)_

Ginny gave Hermione back the quill after adding her name to the letter. Harry rolled up the parchment and tied it to Hedwig's leg. He gave her another piece of bacon, and she gobbled it up before nuzzling her beak once again against Harry's fingers, before flying away to begin the journey back to England.

* * *

Quidditch practice lasted from two-to-five in the afternoon, to give the players enough time to take showers and get ready for the Halloween feast.

As they had done so for the past two weeks of practice, the four Chasers were still competing for the three Chaser spots for the next game in January. Even though the match was three months away, they were not taking any chances of slowing down.

While Harry chased the Snitch, caught it, and released it to repeat the process, the rest of the team played a short game of Snitch-less Quidditch. Since there were two keepers, two beaters and four chasers, the team was evenly split. Ginny teamed with Angelina, George and Ron while Katie teamed with Alicia, Fred and Oliver. By the time Oliver called for practice to end, the game was 100-70 in favor of Ginny's team, though Oliver had six saves to Ron's three saves.

"Ron, you are improving up there on the rings," Oliver said, "But if it wasn't for your Chasers intercepting the Quaffle, my team would have won. You need to practice guarding the left and right rings and keep the middle one open."

"I get it," Ron said, nodding, "Guard the left or right, and if they aim for the middle, it is easier going one direction than two."

"Correct!" Oliver said, giving Ron a thumbs-up, "Ginny and Angelina, your scoring and intercepting the Quaffle is brilliant, but you need to learn to pass to each other more. However, saying that... Alicia and Katie, if you passed a little less and held the Quaffle longer, and maneuvered around the other Chasers, instead of passing the Quaffle when you thought you'd get plowed, you wouldn't have gotten the Quaffle intercepted so many times. Chasing is not just about passing and scoring, but flying as well. Be faster than the other Chasers, and you will almost always win!"

"Yes, Captain," the four Chasers said in unison.

"Harry, superb Seeking!" Oliver said, "Please do not get injured next term so we can win the Cup!"

Harry scowled mentally when Ginny snickered.

"Fred and George, good job," Oliver said, "George, you almost hit me once with the Bludger... are you trying to get me injured to let Ron become the Keeper this year?"

"Nope, that was revenge for interrupting my date in Hogsmeade," George said, "I swear I was this close from getting a kiss."

"No you weren't," Angelina said, blushing.

Everyone besides Oliver laughed.

"All right!" Oliver said, "Practice is over! Hit the Showers and enjoy the Halloween feast! That is an order!"

Fifteen minutes later, Harry was soaking himself under the warm flow of water, trying to soothe his aching muscles from practice.  
_  
Harry_, Ginny's voice said, _I want you to do something_.

_I am in the shower, love._

_I know that._

_Oh... wait... how do you know?_

_Sight-sharing._

_Ginny! How could you? Sight-sharing while I am in the shower? And you yell at me for wanting to do it._

_Well, I didn't think you would be too mad after you heard what I am about to say. Try to concentrate really hard. I want you to practice on controlling your Sight-share._

_Why? Where are you?_

_Guess._

_Ginny..._

_Harry, I give you permission. My anniversary present to you. Close your eyes and try to focus on me, on our bond. Focus on how much you love me._

Harry sighed and closed his eyes. He concentrated on trying to find where Ginny was at that moment. He felt warmth fill up his body, the heat much warmer than that of the water. It was sort of similar to the feeling he or Ginny would get right before they wished to teleport to each other. He gasped and opened his eyes. He was still looking at the shower-head as the water rushed toward him. He ran his fingers through his hair and instantly realized it felt different. When his head turned, he saw a mirror on the wall of the shower, and he was looking at himself. No, not at himself, but Ginny.

And she was bare naked. As she moved back and forth under the water, he got a good look at her body. Her budding breasts were only nubs at the moment, a little more pronounced than just flat against her chest, but not by much. He watched as one droplet of water slid from her chest downwards to the small curve between her legs.

Even at eleven, she was absolutely beautiful. He didn't know how he had missed how cute she was back when he was actually twelve... perhaps because back then she was just his best friend's little sister who ran away from him when she saw him..

His eyesight turned back toward the shower-head and Ginny's hands covered her face. Harry blinked and brought himself back to his own body.

_Wow, Ginny... I did it. Is there always a mirror in your shower in there?_

_Nope, that was just for you._

_How did I not fall in love with you so long ago? You're so beautiful._

_You're not too bad looking yourself. Did you like what you saw?_

_Mmhmm. Looks like you're going to need that bra sooner rather than later._

Ginny's giggles echoed through his mind. _Next spring, I think. I already got some training bras this summer for my birthday. They're in my trunk, but I'm not developed enough to put them to any good use._

_So this was my surprise?_

_Mmhmm. I figured this could be one of our creative things to enhance our relationship. You didn't seem to mind watching me in the bathtub at home, and as long as you let me know, or ask permission first, I might let you watch me take a shower sometimes._

_You certainly did not wait for my permission._

_I wanted to make sure you were alone. I noticed this morning that you can't control closing your eyes all the way yet during sight-share, so someone could still see your eyes rolled back and know something was wrong. You share that locker room with four boys, three of them my brothers, and only one knows you can do sight-sharing, and he isn't too comfortable with the thought of you looking at me in the shower._

_Right... good point._

_All right, get finished, so we can head inside and get ready for the Halloween feast._

_Yes, ma'am. I'll meet you outside the locker rooms in fifteen minutes._

_'Kay._

As promised, Harry was dry and fully dressed, and waiting for Ginny outside her locker room. His Nimbus 2000 was still with him, since he always took it back to the locker room with him. Ron had already left the locker rooms and was probably on his way back to the castle. In fact, he and Ginny seemed to be the only ones in the locker room.

Ginny walked out of the locker room with her broomstick, and went over to him. She leaned her broomstick up against the wall, and put her arms around his neck then kissed him lightly on the lips. Harry wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss. Ginny backed away and laid her head on his chest, and they swayed in the spot in a little dance.

"Thank you for that little show in there, Mrs. Potter," Harry whispered into her ear, "It was a nice anniversary gift. I'll have to think of doing something for you."

"Mmm, seeing your body in running water was enough for me," Ginny murmured, with a light giggle, "I really miss having these intimate moments."

"Me too," Harry said, "Is it bad I can't wait until you turn fourteen?"

Ginny shrugged against him. "I'm sure our Bond would be happy to know we will be happily cooperative when that time comes. Until then, we'll just have to do little things like these showers and -"

Suddenly, they were interrupted by someone screaming in the direction of the pitch. Ginny backed away in surprise, and she and Harry grabbed their brooms and headed toward the Pitch. When they arrived, they saw a figure wriggling violently around on the ground and screaming loudly in pain. As he ran over toward the figure he looked around to see if anyone was there who could be doing the attack, but he didn't see anyone.

"It's Blaise!" Ginny said.

Harry kneeled down next to Blaise Zabini, and looked him over. He looked as if he was sleeping.

"I think he's comatose, Harry," Ginny said.

"Just like Crabbe," Harry said.

"But... his eyes are closed," Ginny said, looking at Blaise's face, "This does not look like the similar effects to the Killing Curse."

"He was screaming and writhing around in pain as we approached him, Ginny," Harry said.

Ginny's eyes widened as she slowly looked up at Harry.

"Yeah, Ginny," Harry said, nodding, "This spell mimicked the effects of the Cruciatus Curse."

* * *

**Ahhh, another Slytherin attacked! With a spell that mimicked yet another Unforgivable Curse! Or was it? You'll find out next chapter!**

**I do hope that scene in the shower didn't gross you out. It was just a little anniversary moment between the two of them. I was trying to keep it vague, but I wanted it slightly more sensual and descriptive than I have been in the past, because it was supposed to be a meaningful moment.**

**There was sort of a big hint to the attack in the title of this chapter. "On The Pitch" was a similar title to "In The Owlery" – the chapter where they found Vincent Crabbe. _  
_**


	78. Deja Vu

**Chapter 78  
Deja Vu**

**(Harry)**

Ginny took to the air on her Nimbus 2001, and looked around for any possible culprit that could have attacked Blaise.

_Nobody here besides us, Harry. Our teammates are on their way to the castle. I see Oliver and Katie. I am going to tell them to go find one of the Professors._

_Be careful._

Harry saw Ginny blow him a kiss before she flew away from the Pitch. He then looked at Blaise and gripped Blaise's wrist with one hand. His skin was still warm and soft, signs that blood was still rushing through his body. He was most definitely still alive. Ginny was right – Blaise Zabini had fallen into a coma.

First a spell that mimicked the Killing Curse that made the victim comatose, and now a spell that mimicked the Cruciatus Curse that ended with the same results.

_I will find you. Whoever did this... I will find you._

_There's my brave Auror. I was wondering where he was._

_Funny, Ginny. What's going on?_

_Katie's heading to find a Professor. Oliver's coming back with me on my broom. He says he can conjure a stretcher so we can bring Blaise back to the school._

Then Harry saw Ginny and Oliver fly over the Pitch on Ginny's broom and land on the ground near Harry.

"Another attack, Potter?" Oliver asked, "Did you see who did it?"

"Nope," Harry said, "All we heard was him screaming and then he collapsed to the ground."

"Hey, that's the Slytherin Seeker!" Oliver said, "Why was he down here?"

"I'm sure you're thinking he was down here to possibly sabotage or something," Ginny said, "But we have more urgent things to worry about. Can you conjure that stretcher you were bragging about?"

"You're lucky you're right, or it'd be laps next practice," Oliver said.

Ginny stuck out her tongue, and Harry laughed. Oliver pointed his wand toward Blaise, and a stretcher appeared under him. The stretcher and Blaise levitated into the air.

"Come on," Oliver said, as Harry and Ginny led him and the floating Blaise across the Pitch, "We might run into a Professor on our way back to the castle. First a troll last Halloween, now an attack. Halloween is bloody bonkers, I tell you."

_Can I give him a Bat-Bogey Hex for insulting our wedding date?_

_No, because he doesn't know it is our wedding date._

_Details, details..._

Oliver's assumptions about a Professor meeting them was correct, but just a little off. As they neared the castle, not one, but three Professors strolled across the Grounds: Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape.

"Another Slytherin second year," Snape said, as he walked aside the floating Blaise, and hovered his wand over him, "Like Crabbe, he is also comatose."

"Yeah, we kind of figured that out ourselves," Ginny said.

"Tell me what you witnessed, please?" Dumbledore asked, interrupting Snape who looked as if he wanted to yell at Ginny.

"Harry and I were – erm – talking outside the locker rooms at the Pitch," Ginny said, "and we heard screaming. We hurried out onto the Pitch, and saw Blaise collapse to the ground. He was writhing and screaming -"

"The effects of the Cruciatus Curse," McGonagall said.

"The Cruciatus Curse would not put someone in a coma so quickly," Snape said, "Not even on somebody as young as Mr. Zabini."

"Did you look around for any new messages like that in the Owlery?" Dumbledore asked.

"No, we didn't think about it," Harry said, "We wanted to get some help from Professors."

"Of course," Dumbledore said, "Very smart of you."

"I took to the air on my broom and looked around for a culprit who could have cursed Blaise," Ginny said, "But I didn't see anyone nearby. I saw Oliver and Katie and went to them to ask for help. Katie went to find you, and Oliver came back to me to help with Blaise."

"You conjured the stretcher, Wood?" McGonagall asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Oliver said.

"Excellent quick-thinking, the three of you," Dumbledore said, "Thirty points to Gryffindor. Now if you excuse me, I need to go down to the Pitch, and search for clues. Severus, please take our new patient to Madam Pomfrey. Minerva, the feast will still continue in one hour, in the Great Hall."

"Are you sure, Albus?" McGonagall asked.

"Yes," Dumbledore said, "If it was a student who attacked Blaise, they may not show up at the feast. If they do..."

"We can place Spell Identification Charms on the doorway into the Great Hall," Snape said, "If they have their wands on their person, the spells in the last two hours all students have used will show above their heads. We can look for strange incantations. If they do not have their wands, we detain them until they prove to us that they are innocent."

"Minerva," Dumbledore said, "You and Filius can place the charms and use Severus' suggestion. Severus, I am afraid if we use you to do this, the culprit may get frightened. I have reasons to believe this is a Slytherin."

"Why would you say that?" Snape asked, "Automatically name my House?"

"I have my reasons, Severus," Dumbledore said.

"Reasons?" Snape asked. "Like what?"

"Do you have suggestions as to a culprit, Severus?" Dumbledore asked.

"Potter lost in a sanctioned duel against Zabini," Snape said, "Potter almost injured himself in the Quidditch match, and Zabini could be seen as a reason for that if you think hard enough. And Potter was one of the first to the scene of the crime."

Harry glared at Snape.

_Harry... calm down. Count from five... now._

_Five... four... three... two... one._

_Don't be so sarcastic about it next time, prat._

"Severus," Dumbledore said, "I am sure Mr. Potter did not do this. I am suspecting your House because the two victims are from your house. If we discover the culprit is not from your house, I will be the first to apologize to you. Until then..."

"I apologize, Headmaster," Snape said, "I was not thinking."

"Apology accepted," Dumbledore said, "I am sure Mr. Potter does not have any ill will towards you or anyone in your House either."

_Er... well, not enough to do this to them._

_Very funny, Ginny._

* * *

The news that another Slytherin Second Year had been attacked became widely known throughout the castle by the time the Great Hall began to fill for the Halloween Feast. Professors McGonagall and Flitwick, as well as Filch stood by the doors of the Great Hall, their eyes looking over the heads of students, though nobody besides them could see whatever they were looking at.

_Notice they're not apprehending yet, _Ginny said, as she, Harry and their friends were making their way towards the decorated Gryffindor Table.

_I'm sure if anyone didn't have their wands on them, or had weird incantations floating above their heads, they are making plans to talk to those students later._

"No bathroom trips this year, Hermione?" Ron asked, as he sat down beside the bushy-haired witch.

"I'm perfectly fine, Ron," Hermione said, "But if I need to go, I'll let you stand outside the bathroom to keep an eye out for any trolls marching down the corridor."

Ron blushed and looked away as Harry, Ginny and Neville snickered.

In front of the Head Table, Professor Lockhart was standing there, with his wand to his throat.

"Big plans for the Halloween Feast this year, students!" Lockhart said, "Halloween is a wonderful holiday for me... one of my favorites!"

_Oh, no... what is he doing? _Ginny asked.

_I don't even want to know._

"After the feast, if you want to win a first edition of my book, _Magical Me," _Lockhart said, "signed by magical me, meet me in the Entrance Hall, where there will be a contest to bob for apples! Also, earlier was quite delighted to hear the tale of a scary troll attacking a few students last year – Harry Potter, you were a part of that incident, yes?"

Harry did his best to make himself invisible, wishing he had his cloak with him.

"Well, I have a tale that is much better than some little old troll!" Lockhart said, "In just a little while I will ask for a few students to come up here to perform my own scary Halloween tale – a true story – of when I had to fight off a small army of skeletons!"

"I swear if he says he did it with a shotgun, I am going to laugh!" Hermione whispered.

Harry, Ginny, Colin Creevey, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas laughed.

"What's so funny?" Ron asked.

"Obscure Muggle pop reference, I believe," Luna said.

"Oh," Ron said.

"But first!" Lockhart said, "How about some festive music?"

Lockhart took out his wand and pointed it at a band of instruments off to the side of the hall. They all started to play music that sounded like cats scratching on chalkboards, which made the students cover their ears instantly.

"Sorry, sorry!" Lockhart yelled, "My little idea of a joke!"

Black and orange sparks flew across the hall from the doors of the Great Hall and hit the instruments, silencing them. Harry turned to see Professor Dumbledore walking toward the Head Tables.

"Thank you, Professor Lockhart," he said, "I might just find myself bobbing for those apples after the feast."

Lockhart blushed and chuckled and retreated behind the table.

"Welcome, welcome!" Dumbledore addressed the students, "to this year's Halloween Feast. I assure you all there will be no trolls interrupting your feast this year. Before we begin filling our stomachs with the delicious feast I have an announcement. The gossip mill has already been churning its gears around this school, and I am sure all of you know that another student was indeed attacked. He is now a temporary residence of the Hospital Wing, while we wait for the Mandrakes to mature. Unfortunately, that may not take place until the spring. I assure you, the two boys who have been attacked will be just fine. It is my job, and the other Professors as well, to make sure you all have a safe year at Hogwarts ever year. We have already failed two students."

He paused and looked around the Great Hall, his eyes resting on the Slytherin table for much longer than the rest. Harry looked at the table and noticed that Draco, Theodore and Pansy were staring back at the Headmaster, daring not to look away.

"I will do everything in my power to catch the culprit behind these attacks," Dumbledore said, "Mark my words. Actions have already been taken. We have reasons to believe it is a student who is behind these attacks."

A few students whispered and Dumbledore shot black and orange sparks into the air to silence them.

"If you are the culprit," Dumbledore said, "Please come to myself or your Head of House when you feel safe enough to do so, and we can talk about this. If you do it voluntarily, I promise your punishment will be less severe than it would if we had to find you without your help. Also, students, if you think you have seen anything suspicious, please go to your Head of House, after the feast and tell them immediately. You will remain anonymous, and if you have information that will lead to results, you will be rewarded greatly. Understand? Excelent. So... without further ado. Let the feast begin!"

Dumbledore raised his wand and the glorious, legendary Halloween feast appeared on all the tables. Skulls laughed maniacally and would do so every few minutes, and black cat stuffed animals mewed "Double, Double, Toil and Trouble."

After dinner, there was indeed a bobbing-for-apples contest, but Harry, Ginny and their friends had no desire to enter, so they all headed up the shortcut behind the tapestry that led them up a long staircase toward the seventh floor.

"What was Blaise Zabini doing at the Pitch anyway?" Ron asked, as they climbed the stairs, "If he was spying, he was an idiot for doing so. We played the Slytherins earlier this month. I mean, okay... if he was trying to sabotage us, that might be different, but... I mean, I certainly didn't see him."

"I think whoever did this wanted people to think you did it, Harry," Neville said, "I've heard a few people whispering ever since they learned about the attack that you had a reason to do it, ever since Blaise defeated you at the first meeting of the Dueling Club."

"Snape said that too," Ginny huffed. "Ruddy Slytherins."

"It wasn't just Slytherins," Neville said, "All four houses. Earlier I saw Ernie MacMillan talking to Hannah Abbot about it..."

"Perfect," Harry said, sarcastically, shaking his head, "Deja Vu!"

"This happened before?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded and explained how most of the students in the school thought he was the Heir of Slytherin attacking students because he could speak Parseltongue.

_Harry, _Ginny said, after he finished his story, _Why didn't we think of that before? The whole 'Heir of Slytherin' thing? You're right... they're blaming you for it, just like last time._

_And it is eerily similar right down to the dueling club part. I lost at the dueling club this time, and Blaise ended up attacked. Last time I spoke Parseltongue, the snake looked at Justin, and he got attacked. Oh, and Dumbledore doesn't think I'm guilty... just like last time._

_Exactly. So... is this Deja Vu or... do you think Pansy or whoever else attacked us during the Atrium incident is doing this?_

_I have no idea. I really don't. I mean... we still don't have proof that Pansy's memory is restored._

_Maybe that is something else we need to figure out when we use the Polyjuice Potion._

_If Pansy doesn't stay here for Christmas..._

_We steal one of her hairs, become her and ask Draco obscure questions about her. See what he says._

_Yeah... that might work._

_Ugh... just a couple hours ago we were having a nice romantic anniversary moment, and now..._

_I know, Ginny, I'm sorry. I really did love your anniversary gift. I might sound like a pervert, but it was very nice._

Ginny giggled mentally. _I'm happy you liked it._

Harry smiled, then looked up and noticed Hermione looking at him and Ginny.

"Were you two just talking to each other?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, why?" Ginny asked.

"Your eyes looked normal," Hermione said, "Not dazed over or anything. Do it again."

_I love you, Harry._

_Aww, thank you for using that as the experiment. And I love you too._

"Anything?" Ginny asked Hermione.

Hermione shook her head.

"Our eyes don't react to it anymore!" Ginny said, grinning, "Brilliant!"

"So now we can't tell if you talk to each other?" Ron asked.

"Guess not," Harry said.

"This is so brilliant," Ginny said, "That was one of my worries, because people like you two and Mum could see it, and our private conversations weren't entirely private if you knew we were talking."

"So that is two things our Bond is improving on today," Harry said.

"What was the other?" Ron asked.

"My sight-sharing," Harry said, "Ginny asked me to concentrate on it, and I did and I saw out of her eyes."

"What exactly did you see?" Ron asked.

"Me flying around the Pitch to look for the culprit," Ginny lied smoothly.

"Oh," Ron said, "Okay. If it was that other thing -"

"It would have been a wonderful anniversary present," Harry said.

Ginny grinned, and Ron raised his eyebrows skeptically as he looked at them.

"Ohh, that's right!" Hermione said, "I almost forgot. You're still counting it?"

"Until we get married in this timeline," Harry said, "Which might be when Ginny turns age of consent or when we graduate from Hogwarts."

"Why age of consent?" Hermione asked.

_Uh... Cripes, _Harry said, _What should we tell her? We want to get married again so it seems more official when we're forced to make love?_

_Haha... no! Er..._

"Just something we discussed," Ginny said, "By then, Voldemort will hopefully be just a memory, and our mission we set for us, when we realized we came back in time, will be over. We'll be old enough, our bodies and our minds, to make our own decision to get married."

"We barely discussed it, Ginny," Harry said.

"Fine," Ginny said, "Want to know my real reason for that? By then you'll be known as the boy who defeated Voldemort, and at the attractive age of fifteen. Girls will find you desirable and I want them to know that you are mine forever."

"You were rather attractive at fourteen, yourself, if I remember, right," Harry said, "Not that I actually cared to notice anyone besides Cho Chang."

"Who?" Ron asked.

"Harry's first crush," Ginny scowled, "Third year Ravenclaw right now. She'll probably be a Seeker next year and Harry will almost miss catching a Snitch because he likes to STARE AT HER."

"That was last timeline, love," Harry said, "and your jealousy is showing again."

Ginny harrumphed while the others laughed.

They finally made their way out of the shortcut and headed toward the Gryffindor Tower. As they approached the Fat Lady's portrait, they found Professor McGonagall standing there.

"Uh-oh," Harry said, "This can't be good."

Professor McGonagall walked over to them.

"Harry and Ginny," she said, "Can you please come with me? The four of you, please go into your Common Room, I am sure Harry and Ginny will tell you what happens later. If they do, please keep it a secret. The longer this does not get out, the better."

Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna nodded and walked toward the portrait.

"Follow me, you two," McGonagall said.

Harry and Ginny followed McGonagall as they headed away from the other students.

"Professor," Harry said, "What is going on?"

McGonagall looked around, probably for eavesdroppers, then looked at Harry and Ginny.

"Since you were there for the discovery of both students," she said, "I thought you might want to know this. It seems like the culprit of the attacks has been discovered."

"Who is it?" Harry asked.

"Earlier tonight," McGonagall said, "Marcus Flint was amongst a few students who were discovered without their wands at the feast. Professor Snape spoke to him after the Feast, and confiscated his wand. The wand revealed that an Imperius Curse and a Cruciatus Curse had been used through it. It is believed he used the Imperius Curse to bring Blaise to the Pitch, then a Cruciatus to attack him."

"Professor," Harry said, "I thought the Curse would not put Blaise into a coma. Not that quickly."

"It appears Professor Snape was wrong," McGonagall said, "Mr. Flint is in Dumbledore's office at the moment, and it is expected he will be expelled and brought up on charges in the Ministry."

"Has Marcus said anything about why he did it?" Harry asked.

"All I know is he is maintaining his innocence," McGonagall said. "Professor Dumbledore will discover more, I am sure."

"Thank you for telling us," Harry said.

"If you wish to tell your four friends," McGonagall said, "You can do so. I know that they know about the Bond between the two of you, and I am sure you would only tell them if you could trust them. But please... I am sure before too long, it will be discovered that Mr. Flint will be expelled. It is the Headmaster's wish that the students discover at a proper time."

"Yes, ma'am," Harry said, "We'll be careful with the information."

"Good," McGonagall said, "Good evening, Harry, Ginny."

"Good evening, Professor," Harry said, and Ginny smiled.

They turned and headed back toward the Common Room.

_What do you think, Harry?_

_Imperius Curse and Cruciatus Curse? What if someone Imperiused Marcus Flint with his own wand and made him curse Blaise?_

_Wait... are you saying...?_

_We're not looking for a curse that resembles the Killing Curse or the Cruciatus Curse. Vincent Crabbe must have been made to appear the way he did, so it looked like the Killing Curse effects. Blaise Zabini may have been put under the Cruciatus Curse after all. So... Killing Curse mimicked, Marcus Flint possibly put under the Imperius Curse, and Blaise tortured with the Cruciatus Curse. Someone is using the Unforgivable Curses to taunt the victims._

_But... Vincent and Blaise are both in a coma._

_Ginny, I think we're looking for a spell that would instantly turn someone comatose._

_Comatose... or Petrified, without the actual Petrification effects._

_Exactly... Deja Vu all over again._

* * *

**So... the Unforgivable Curses are a taunting ploy to hide the Comatose spell. Is Marcus Flint the guilty party here? Or was he placed under the Imperius Curse?**

**No, he is not the other person that was with Pansy. Have I actually said that person with Pansy actually came back in time? I'm not sure I did! I mean... he did get hit with a Stunner...**

**If you caught the Evil Dead reference... congratulations!**

**Once again, keep an eye on my FFN Profile to keep yourself updated about this story.**

**Also, I have another announcement. Harry Potter and the Bonds of Time will now be a trilogy! This story will end at the end of the Second Year, and the second story will begin with the summer before the third year at Hogwarts – possibly with the Azkaban/Peter Pettigrew thing, or with Sirius and Amelia's wedding. If I put the third and fourth year in this story, it could get up to 200 chapters. This could already be 90 chapters by the time I am done with it. So this is how it will go:**

**This story will finish at the end of the second year.**

**Bonds of Time II: (Needs a subtitle!): summer before 3****rd through the end of 4th year.**

**Bonds of Time III: Age of Consent – starts summer before 5****th year, and part of 6th year. Might go all the way through sixth and seventh year if I can think of a good storyline for it.**


	79. Boss Padfoot

**Chapter 79  
Boss Padfoot**

**(Sirius)**

Newly appointed Head of the Auror Office, Sirius Black, was grinning to himself as he followed Argus Filch up toward Albus Dumbledore's office. Alastor Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt were behind him; all three were ready to make an arrest. It was nearing ten-o-clock on the evening of Halloween, but Sirius was wide awake. He felt exhilarated at the moment.

Even though yet another student, Blaise Zabini, had been attacked and put into a coma, the apparent culprit in Vincent Crabbe and Blaise Zabini's attacks, and possibly the culprit in Edward Borgin's murder had been caught. Charges toward Borgin's death had been upgraded from assistance to murder, all the way to murder because they were the reason the Dementor Kissed Borgin.

He could think of no better end to the past couple of days than this. First Cornelius Fudge's resignation, then getting named the new Head of the Auror Office, due to Rufus Scrimgeour's resignation in order to run for Minister of Magic, and finally, soon-to-be apprehension of the criminal involved in these horrible acts toward students.

Albus Dumbledore's message to Sirius at Potter Manor had, at first, come at a bad moment. Half-an-hour ago, Sirius and Amelia were going to finish off their romantic Halloween evening together before going to sleep in each other's arms, when Melina had come in to their bedroom and announced that Albus was currently waiting for them, his head in the Floo. When he received the message, he immediately Floo-called Alastor and Kingsley and asked them to meet him in Hogsmeade right away. So after kissing Amelia good night and promising he would be home before dawn, he headed to Hogsmeade to meet up with his fellow Aurors and head for Hogwarts.

He put his game-face on, removing his grin, as Filch led them to the gargoyle statue.

"Head Auror Sirius Black requesting entrance into Albus Dumbledore's office," Sirius said clearly to the gargoyle.

The gargoyle raised and lowered its head then moved sideways, as the wall opened.

"We'll take it from here, Filch," Sirius said, as he walked by the Hogwarts caretaker, saluted him and led Moody and Kingsley up the stairs toward Dumbledore's office.

"The Aurors are coming, Mr. Flint," Dumbledore's calm voice rang out, "I suggest you are more cooperative with them than you have been with me and Professor Snape or things could go very badly for you by the end of the night."

"I keep telling you I don't remember doing anything!" a boy's shuddering voice said, "I don't know what you expect me to say!"

_Maintaining his innocence. Predictable, but it doesn't matter. I like a good fight in a criminal. This is going to be fun._

Sirius' hand brushed over his wand-holster strapped around one arm and made sure his wand was there in case he needed it.

_Mr. Flint better hope I don't need it.  
__  
_Sirius cleared his throat to announce his presence and walked into the office. He found Albus sitting in his usual chair on the other side of his large desk. Two more seats were in front of the desk. Marcus Flint did not turn at Sirius' presence, but Severus Snape turned in his chair next to Marcus and looked at Sirius. Sirius winked at Snape, and Snape's lips went flat as he turned back toward the headmaster.

"Aurors Black, Moody, Shacklebolt," Dumbledore said, with a bow from his chair, "Good evening. Thank you for responding so quickly at such a late hour."

"The best Aurors never sleep, Albus," Moody said.

Sirius tried his best not to roll his eyes. _There is a reason Mad-Eye is retiring. This is one of them. He hasn't slept in thirty years, it seems._

"It doesn't sound as if our new friend here is being very cooperative," Sirius said, as he conjured his own chair near Flint and sat down next to him, "But you will, Mr. Flint. Trust me. I can be here all night. You will cooperate with me sooner or later. Let's make it soon, eh? So much better that way."

Flint didn't respond. He only looked at his hands crossed in his lap.

"His hands haven't been shackled?" Sirius asked, looking at Snape, then Dumbledore.

"He hasn't given us a reason for needing them," Snape said.

"Hasn't given you a reason?" Sirius asked, "Two young boys are in a coma in the Hospital Wing. A man is dead because he was poisoned and made attractive to the Dementor's Kiss."

"I thought that was a mistake from one of your guys!" Flint said, "I don't know anything about poisoning somebody!"

"I've already had enough of these lies," Sirius said, "And it was the very first thing you said, Flint. Not a good way to start."

"I don't know anything about any of this!" Flint said, "Go ahead, Professor Snape. Give me the Veritaserum you've been threatening to give me since you dragged me up here! I'll tell you Aurors the same thing I told Professors Dumbledore and Snape! I fell asleep this afternoon after finishing one of your essays, Professor Snape. Right there at one of the tables in the Slytherin Common Room. When I woke up, I was still at that table. That was nearly half-an-hour before the Halloween Feast and I remember nothing because I was asleep!"

"What evidence do you have against Mr. Flint?" Moody asked. "I haven't heard that part."

"His wand showed signs of usage of the Imperius Curse and the Cruciatus Curse," Snape said, "We used Spell Identification Charms on the doorway into the Great Hall before the Halloween Feast, and he didn't have his wand. We confronted him and found his wand on his nightstand beside his bed in his dormitory."

"You see!" Flint said, "I know I had my wand when I was doing your essay, Professor, because I summoned my ink bottles from my knapsack. Someone could have picked it up and used it and blamed it on me."

"Albus, you told me Blaise Zabini was attacked and is now in a coma," Sirius said, "The Cruciatus Curse would have had to be on the boy for a good long time before he fell into a coma. He'd be insane before he fell into a coma."

"I agree, for once, with Auror Black," Snape said, "But I cannot explain Blaise's condition."

"Comatose Curse," Moody said.

"Never heard of it," Snape said.

"Not surprising, boy," Moody said, "The Comatose Curse is thought to be long-since retired. Long before you and Black were walking through the halls of this school. It is not in any books here at Hogwarts, because the Ministry banned it. There may have been books that have survived and been passed along by Dark Arts lunatics."

"Could Borgin have had one of those books?" Sirius asked.

"Aye," Moody said.

"Which means somebody bought it from his shop," Sirius said, then looked at Flint.

"Quit looking at me," Flint said, "I didn't do anything."

"We saw no strange incantations that would have led us to this Comatose Curse from any wands," Snape said.

"Use your brains, boy!" Moody said, "You have some in that greasy-haired skull of yours, if you're a Professor here."

Sirius fought the urge to laugh.

"So you figured this one out too, Moody?" Snape asked.

"One of your students probably owns two wands," Moody said, "They predicted you would use Spell Identification Charms and threw away the wand that used the Comatose Curse. If this boy here is telling the truth, he could have been Imperiused in his sleep, and the culprit and Flint could have followed Mr. Zabini and the culprit controlled Flint to use the Cruciatus Curse on Zabini, then used the Comatose Curse. Albus, I am surprised you did not think of this curse."

"The evidence did not point to the Comatose Curse until now, Alastor," Dumbledore said, "Vincent Crabbe showed signs of the Killing Curse, without the obvious effect of Death. Witnesses said that Blaise Zabini was screaming and writhing on the ground."

"Signs of the Cruciatus Curse," Sirius said, "Someone is taunting these students with the Unforgivable Curses. You said there was witnesses to this. Who were they?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Your godson, Harry, and Ginny... Weasley."

Sirius could hear the pause as Dumbledore had to stop himself from saying 'Potter.' He chuckled softly and shook his head.

"Why does that not surprise me?" Sirius asked, "Where are they right now?"

"I expect they are probably in their tower," Dumbledore said, "Though if I know Gryffindors, they probably won't be going to bed until late."

"Halloween up-all-night party," Sirius said, grinning, "Some things never change. I'll talk to them after we finish here. Okay... so... if we are to believe Mr. Flint is being honest..."

"I _am _being honest, you stupid Auror!" Flint said.

Sirius ignored him. "Then Mr. Flint fell asleep doing homework. Someone stole his wand, used it to put him under the Imperius Curse, made him use the Cruciatus on Zabini, and then used their own wand – or a wand that has been discarded since – to use this Comatose Curse. Then they had Flint return to where he was before."

"But... why would they put his wand elsewhere?" Kingsley asked.

"Makes him look more guilty if he didn't have his wand on him," Sirius said.

"I thought I had it on me," Flint said, "It was in my pocket when I fell asleep, and I didn't bother looking for it because I wanted to get to the Feast."

"Congratulations, Flint," Sirius said, "You may actually be innocent."

"Of course I am!" Flint said, "Nobody listens to me! My Seeker was attacked! I am all about Quidditch here at Hogwarts, and defending the Cup. Why would I attack my own Seeker?"

"Because Harry outraced him?" Sirius asked.

Flint glared at Sirius.

"Fine, you're innocent," Sirius said, "Unfortunately, you're still going to have to be expelled, young man."

"Excuse me?" Flint said, "I cannot be expelled! I did nothing!"

"I would like to hear your reasons behind your statement, Sirius," Dumbledore said.

"As do I," Snape said.

"Think, Flint," Sirius said, "Somebody wanted you to be blamed for this. If you are still in this school tomorrow, two things could happen. One, the real culprit will realize we've decided you are innocent and they will get frightened. School children do bad things when they get frightened. They can become dangerous. We don't need that from someone who is already dangerous. Two, you could be the next victim and you could really get killed instead of put in a coma. If you're expelled, we can work it out so that you could still be home-schooled, and take your NEWTS at the end of the year. I believe your a seventh year, yes? If the culprit discovers you're expelled, the culprit may lower their defenses. They will think they've gotten away with this."

"Well reasoned," Dumbledore said, "I do have to agree with you."

Flint looked at Snape, who nodded. "I agree, Mr. Flint."

"Fine," Flint said, "I will cooperate with you."

"Thank you, Marcus," Dumbledore said, "I do apologize for all of this. I wish it never happened to you."

"Last time I fall asleep around Slytherins," Flint muttered.

_Ha! This kid is okay with me if he can insult his own house._

"Aurors Moody and Shacklebolt will escort you out of the school, Mr. Flint," Sirius said, "just in case the culprit is watching your exit."

"I will announce Mr. Flint's capture tomorrow at breakfast in the Great Hall," Dumbledore said, "and I will ask the Professors to watch how the Slytherin students react to the news."

"If anyone acts out of order, they might be the culprit," Sirius said, nodding, "Good."

"I think you will agree with me now, Severus," Dumbledore said, "that someone in your House is indeed to blame."

"No Slytherins would let other students into their Common Room," Snape said, "So yes, I am ashamed to admit it has to be one of my students."

"Unfortunately, we cannot suspend every one of the students," Dumbledore said, "Taking any action against them would spook the culprit behind these attacks."

"So we're back to square one," Snape said.

"Not exactly," Dumbledore said, "We now know what curse has been placed on these students. Alastor, you seem to be the expert at this Curse. Do you know any immediate Counter-Curses to this Curse?"

"None," Moody grunted, "I expect Mandrake Draught will do it."

"The Mandrakes will be mature by next Spring," Dumbledore said, "It seems Mr. Potter knew what he was talking about when he suggested that cure."

"Harry Potter suggested the Mandrake Draught?" Moody asked.

"Yes," Sirius said.

"Smart boy, that one," Moody said, "Future Auror."

"Speaking of Harry," Sirius said, "I need to speak to him and Miss Weasley about what they witnessed. Excuse me. Moody, Shacklebolt, please escort Mr. Flint out of the castle and make sure he gets home. Then you are dismissed for the night."

"Yes, sir," Kingsley said.

"My apologies for this, Mr. Flint," Sirius said, "Thank you for your honesty."

"You're welcome," Flint said, and Sirius noticed his voice was calm and full of respect.

Sirius nodded, said farewells to Dumbledore and Snape, then left the office and headed for the Gryffindor Tower.

_Comatose Curse. I never even heard of it! Sounds like it was popular in Grindelwald's time. A spell that could instantly place someone in a coma. Nasty. I guess the only good thing is that it doesn't kill them and it has a cure. So... did the culprit not actually want to kill them? Why?_

Sirius thought about this as he headed up the Grand Staircase, and it was only when he was near the Fat Lady's portrait when it came to him.

_Either they were too afraid to commit murder, or they wanted to send a message. Or both. There aren't many students in this school brave enough to commit murder, not even most of the Slytherins. There may be a few future Junior Death Eaters, but they are "Allies of the Snake", they would not write that message. This is hell in a hand-basket, as Scrimgeour likes to say. One day doing his job, and I already understand what he meant by that._

Sirius showed his badge to the Fat Lady's portrait, and the Fat Lady bowed slightly as her portrait swung back revealing the hole. The Common Room was crowded with students still celebrating the holiday. Sirius smiled to himself as memories of James, Remus, Lily, himself, and Amelia, who Sirius had smuggled in since she was a Ravenclaw, during their seventh year Halloween party that lasted almost till dawn.

_Let's see if I can still quiet a crowd of rowdy Gryffindors._

Sirius put two fingers between his lips and whistled loudly. The students all froze and looked in his direction.

"I'm not here to break up this party, don't worry," Sirius said, "Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley, where are you?"

Harry and Ginny walked from the direction of the fireplace and over to him. He silently motioned for them to follow him out of the Common Room. He led them back through the portrait hole and down the corridor away from prying ears.

"Are you here at Hogwarts for Marcus Flint?" Harry asked.

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "I don't know whether or not to be surprised that you know that already."

"Professor McGonagall told Harry and me," Ginny said, "Since we found Blaise when it happened."

"That is why I am here talking to you," Sirius said, "Tell me what happened?"

"Ginny and I were the only two left on the Pitch after practice," Harry said. "Oliver had a three-hour practice today. Everyone else was already on their way to the castle. Ginny and I decided to take advantage of that, and we were spending a little couple-time in the hallway outside the locker-rooms. And that was when we heard Blaise screaming on the Pitch. We ran out to him and found him writhing and screaming on the ground. He went still when we came upon him, and we realized he was in a coma."

"Did you see anyone who could have done it?" Sirius asked.

"I flew up into the air but saw nobody," Ginny said, "Marcus must have ran away."

"It wasn't Flint," Sirius said, "Well, it was, but he was under the Imperius Curse."

"I knew it!" Harry said.

Sirius raised his eyebrows.

"McGonagall said Flint's wand showed the Imperius and Cruciatus Curses," Harry said, "but the Cruciatus Curse does not put you into a coma that quickly."

"You're right," Sirius said, "Mad-Eye says he believes a retired curse known as the Comatose Curse was used."

"So... Flint didn't do it?" Ginny asked.

Sirius sighed. "Okay, you can only tell your four friends about this. Nobody else."

He then told them most of what had been discussed at Dumbledore's office, everything from Flint falling asleep to his wand ending up next to his bed."

"We figured that whoever did it," Sirius continued, "Stole Flint's wand when he slept, Imperiused Flint, made him use the Cruciatus Curse on Blaise Zabini, then the culprit used the Comatose Curse with a wand that wasn't their own and disposed of it so it wouldn't be discovered."

"Wow," Harry said, "That seems very possible. So... what? Flint's not in trouble?"

"Officially, he is still being expelled," Sirius said, "And will complete his schoolwork at home and take his NEWTS with his classmates. He is only being expelled because if he stayed at school, the real culprit would probably freak out and do something else dangerous. If they believe that everyone else thinks the culprit has been caught, the real culprit will not be so defensive."

"They could take their guard down," Harry said, nodding.

"Exactly," Sirius said, "Tomorrow, the Headmaster will make a statement about how the culprit of the attacks was found and expelled, and will name Flint as the culprit. While he does this, the other Professors will watch the Slytherin students and see if they react strange to the news."

"Ginny's right," Harry said, "It will be a miracle if the culprit falls for that."

"You two are talking telepathically?" Sirius asked.

Harry and Ginny nodded.

"Why do you not look dizzy?" Sirius asked, as he looked at their eyes, which were completely normal.

"We learned today we don't react to that anymore," Ginny said.

"Brilliant," Sirius said, "It is a weapon. Use it."

"There's our precious Boss Padfoot," Harry said, "We knew you were in there somewhere."

Sirius laughed. "Thank you."

"Has Amelia found a replacement yet for her office?" Harry asked.

"She has just this afternoon," Sirius said, "Pius Thicknesse."

Harry and Ginny groaned and looked at each other.

"Okay, if you look at each other while you talk telepathically, it is still obvious you're doing it," Sirius said, "What is wrong with Thicknesse?"

"Easily susceptible to the Imperius Curse," Harry said, "Last timeline, Scrimgeour was the Minister after Fudge stepped down after my fifth year. He was assassinated by Voldemort himself, and Pius was the new Minister in a Voldemort-run Ministry. Except he was under the Imperius Curse through it all."

Sirius groaned. "I'll let Amelia know. She isn't going to be happy. She was going to put him in office on Monday. Any suggestions for her?"

"Albert Runcorn," Harry said, "He's trustworthy enough and quite an intimidating presence. Probably doesn't have any history in the Dark Arts yet, but he could in the future unless we change that. He was quite a respected individual in Voldemort's Ministry reign, if you know what I mean. We could use him on our side however."

"I'll talk to Amelia about him," Sirius said, "Maybe she knows more about him. Also, Harry, Amelia loved your suggestion about the Dementors and Azkaban. She'll use that."

"Can't think of anything else unless Amelia thinks she can convince the Giant population to stay neutral if a war pops up, even when Voldemort is gone."

"I'll see what she says about that," Sirius said, "Also, I talked to her about my suggestion for our wedding and honeymoon. You don't have to worry about interfering in our honeymoon. We'd love to have the two of you along. Besides... me and her are adults. We can find things to do in France while you take advantage of the summer home."

"We're okay with that," Ginny said, and Harry nodded.

"Perfect," Sirius said, "We'll probably try and figure out a wedding date for sometime in late June or early July. That is what we've decided so far. Oh, and before you ask... yes, Harry I want you for one of my best men, and Ginny, Amelia wants you as a bridesmaid."

Harry looked at Ginny and Sirius raised his eyebrows.

_It is no wonder these schoolchildren believed Rita Skeeter's rumors. The way they look at each other so lovingly could convince an idiot these two are a couple._

"We accept," Harry and Ginny said in unison.

"That's creepy," Sirius said, "Since it is nearly November, this is my god-fatherly duty for the month: if you don't want your fellow students to think you are a couple, stop being so obvious."

"Huh?" Harry asked.

"If I just met you two ten minutes ago," Sirius said, "I would have already asked you how long you've been a couple. Talking in unison, and looking at each other like that. None of your fellow students besides your friends knows you can speak telepathically. To them you are just staring at each other... amorously."

"Oops," Harry said, "We'll work on it."

"Doesn't really matter though," Ginny said, "If I get my way, which I usually do around Harry, his birthday present to me for my fourteenth birthday is meeting him under an archway if you know what I mean."

"You two want to get officially married when you turn fourteen, Ginny?" Sirius asked, raising his eyebrows.

"If Voldemort is gone," Ginny said, "and all of our friends and family are alive, we've done our mission we discussed on May 3rd of last year. You, Amelia, Remus, Tonks and one of my brothers was not at our wedding last time. That right there would tell me 'mission accomplished'. Besides... I'd feel better about our Bond wanting us to deepen our intimacy if our friends and family know we're married."

"Okay, I agree with that last bit," Harry said.

"You're not in agreement with Ginny about all of that?" Sirius asked.

"We're talking about it," Harry said, shrugging.

"You have a bit less than two years to do so, so you have a while," Sirius said.

"Exactly," Harry said, glaring at Ginny.

"Yeah, yeah," Ginny said, "shut up or I'll see if our Bond lets us sleep alone tonight."

Harry frowned and Sirius snickered.

"Well, I promised Amelia I'd be home before dawn," Sirius said, "Maybe if I get back before midnight, she'll still be awake."

Sirius smiled when Harry and Ginny hugged him.

"Love you, Boss Padfoot," Ginny said.

"I love the both of you too," Sirius said, "Now go on and make me proud – stay up half the night celebrating Halloween."

"Yes, sir!" Harry said, giving Sirius a salute.

Sirius laughed and saluted back. He smiled as he watched Harry and Ginny return to the Common Room. He sighed audibly and started off back toward the Grand Staircase.

_A wonderful end to your first full day of your new job, Boss Padfoot._

"Boss Padfoot," Sirius said, grinning, "I may have to make everyone call me that."

* * *

**Two notes here: 1) Marcus Flint was a seventh year in Harry's second year. JK Rowling made a mistake when she included him in Prisoner of Azkaban. 2) I know Albert is probably just as much of a bad choice for Head of the MLE as Pius is, but those were the only two I could think of, and I had to chose the lesser of two evils. I don't like Pius, and Albert could be a good guy if he is given respect early on.**

**So... Marcus Flint was deemed innocent, but is being expelled to hopefully set a trap for the real culprit.**

**This chapter was going to be called Comatose Curse, but I might use it for another chapter coming up.**

**This will probably be my last chapter until end of September/beginning of October, due to loss of internet usage. See my FFN profile for more. However, I will try to promise multiple chapters for you around that time if you are patient with me and can wait that long. I have a few good big events planned very soon, including the decision for Minister of Magic, and the Polyjuice Potion/Slytherin Common Room scenes, which should be really good.**

**Also, I have a spoiler-ish question for you. If you do not want to be spoiled about a possible event happening by the end of this story, don't look below this line. I do not know if this will happen. It is just in my thoughts right now.**

**If one name in these two options (two possible different attacks) had to be a victim of the Comatose Curse and put in a coma for – oh – a few weeks – who would you want it to be?**

**1. Harry or Ginny? (Synchronicity would not happen here. Person not in coma would be the main PoV in the climax of the story)**  
**2. Ron, Hermione, Neville or Luna?**

**Let me know in reviews, and it may happen! Again, this is just a thought going through my mind, but I might use it for a part of the big climax to the end of this story. I haven't 100% decided either way.**


	80. Bait

**Chapter 80  
Bait**

**Author's Note: Good news! Due to a unforeseen little bit of cash-flow that came today, I can actually afford internet! So I spoke too soon! I can continue to update my story. Right now, I hope to have this first story of the trilogy done by November. There are probably less than fifteen, and maybe ten chapters left in this story. Also, for a sneak-peek (subtitle and summary) of the sequel to this story, read the ending author's note of this chapter.**

**This chapter is rather long, because I did not wish to split it up. Thank you to those of you that have given me your thoughts on my question at the end of the previous chapter. Definitely helps me with my thoughts.**

**Q&A Time!**

**Q:Hmm.. Due to the clues/hints given with the Owlery and the pitch..Someone who fly's would be a guess of mine or maybe a bird Animagus?**

**A: I am floored by this. I didn't even think of these as clues or hints. I'm not sure how to answer this, other than this: the attack on the Pitch was a last-minute thought. It was going to be in a corridor inside the castle, but since Harry and Ginny were already on the Pitch, I decided to have it there. But this was a very good try!**

* * *

_Sunday, November 1__st__, 1992_

**(Harry)**

At precisely eight-o-clock the morning after Halloween, Harry and Ginny were both awoken by the vibrating pillow alarm. Harry tried to smile at Ginny, but he yawned immensely and heard Ginny's giggles inside his mind.

_That is what we get for going to bed at two-o-clock in the morning, _Ginny said, _and planning to wake up in time for breakfast._

_Mmhmm. One moment._

Harry peered through his curtains and looked around the dorm. All four beds were empty. Harry closed the curtains and turned back to Ginny.

_Yep, everyone else is either in the Common Room or heading down for breakfast. Ron and Neville are probably in the Common Room._

_Hermione and Luna might be as well. They might be waiting for us. They've been excited about today's events at breakfast ever since we told them everything last night. I better go get ready for the day._

Ginny leaned toward Harry and kissed him softly on the lips. Before Harry could return the kiss for more than a few moments, Ginny backed away and grabbed the Invisibility Cloak from under the pillow and covered herself with it.

_See you soon, _she said, and the curtains opened, then closed a few moments later.

Harry grabbed his wand from the nightstand and pointed it at the curtains, and they folded back into themselves.

_Common Room is nearly empty except for our friends. They're waiting for us._

_'Kay. Better hurry then._

Harry quickly changed into a clean outfit and headed downstairs. Ron, Neville, Hermione and Luna were sitting near the fireplace.

"Finally!" Ron said, "We've been up for a few minutes. Everyone else is heading down the stairs."

"Ginny says she is awake," Harry said, pointing to his head, "She'll be down shortly."

Hermione rolled her eyes, but only Harry noticed.

_I think Hermione wants to talk to us, _he said.

_Well, make an excuse to the other three. Say something. I don't care what._

"Does anyone besides us know about the announcement or something?" Harry asked.

Ron nodded the motioned over Harry's shoulder. Harry turned and saw the announcement board, where a notice that read "Important Announcement at breakfast on 1 November, at nine-o-clock! Attendance is Mandatory."

"Ginny says she'll be a couple more minutes," Harry said, thinking of an excuse, "Hermione, Ginny wants to talk to you about something, and wants me here too. Private... girl talk. She asks if you three will go down to the Great Hall and save our spots, since the table will be pretty full. "

"If it is girl talk, then why does she want you here?" Ron asked.

"Because I would find out about it anyway?" Harry asked, pointing to his head again, "Believe me, I've tried to ignore some of that stuff and I can't, so I've just decided to go with the inevitable."

"Oh," Ron said, "Er... yeah, I guess we could go and save your seats."

"We'll probably be right behind you," Harry said, "Ginny just wants a bit of privacy."

"See you there," Ron said, and he stood up with Neville and Luna, and they walked out of the Common Room. As soon as the portrait shut, Ginny walked into the Common Room. Hermione raised her eyebrows as she looked from Harry to Ginny.

"Girl talk?" Hermione asked, "Ginny, you know more about girl stuff than I do! You've been through it already."

Harry winced when Ginny glared at him and placed her hands on her hips.

"I panicked, okay!" Harry said, "I was trying to gross out Ron! I don't want him here for this. I think I know what the topic is going to be."

"Topic?" Hermione asked.

Ginny sighed. "Let's head for the Great Hall. We should now probably be well behind Ron and the others enough so they won't hear us."

Hermione and Harry agreed, and the three walked out of the Common Room and headed down the corridor toward the Grand Staircase.

"Okay, Hermione," Harry said, "I saw you roll your eyes when I told you Ginny was awake. We both know what you want to talk to us about."

"You still sleep in the same bed at night, don't you?" Hermione asked.

"Yes," Ginny said, "and you are the only one who knows about it."

"Aren't you afraid Ron or one of your other dorm-mates will find out, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"We've done this for two months now, Hermione," Harry said, "We have a routine and it has not failed us yet."

"There's been perhaps one or two close calls," Ginny said, "but I always have Harry's cloak handy."

"And what if these close calls become something more?" Hermione asked.

"Okay, it is possible," Ginny said, "What is your point?"

"You should at least tell Ron you're doing this," Hermione said, "I've noticed he's become better customed with your relationship as of late. At times, he may look as if he wants to say something to you about it, but he holds it back."

"There are reasons we're keeping things from him," Ginny said, "Because he tends to overreact. Hermione, if we continue to do those trips into the Pensieve, sooner or later, we're going to get into a part of our memories, where Ron is going to find out something about his other self that he should not know until he is ready for it. I think you know what I'm talking about."

Hermione raised her eyebrows then her eyes widened and she looked down at her shoes as she walked.

"The future him and me," Hermione said.

"Exactly," Ginny said, "We're going to try to keep that stuff away from him until something happens between the two of you, or until we feel that he is mature enough to accept it. But what if he discovers somehow that the future him – or whatever you want to call it – fell in love with the future you, before he is ready to do anything about it?"

"I don't want him to think he has to fancy me or fall in love with me because the future-him did it," Hermione said, "That wouldn't be right at all."

"Exactly," Ginny said again, "If he discovers things like that before he is ready, he could very well overreact. That is the same way with my sleeping arrangement with Harry. He knows we had to sleep in the same bed this past summer, but he doesn't know we've been doing it every night since then. Harry and I don't want to tell him until we're sure he'll be okay with it. Last month, we told Ron that Harry's seen me – you know – naked."

"Wait," Hermione said, "You mean – you... as in the present you?"

"Yes," Ginny said.

Hermione looked from Ginny to Harry, who shrugged.

"We got tired of using bubble bath this past summer," Ginny said, giggling, and Hermione grinned and shook her head, "Anyway, ever since Ron learned Harry can use his sight-share, he's gone all paranoid because he thinks Harry would try to see me in the shower."

"Have you, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Once," Harry said, and when Hermione looked as if she was going yell at him, he quickly said, "she gave me her permission!"

"It was yesterday for our anniversary," Ginny said, "My present to him."

Hermione blushed. "That's... kind of cute, I guess."

"My point is," Ginny said, "I'm sure you've noticed Ron isn't exactly the maturest person of our group when it comes to certain topics."

Hermione giggled and nodded. "I've noticed."

"Like I said, he tends to overreact about a lot of things," Ginny said.

"I see your point," Hermione said, "I just thought that maybe he should know about this arrangement at one point or another. I mean he is your brother, Ginny, and your best mate, Harry. He is the only one in your family who knows both of your secrets."

"We'll tell him sometime," Harry said. "We just have to make sure he's ready for it."

"Like when it comes to knowing what happened to his and my future selves," Hermione said, nodding, "I understand."

"Good," Ginny said, "Now let's go down to breakfast."

Fifteen minutes later, they entered the Great Hall, and found that it was nearly as full as it had been the previous night for the Hogwarts Feast. Everyone of the Professors, including Professor Trelawney, who rarely came down from her tower, was seated at the Head Table. Harry, Ginny and Hermione found a spot across from Ron, Luna and Neville, wide enough for them to sit down, and took the seats, then began serving themselves breakfast. Harry noticed that, from his seat, he had a good view of the Slytherin table.  
"Finished with your girl talk?" Ron asked.

"Yes," Ginny said, "It was quite... informative."

"You listened to Hermione and Ginny's girl talk, Harry?" Lavender Brown asked, next to Parvati Patil, who looked curious as well.

"I put my fingers in my ears for most of it," Harry lied smoothly.

"Boys," Lavender and Parvati said in unison, sighing dramatically.

Harry smiled mentally when Ginny and Hermione grinned at each other.

A sharp ding resonated across the Great Hall, and everyone looked in the direction of the Great Hall, where Professor McGonagall had a spoon in one hand and her glass in the other.

"Quiet please, the Headmaster would like to address all of you now," she said.

Professor Dumbledore bowed slightly to McGonagall, then stood up from his chair.

"Yesterday evening at the start of the Halloween Feast," he said, "You will probably recall that I requested any of you who had evidence of these recent attacks come forward to one of the Professors and let us know. Last night, I am delighted to say we have discovered the culprit behind the attacks."

Dumbledore raised his hands to stop the murmurs and whispers coming from many students. Harry noticed that, aside from Dumbledore, each and everyone at the Head Table, including Hagrid, were glancing around the hall, but their gaze held onto the Slytherin table more than most. Harry wondered if anyone besides him and his friends knew what the Professors were doing.

"Please be calm during this time, my students," Dumbledore said, "I do recognize your worries and curiosity toward the culprit, but I ask that you do not react harshly. Anyone who overreacts to my next announcement will lose points for their house and serve detentions with the Head of their House."

The students quieted down, and soon it was so quiet, anyone could hear a feather drop.

"Last night Seventh year Slytherin Marcus Flint was expelled from Hogwarts," Dumbledore said, "And it is believed he was the culprit behind these attacks. He did no permanent harm to any students. Next spring, I assure you that the Mandrakes will be ready to be stewed and the Draughts will be made, and the two young students will wake. At this moment, it looks as if the danger is gone and we can go back to having a normal school year – well, as normal as we can here at this wondrous school. Thank you for your cooperation."

Dumbledore sat down, and as the Great Hall erupted in applause at the news, Harry noticed the teachers were discreetly looking toward the Slytherin table. Harry's eyes went to the Slytherin table, as did Ginny's.

_See anything strange? _Ginny asked him.

Harry's eyes went to each and every student at the Slytherin table. A few were applauding. Marcus Flint's fellow classmates and Quidditch team looked shocked, and Draco, Nott and Pansy applauded lightly before they returned to their meals.

_Not unless you can call Draco, Nott and Pansy's applause strange, _Harry said, as he returned to his meal.

_Blaise and Crabbe are their classmates. Even if they are being ignored by everyone, they still have some respect for their classmates. Perhaps Marcus was behind the hazing as well and they were reacting to that._

_Yeah, you're probably right._

_Even if they were suspicious, we're going to get answers from Draco during Christmas Break. We'll find out just what is going on with them then. Doesn't look like the Professors noticed anything suspicious either._

Harry looked at the Head Table. The Professors had returned to their meals, and none of them were talking to each other at the moment, nor were they looking at anyone particular in the Great Hall.

_You were right last night, Ginny. This trap plan was completely rubbish._

_Whoever did this is way too smart to fall for something like that. They were smart enough to plan ahead for the Spell Identifiers on the doors last night, weren't they? Sirius said they used a second wand and threw it away._

_Yeah. We're dealing with a very wise opponent. Well, whoever it is, hopefully, they have decided to lay low for a while now that Dumbledore told everyone the danger has passed. If they attack somebody, then the investigations return and they will be in danger of exposure once again._

_Guess we'll find out soon if they have decided to lay low or not._

* * *

As November progressed, things did indeed go back to normal at Hogwarts

Three days after Halloween, the Daily Prophet revealed that Albert Runcorn had been named Amelia's successor for Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Albert was quoted in the newspaper as saying he was thankful to Amelia for giving him the position, and gave Amelia his full support for her on the Minister's seat, and said she would not regret the decision of giving him her old title.

According to Sirius, via letter, Mad-Eye's Moody retirement party on the first Friday of the month was one of the more memorable moments in his short career in the Ministry. He also admitted he tried to prank Moody, but as Sirius said, "that eye of his can catch anything!"

Classes were the same as well. History of Magic was boring and repetitive and induced drowsiness with every lesson. In Herbology, Professor Sprout would have the second years take care of the Mandrakes once a week, and teach about other new plants for the other lesson. Professors McGonagall and Flitwick started off the month with exams going over everything they had learned the previous month, then go into new and more difficult spells and charms then the previous ones.

In Potions, Professor Snape explained that each week, in the month of November, he would assign each group of partners a set of ingredients, and the partners would have to identify the ingredients and figure out which potion they were being requested to make – most of the time it was something they had  
learned the previous year, or in the first two months of the current term. Harry and Ginny were given the Boil cure potion for their first one.

Professor Lockhart assigned a big project in Defense Class. He split Harry's class into teams of five for the month of November, and assigned each of the teams one of his books to read, pick out a certain scene in the book, write a combined sixty-inch essay on the book (twelve inches for each person), write out fifteen questions and answers for an exam about the book, and the best exam would be given to the other teams at the end of the month, and that team would be given an immediate Outstanding on the Exam. Also at the end of the month, they would have to act out the scene they had chosen in front of the class. Harry was not surprised when Lockhart had picked Ginny, Hermione, Ron and Neville for his team.

After the first class of the month, Lockhart had confronted Harry and Ginny and asked them if they were still interested in an interview with Witch Weekly. They said they were still thinking about it, and made an excuse that they needed to get started on his essay, and hurried away. After that, they resumed using the Marauder's Map and Invisibility Cloak to dodge Lockhart outside of class.

* * *

_Saturday, November 14__th__, 1992_

On the second Saturday of the month, two notable things happened.

The first was that Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw played each other in their first Quidditch match of the year. The match lasted a total of three hours and thirty-seven minutes and was a high-scoring match. Hufflepuff's Chasers were dominating the match most of the game, but Ravenclaw's Seeker was able to catch the Snitch, winning the match for them 300 to 270. Ravenclaw was now in first place for the cup, with Gryffindor in second due to their win. Hufflepuff was third, and Slytherin, who had yet to find replacements for their Chaser and Seeker, was in last.

After the match in the Room of Requirement, Harry and their friends headed for the Room of Requirement to check on the progress of the Polyjuice Potion.

"Oliver Wood is going to go mental after that game," Ron groaned, as he, followed his friends into the Room, "You know we're going to probably have at least two practices a week until our match in January."

"You're complaining?" Ginny asked, "We have to face Hufflepuff. After today, there is no way Wood is going to give up his Keeper spot for that game, unless he gets injured, so it is unlikely you will play. The Chasers, however -"

She pointed to herself.

"- are going to be hard-pressed to not make all those foolish mistakes Ravenclaw was making today," she said, "Ravenclaw was lucky their Seeker caught the Snitch, or Hufflepuff would be dominating the race for the cup right now."

"And he's going to want me to practice speed catches with the Snitch," Harry said, "I just know it. The faster I can catch the Snitch, the faster we'll win, and Hufflepuff's Chasers won't have a repeat of today's game."

"So... I'm probably not going to play?" Ron asked, looking rather depressed at the thought.

"Maybe if we have a very good game against Hufflepuff," Ginny said, "Wood will let you play in the final match where we could win the cup."

This cheered up Ron measurably.

Harry walked over to the corner of the room, where the cauldron full of Polyjuice Potion was sitting. It looked like it was ready, but he needed a second opinion.

"Ginny?" he asked, "What do you think?"

Ginny kneeled down next to Harry and stirred the potion, then gagged.

"Yeah," Ginny said, "Probably finished."

"Good," Harry said, "This should last for a couple of months if we keep it under cool temperatures.  
We're not using that old safe anymore, and it is big enough to hold the cauldron. We can place cooling charms in the safe to keep the Potion fresh."

"So now all we have to do over the next month is get hairs from whoever we are going to turn into," Ginny said.

"Nott and Pansy," Harry said, pointing between him and Ginny.

"That was planned from the beginning," Ginny said, then she looked at Ron and Hermione.

"I suppose I should turn into Goyle," Ron muttered, though he didn't look too pleased at the thought.

"Good idea, Ron," Hermione said, "If he knew anything about Crabbe's attack, we might be able to find out that way."

Ron smiled at Hermione's compliment, and Harry grinned when he noticed Hermione blush lightly.

"If he stays here for Christmas, we can make a Sleeping Draught and knock him out," Harry said, "that is what happened last time. Hermione?"

"Millicent Bulstrode, I suppose," Hermione said.

Harry and Ginny snickered and Hermione looked at each of them curiously.

"Last time, the other version of you chose Millicent too," Harry said, "Except instead of taking Millicent's hair, it was a cat hair. She ended up looking half-human and half-cat with the ears, tail and everything."

Ron snorted, then cowered under Hermione's glare. She blushed fiercely and looked back at Harry and Ginny.

"I'll try to be careful when I get her hair," Hermione said, still blushing.

"When should we try and get them?" Ron asked.

"Sooner the better," Ginny said, "Next time we have an opportunity."

Hermione grinned. "Next Saturday is our next Dueling Club meeting. We could try to get them then?"

"Good idea," Harry said, nodding, "Next Saturday, it is."

* * *

_Friday, November 20__th__, 1992_

The following Friday, the day before the next meeting of the dueling club, while Harry, Ginny and their friends were doing homework in the Common Room, Professor Dumbledore sent Harry and Ginny a letter, requesting that they take over the lesson plan for the club. Professors Lockhart and McGonagall would be assisting them if they needed help, but Dumbledore was rather interested in seeing what they had learned the previous summer with the training dummy.

"Perfect," Harry said, "absolutely perfect."

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Ginny and I are the guest instructors tomorrow," Harry whispered, "All we have to do is use spells that you can do with fellow students. We'll pair students up with each other, and you four can pair up with Pansy, Nott, Goyle and Millicent, and obtain their hairs. I'll give the four of you vials to place the hairs from them."

"Make sure it is from their heads," Ginny said, "Not their robes."

"Right," Ron chortled, grinning as he looked at Hermione, "Wouldn't want to end up in the Hospital Wing with fleas."

A noise came from Hermione's mouth that sounded curiously like a _hiss._

"I suppose the only problem is if you getting defeated by the partner you're going up against," Ginny said, "and not being able to get their hairs."

"Our weekly dueling lessons have helped a lot," Neville said, "I'm not really worried about it. I think I could take someone like Goyle, he's too slow and thick even for me."

"I'm sure you can do it too, Neville," Luna said, "As for me... Millicent won't know what hit her."

"She'll underestimate you because you're younger," Harry said, "Use that. Hermione, can you take Pansy?"

"I think so," Hermione said, nodding.

"Nott's for me, I guess," Ron said, shrugging.

The six friends looked at each other and nodded in agreement with the plan. They were ready. Harry only hoped it would work as well as he thought it would.

* * *

_Saturday, November, 21__st__, 1992_

The Dueling club was scheduled to begin at two in the afternoon on Saturday, and Harry and Ginny was asked to be at the Great Hall a quarter of an hour before to talk to Professors Lockhart, Dumbledore and McGonagall. When they arrived with their friends, Harry and Ginny immediately saw the three professors on the stage where the Head Table usually stood, and headed through the small crowd of students that were already there.

"Harry, Ginny!" Lockhart said, "So thrilled that you have volunteered to be the guest instructors today."

"Well, we just wanted to prove that students as young as us could teach something like this," Ginny said, "just as well as you can."

"Hear that, Headmaster?" Lockhart said, in mock-horror, "They might be trying to replace me with them!"

"I'm very sure they could do a fine job at it too, Gilderoy," Dumbledore said, chuckling, "Harry, Ginny, I am most interested as to if you have any thoughts about what you have planned for today. I know the notice about you being the guest instructors today came at a late time."

"Yeah," Harry said, "We talked about it some last night. Like Ginny said, we wanted to prove we can do these spells that have been taught to us in these meetings. I figured we could demonstrate the Disarming spell, and Body-Bind and Leg-Locker Curses first, as well as show how to lift those Curses, then ask our classmates to pair up with someone from a different house. We may need help pairing some up, but our friends volunteered to pair up with a few students from the Slytherin house today."

"I'm sure we can get everyone in pairs, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said, "That is no problem."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry said.

"Stage is yours," Dumbledore said, "I wish you the best of luck today."

The look in his eyes told Harry that the Headmaster hoped the Synchronicity side-effect of the Bond would not act up today.

"Thanks, Professor," Harry said.

Professors Lockhart and McGonagall stepped off the stage and Dumbledore stepped into the center, then raised his wand and shot sparks into the air. The crowd of students in the Hall went silent and their gaze went to the stage.

_We can do this, right, Ginny?_

_Yep. Just look at it as a very large Dumbledore's Army meeting._

_I think I could do that._

"Welcome to the fourth meeting of the Hogwarts Dueling Club!" Dumbledore addressed the students. "Today, we have a special treat for you. Professor Lockhart has temporarily given up his role of lead instructor of this Club, and handed it over to its creators. Today's instructors are Second Year Gryffindors, Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter!"

A few older students looked a bit skeptical, but when Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, and the Gryffindor Quidditch team began clapping, most of the other students did as well. Dumbledore looked back at Harry and Ginny, bowed slightly, then left the stage. Harry walked to the center of the stage and looked around at the students.

"I'm sure most of you all know by now," Harry said, "the story of what happened last year with the rescue of the Philosopher's Stone. Myself, Ginny, and a couple of our friends made our way through obstacles so we could get to Professor Quirrel and save the Stone. What you might not know, because it is not public information, is Ginny and I almost died that night."

Many of the students gasped or had shocked expressions on their face. Professor Lockhart looked as if he wanted to wet himself from the excitement of this announcement.

Ginny grinned mentally. _I'm sure Professor Lockhart is trying to think of a way to do a school-wide Memory Charm and take credit for the Stone's rescue._

Harry laughed mentally, then cleared his throat.

"Yes," Harry said, "Even students as young as us are in danger from those who are allies of the Dark Arts. This was proved recently when two of my fellow year-mates were attacked and put in a coma. Not even children as young as us are safe. Ginny and I knew this right away, and we wanted to do something about it. On my birthday, a good friend of mine, an Auror Cadet, gave me an Auror Cadet-level training dummy for me to train spells against. During the month of August, with the permission of, and chaperoned by, my godfather, Head Auror Sirius Black, I started training myself using a few spells against the training dummy. Ginny also trained with me a few times."

_There's a good way to quell Rita Skeeter's rumors, _Ginny said.

_Go ahead then if you want._

"That is why Rita Skeeter saw me going over to Harry's house this summer," Ginny said, "I was trying to train myself so I could fight if I ran into another ally of the Dark Arts."

"That is why we came up with this Dueling Club," Harry said, "Students in first through third year barely learn any offensive and defensive dueling spells. Students from those years I just mentioned, raise your hands if you feel you've learned enough in this Club so far to at least defend yourself if you were ever confronted by an ally of the Dark Arts."

Most of the second and third years raised their hands, and a few first years including Luna and Colin did as well. Harry noticed that Dumbledore and McGonagall looked pleased.

"Today you will all get to prove that," Harry said. "We are going to go over a few spells we've already learned over the first three meetings and prove that we can do those spells as well as anyone. Ginny and I will have a short duel and show you what we want you to do today, and then we are going to pair you off and you will practice these spells against each other. Okay?"

The students nodded and voiced their agreements.

_Showtime, Ginny._

Ginny smiled and she and Harry turned to each other and bowed respectfully, then each backed up ten paces away from each other. Harry twisted his wrist, and felt his wand fall into it from the holster.

"Duelists," Lockhart said, "Are your ready?"

Harry and Ginny nodded, as they pointed their wands at each other in the professional dueling manner..

"Excellent," Lockhart said, "Begin in three..."

_Good luck, love, _Ginny said.

_You too._

"Two," Lockhart said.

_I love you, Harry._

_I love you too, Ginny._

"One!" Lockhart said.

"Expelliarmus!" Ginny immediately said.

Harry ducked to his feet as the white beam flew over his head.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry said.

Ginny side-stepped out of the way, but her wand began to move from her hand, and she grabbed it with her other hand. She grinned and winked.

_Getting rusty in your old age, Mr. Potter.  
_  
"Petrificus Totalus!" Harry and Ginny said at the same time.

Harry side-stepped Ginny's spell at the last moment, but Harry's own spell hit Ginny in the chest, and her body went rigid, her arms snapped to her sides, and her legs snapped together, and she fell over.

"The victor!" Lockhart said, "Harry Potter!"

Most of the students cheered and Harry held up his wand to silence them.

"Now," he said, as he walked over to Ginny, "I will show you how to lift this charm. Listen everyone because you will need to do this if you are successful against your dueling partners today."

He pointed his wand at Ginny and said "Finite Incantatem."

Ginny regained control of her arms and legs. Harry helped her to her feet.

_Good win. I'll kiss you for that later._

Harry grinned and turned to the crowd. "Finite Incantatem. Used to lift most charms from a person or an object. Okay... it is time to split you all up into partners! However! You will not be partnered with your friends. All of you will be facing someone from a different house. Ginny and I will pair a few of you up, and the Professors will help us as well. Just so you don't think I am being partial to my friends, Ginny and I will team them up with someone from the Slytherin house."

The second year Slytherins raised their eyebrows and looked toward Harry's friends.

"Ron Weasley and Theodore Nott," Harry said, "And Hermione Granger and Pansy Parkinson."

Harry noticed Pansy's eyes narrow as she looked from Harry to Hermione. Hermione only nodded and smiled.

"Neville Longbottom and Gregory Goyle," Ginny said. "Er... Luna Lovegood? Are you okay with facing a student from a year above you?"

Luna bowed slightly and nodded.

"Luna Lovegood and Millicent Bulstrode," Ginny said.

Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Lockhart went around to the other students and began pairing them up. Harry and Ginny paired a few others up as well. This process took about ten minutes, before the Great hall was split into students facing each other.

"Disarming Spells," Harry said, "Leg-Locker Curses, and Body-Bind Curses only! If you use anything else, besides those and the Finite Incantatem spell, I am sure the Professors agree with me when I say you will lose house points and probably get a detention, and may be banned from these meetings."

Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Lockhart all gave nods of agreement.

_Ginny, don't make it look obvious, but you and I will stay around our friends. If they win, make sure they can get the hairs from their partners._

_Sure thing, Harry. And if they don't win?_

_Summon the hairs from the four Slytherins. But I want to give our friends a chance first._

_They'd probably be unhappy if we didn't give them a chance._

"Duelists!" Harry said, "Begin!"

Harry and Ginny walked around the vicinity of the first and second years as they dueled each other. Surprisingly, the first of their friends to win their duel was Neville, with a nicely hit Body-Bind. Ginny was near Neville, instructing him how to use the Finalizing Charm on Goyle. Neville walked over to Goyle and lifted the charm, then helped him to his feet. A swift movement later, and Neville grinned.

_Goyle's hair obtained!_

Harry was about to respond, but he heard Pansy shriek a Leg-Locker Curse at Hermione nearby. Hermione ducked to the ground and sent her own at Pansy. It hit Pansy in the shoulder, before she could duck, and her legs snapped together, and she fell over. Hermione walked over to her.

"Get away from me!" Pansy growled.

"Pansy," Harry said, "She won the duel. She has to lift the Curse on you... that was the agreement."

_Luna has Millicent Bulstrode's hair. Ron and Nott keep missing each other. What should we do, Harry?_

_Encourage Ron, but make it look like you're encouraging both._

_'Kay._

Harry watched as Hermione lifted the Charm on Pansy. Pansy growled when her legs were free, then stood up.

"I will get you back for that one, Granger," Pansy said.

"Your duel is over, Pansy," Harry said, "Go back to your friends, or leave the Hall."

Harry saw Hermione shaking her head and held out her hands. He recognized the silent message and realized didn't have Pansy's hair yet. Harry winked and shook his head. Pansy harrumphed and headed back toward her friend.

_Accio Strand of Pansy Parkinson's hair._

Pansy hissed slightly as she must have felt the yank of her hair, and turned back toward Harry and Hermione.

"Miss Parkinson?" Dumbledore said, from nearby, "Is something wrong?"

"No, Headmaster," Pansy said, as she curled a finger through her hair, "Nothing at all."

She narrowed her eyes at Hermione and Harry then walked back over to her friends.

_Ron won his duel! He has Nott's hair! Harry? Do you or Hermione have Pansy's?_

Harry smiled when he looked at his hand, and saw the single strand of dark black hair. Hermione grinned when she saw it and stealthily took it from him.

_All four hairs recovered, Ginny._

_To use Lockhart's favorite word... excellent!_

Harry raised four fingers to Hermione, and Hermione raised her eyebrows, then smiled and nodded. She gave him a thumbs-up and walked over to their friends. Over the next hour, the rest of the duelists finished up their own duels. Harry and Ginny made their way back to the stage by this time, and Harry had their full attention.

"Raise your hands," Harry said, "If you won your duel against your partner today."

Half the students in the hall raised their hands. Colin, Draco, the Weasley twins and most of the Gryffindor Quidditch team except for Alicia were amongst them. Percy, however, seemed to have lost his duel against his girlfriend, Penelope.

"Those of you who lost," Harry said, "do not feel discouraged. Keep practicing and you will get better. Those of you who won, don't get arrogant about your victory. If you do, there may come a time when you feel you can win against anyone and you will then find that you will lose. Many wizards and witches in the history of the wizarding world thought they were the best duelist in the world, and then they lost, and most of them were killed when they lost."

Harry's eyes went to Dumbledore, who was looking at him through his spectacles. He wondered if the Headmaster was thinking of the dark history of the Elder Wand.

"That is the main lesson you need to leave with today," Harry said, "Nobody can win all their duels. It is impossible. But if you train enough, you will have a good chance to win. That is why Ginny and I created this Club. So... with that said...Club dismissed."

Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Lockhart applauded Harry and Ginny, and the rest of the students joined in, before they began to shuffle out of the Great Hall, until only Harry, Ginny, their friends, and the three Professors were left.

"Excellent job today, Harry, Ginny," Lockhart said, "You could indeed have my job at instructing this club. I should never have doubted you."

"You did a wonderful job," Professor McGonagall, "You should be very proud of yourselves."

"Twenty points to Gryffindor," Dumbledore said, "For a memorable lesson. Were there any problems that you could find?""Nothing we could not manage," Harry said, and Ginny nodded in agreement.

"Good," Dumbledore said, "You are dismissed."

Harry, Ginny and their friends left the Great Hall, then hurried into the Short cut that led to the seventh floor.

"I hear we have all four hairs?" Harry asked.

Ron, Neville and Luna took their vials from their pockets with much gusto. Hermione frowned as she showed hers.

"Pansy wouldn't let me near her," Hermione scowled.

"But you have her hair," Ron said.

"Harry got it somehow," Hermione said.

"Summoning Charm," Harry said, It is a fourth-year level Charm, but if you want to practice it, we can."

"If you could summon her hair, Harry," Neville said, "Why didn't you summon the others?"

"We wanted to give you all a chance," Ginny said, "You all did a very good job. Even you, Hermione. Pansy's just a pain in the ass."

Hermione giggled. "That she is... she was really wanting to duel me again. She was angry at me."

"That's Pansy for you," Harry said, "Even if she doesn't remember she's from the future, she's still her old annoying self."

_Are you still sure she doesn't remember who she really is? _Ginny said, as they made their way up the narrow stairs.

_If she does, we'll be sure to find out during Christmas Break._

_'Kay. Good news is... we have almost everything we need to pull it off. Now we just have to get the Slytherin robes._

_Hermione was able to get them easily last time from the laundry._

_We should be able to as well. And then we don't have to worry about anything else until Christmas Break._

Harry smiled and rubbed his thumb fondly over Ginny's hand that he held. But as he and his friends made their way to the Room of Requirement to hide the vials of their victims hairs, Harry felt as if he had forgotten something important that had happened today. He just couldn't figure out what he had forgotten.

* * *

**Okay, is it kind of obvious what he had forgotten, or are you just as confused as he is? I might have made something a little too obvious in this chapter and I am not sure.**

**Aw well... I'm sure there are a few of my readers who already know who the culprit is. Unfortunately, I will not reveal exactly who it is until Harry and/or Ginny discover it in the story –****probably in the climactic final chapters.**

**As promised, here is the info for the sequel:**

**Bonds of Time II: Fighting Fate**

**Summary: Book 2 in the Bonds of Time Trilogy. Bond-Mates Harry and Ginny Potter seek to change the future for the better. Weddings, pregnancy and romance looms on the horizon, but so does Death, loss and sacrifice. How can you win when you're fighting against Fate?**

**I gave this title a lot of thought, and it does have some importance as to what will happen in the story. Excited, yet?**


	81. The New Minister

**Chapter 81  
The New Minister**

**Author's Note: This story officially has 1000 reviews now! Thank you all. It means so much to me. I never thought I would get this many, so thank you!**

**Rufus' middle name, and Amelia's brother's name, are not canon.**

_Monday, November 30__th__, 1992_

Sirius Black leaned back in his comfortable black leather chair, behind his large mahogany desk in the Head Auror office. His fiancee Amelia Bones was pacing back and forth a few feet away. Her eyes gazed fiercely at a piece of parchment as her mouth moved silently, reading over the words of her speech.

Today was the day the Wizengamot would choose either Amelia Bones or Rufus Scrimgeour to be the new British Minister of Magic. In a little less than an hour, Amelia was expected to be in Courtroom Nine, where she would plead her reasons as to why the Wizengamot should choose her as the most powerful person in wizarding Britain. Sirius would be there with her, of course, to give his support, love and good wishes.

Sirius nearly jumped from his seat when Amelia exclaimed in a loud growl and walked over to the seat on the other side of his desk. She slammed the parchment down on the desk, tapped her wand on a line of words, and the ink disappeared from that line. She took the quill that was resting behind her ear and wrote a new line of words there.

"You're changing parts of it _again_?" Sirius asked, "Amy, my love, I thought it was perfect."

"Obviously, it isn't," Amelia harrumphed.

She backed away from the parchment and relaxed in her seat, then massaged her temple with both hands, her eyes closed tightly.

"I don't know why I am so hopeful right now," Amelia said, "The Wizengamot is going to hate everything I tell them. These suggestions are a pipe-dream, Sirius! They will think I am mental. Rufus Scrimgeour is going to be the Minister, and I will be in the mental ward of St. Mungo's because of this, mark my words!"

Sirius chuckled and shook his head. Amelia opened her eyes and glared at him. Sirius motioned her over to him with a finger and she pouted and shook her head. He motioned her again with a full hand, and she smiled and stood up then walked around the desk to him. He pulled her into his lap and she grinned, laid back against his chest, and wrapped an arm around his neck. He wrapped his arms against her and pulled her close to him. .

"Amy," Sirius said, "All of your suggestions are absolutely perfect. "

"Some of those suggestions aren't even mine," Amelia said, "We got help from Harry and Ginny. A lot of help actually. If children could be the Minister of Magic, Rufus and I would not have a chance against those two."

Sirius chuckled. "You're probably right. But you shouldn't doubt these suggestions, Amy. You believe the Wizengamot is going to hate everything, because you are looking at it from the point of view of a wizarding world that had Cornelius Fudge in power. You need to look at it from a point of view where Amelia Bones is the most powerful woman in wizarding Britain."

Amelia scoffed.

"The wizarding world as we know it will change for the better," Sirius continued, "because of what you will do if – no – when you become the Minister of Magic. Harry and Ginny made these suggestions because they've witnessed a world where things were run because nobody had suggested these things until it was much too late."

"I wish I could be as positive as you," Amelia said, as she nuzzled her face into Sirius' neck.

"I'm only positive because I have complete faith in the outcome today," Sirius said. "I had complete faith on the day I walked into that courtroom nine and a half years after I was sent to Azkaban, and I walked out a free man. Ever since that day, things have changed in my life for the better."

Sirius fondled the ring finger on Amelia's right hand with his thumb, and rubbed it across the silver ring. His own ring glistened on his finger.

"These engagement rings," Sirius said, "and the fact that the love of my life is sitting in my lap is proof of that."

Amelia chuckled lightly and kissed the side of Sirius' lips. Sirius turned his face only a margin of an inch toward her and pressed his lips against hers. He deepened the kiss and was lost in it for nearly a minute, before Amelia sighed and backed away.

"I love you, Sirius Black," Amelia said, "I'm sad that it took half a year, after your freedom, to remember just how much I love you."

"I've said it many times," Sirius said, "that you were one of the only reasons I made it those nine and a half years."

Amelia smiled. "Sounds like you're already thinking of your vows for the wedding."

"You know me," Sirius said, "I'll still be thinking of what I'm going to say in my vows as I watch you walk toward me down that aisle in your wedding dress."

Amelia chuckled again and pecked Sirius on the lips. She then stood up and returned to the other side of the desk. She sat down in the chair, and picked up the scroll of parchment again.

"Oh, all right," Amelia said, with a deep sigh, "if you say my speech is perfect, then obviously it is."

"Why don't you recite it to me again?" Sirius asked, "Just so we both know."

Amelia shrugged and cleared her throat. But before she could begin, there was a knocking sound on the door.

"Door's open," Sirius called out.

The door opened and Nymphadora Tonks peered her head inside.

"There you are, Madam Bones," she said, "I thought you might be here."

"Yes, I am, dear," Amelia said, looking over her shoulder at the young cadet, "what do you need?"

"Myself and Kingsley Shacklebolt," Tonks said, "are here to escort you down to Courtroom nine. The session will begin in thirty minutes."

Amelia turned back to Sirius, who smiled lightly. Amelia closed her eyes, and her chest rose and fell as she inhaled and exhaled.

"I'm ready," she said, in almost a whisper as she opened her eyes.

She rolled up the scroll of parchment and tucked it inside her robes. Sirius stood up and walked around the desk. He held out his hand to Amelia, and she took it and rose from her chair. Sirius and Amelia left the office with Tonks, where Kingsley was waiting for them.

"Boss," Kingsley said, bowing slightly, "Madam Bones."

Sirius smiled lightly. Everyone had refused to call him Boss Padfoot, except for Remus when he wanted to make fun of Sirius, but Sirius had convinced everyone to just call him "Boss".

"Good afternoon, Kingsley," Amelia said, "Shall we go then?"

Tonks led Sirius and Amelia out of the office as Kingsley walked behind them. Ministry workers who they passed down the corridor as they made their way to the lifts, offered their wishes to Amelia and hopes that she would be Minister. She thanked them in turn.

Fifteen minutes later, Sirius, Amelia and their two escorts walked past the Department of Mysteries, and down the steps to the bottommost floor of the Ministry of Magic, where the majority of the Courtrooms were located. A group of media from newspapers, magazines and the wizarding wireless news stations were crowded outside the courtrooms.

"Madam Bones!" a woman from the Daily Prophet said, "Do you believe you will be in the Minister's office by the end of the day?"

"Auror Black," a man said, "What do you believe your fiancee's chances are against your old boss?"

"Questions will be taken after the results of today's session," Kingsley's voice boomed, "You are all welcome inside for the session, but it is asked that you remain quiet and leave your questions until afterward. Thank you."

A couple other reporters asked a question, but Tonks opened the door of Courtroom Nine, and Sirius and Amelia walked through into the room. As he walked into the room, hand-in-hand with Amelia, Sirius' eyes raised to the Wizengamot's seats, and recognized Albus Dumbledore sitting in the exact center chair. Bartemius Crouch and Dolores Umbridge were there as well, seated beside other witches and wizards of the Wizengamot. Every current member of the Wizengamot, aside from Amelia, of course, was in attendance. If Sirius remembered right, there were an odd count of members, which meant there would be at least one number higher between the votes.

Rufus Scrimgeour was sitting in a comfortable-looking leather chair behind one of the two podiums in the center of the room. Seated in chairs beside and behind him were Cornelius Fudge and others who must be supporting him for the role of Minister.

On the other side, where Amelia would be seated, Sirius recognized Amelia's only living brother, Rodger, who smiled when he saw Sirius and Amelia. Also seated there, among others Sirius vaguely knew, were Remus Lupin, Ted and Andromeda Tonks, Augusta Longbottom, Arthur and Molly Weasley, John Dawlish, new DMLE Head Albert Runcorn, Alastor Moody and Amelia's personal secretary, Samantha. The young witch was sitting beside a blonde witch, who appeared to be Samantha's age. The way they were holding hands, Sirius guessed this was probably Samantha's girlfriend, remembering vaguely back on Valentine's Day when Samantha had mentioned she had a date. Samantha winked at Sirius when she saw him looking and he bowed slightly.

There were four empty chairs in the front row near Andromeda Tonks, and Sirius and Amelia took the two center ones, while Nymphadora sat between her mother and cousin, and Kingsley took the other empty seat.

"I believe we can begin this session now if there are no objections," Albus Dumbledore said.

Nobody raised any objections.

"Today is Monday, the thirtieth of November in the year nineteen-hundred and ninety-two," Albus continued. "On the thirtieth of October of this year, former Minister of Magic, Cornelius Oswald Fudge, resigned from his position due to health and personal reasons. On that very same day, Rufus Sebastian Scrimgeour and Amelia Susan Bones placed their names in the proverbial hat for the title of Minister of Magic. No other contenders for the title have come forward. Today, we, the Wizengamot, will name the new British Minister of Magic. Will the two contenders please rise and move to the podiums in front of them?"

Amelia rose and moved to the podium in front of them. Rufus stood at his own.

"Lord Scrimgeour," Albus said, "Madam Bones, we will begin this session with your opening statements. Please keep your ideas on how you will improve the wizarding world if you are given the title until the question and answer round and your final statements. Lord Scrimgeour, we will ignore the statement 'ladies first' and begin with you. Madam Bones, you may sit down for the moment."

Amelia bowed slightly and returned to her seat beside Sirius. She clasped his hand with hers and Sirius could feel Amelia's hand shivering nervously. He could also her her softly murmuring her speech under her breath.

Rufus cleared his throat and began.

"Chief Warlock Dumbledore, senior and junior members of the Wizengamot," he said, "when I was a young boy, eleven years old and nervous as I sat with my new friends on the Hogwarts Express, we introduced ourselves to each other and started asking each other questions. When it was my turn to ask a question, I asked 'what do you want to be when you grow up?' A young witch who is now a member of the Wizengamot stated she wanted to be a dragon tamer. A young man who became my best friend, later murdered in the Great War, said he wanted to be a Quidditch Player. Another young man said he wanted to be the Minister of Magic. I said I wanted to be an Auror."

Rufus smiled and paused for a moment.

"Eleven years later," he continued, "I walked out of Brighton Auror Academy the head of my class, boasting on about how I would become the Head of the Auror Office at one point or another in my career. Some of my fellow Aurors looked on disbelieving, others told me it was a foolish pipe-dream. Ten years to the day after I walked out of that academy, I sat down in my new leather chair in the Office reserved for the Head Auror, where I have been until I resigned from my post in hopes to become the Minister. I have never done anything in my life, never made a single choice in my life, never said a single statement, without knowing I could back it up and get the job done. A month ago, I put my name in for the title of Minister in hopes that it would be a repeat success. As a young boy, I dreamed of being an Auror. A month ago I gave up that dream to set my sights on a new career. In that long month, I have never regret my decision, because I know while others look at me disbelievingly or call me foolish, I know I can get the job done. Thank you."

Sirius raised his eyebrows, quite impressed at Scrimgeour's speech. It had a touch of arrogance, but it was also a speech full of hope. But did he have anything to back up his dreams? Sirius wasn't sure about that.

"Thank you Lord Scrimgeour," Albus said, as Rufus returned to his chair, "Madam Bones, if you will give your opening statement?"

"Good luck," Sirius whispered in Amelia's ear.

Amelia smiled and kissed Sirius' cheek, before she rose again and walked to the podium. Sirius expected her to take out the scroll of parchment, but she did not.

_Come on, Amy. You can do it, my love._

"Chief Warlock Dumbledore, senior and junior members of the Wizengamot," Amelia said, "Over the past year and a half, I have seen things happen in this world that seemed impossible to me. A man, thought by most of the wizarding world to be guilty and as dark as his surname, was found innocent after losing nine-and-a-half years of his life to Azkaban prison. Another man, that the former had been said to have murdered, had been revealed as alive and responsible for the crimes another man had been accused of. A wonderful couple of people who had lived more than three times that of a normal wizard or witch passed away, because of the Darkness that had invaded their lives. Dark truths came out about the true history of some of the most respected men in our society, showing exactly who they really were, after hiding for years, stating they were innocent, controlled by the darkest wizard in recent memory. Even more impossible, at least to me at one point in my life, I fell back in love with a man who I thought was out of my life forever. These are some of the many things that have happened in my life that – well – if you told me ten years ago these things would happen – I might have questioned your sanity."

Sirius smiled. Her speech was passionate and personal, but full of emotion to those around her. Exactly what she had wanted to do.

"I've witnessed many tragedies in my life," Amelia said, "I've lost family, as well as friends who I considered to be as close as family, to the terrible horrors of war. I yearned and worked hard to get my job as the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, because I wanted to change the world for the better. I didn't want others to go through the same horrors I had been through. I wanted to stop those allies of the Dark Arts and give the children of today a better life than I've ever had. Until recently, I considered myself married to my job, because I could not imagine raising a family if my future echoed the life I had lived in any way. And then my dreams changed and I saw a new world, a new hope for the world I lived in. I dreamed of a place where I could raise a family, where war did not exist, and the Dark Arts were a terrible memory, but a memory nonetheless. Today, I am standing in front of you in the hopes that I can make my dreams a reality. Thank you."

"Thank you Madam Bones," Albus said, "Please remain standing. Lord Scrimgeour, return to the podium."

While Rufus walked back to the podium, Amelia looked over her shoulder at Sirius and he smiled and gave her a thumbs-up motion.

"Good job," Sirius mouthed.

Amelia pressed a hand to her heart and pointed at him and Sirius smiled and echoed her – the motion was one of the many signs of the Marauder sign language, which he had taught to Amelia so many years ago when she became his girlfriend in Hogwarts. This was the sign for 'I love you'. For the Marauders, it was mostly a friendly gesture, but it meant more between him and Amelia, of course.

Amelia smiled and turned her attention back toward the Wizengamot.

"Now we will move onto the question and answer round," Albus said, "I have, in front of me, a list of questions that had been suggested by my fellow members of the Wizengamot. Each question is asked for the both of you. First question... of course, you are hoping that you become the Minister, but... if you were not a contender for the Minister of Magic seat, and you were up here in my position, and voted for your opponent, explain the qualities in your opponent that you believe they might show that favors them for the Minister seat. Madam Bones, you are first."

"Rufus Scrimgeour shows that he has the passion for the job," Amelia said. "His recent obsession he spoke of for the title of Minister is a healthy one, but it has not been something he has yearned for all his life. That tells me he wants the job at the point in his life where he feels he can make a change. I do not know what those changes could be, but he is willing to do what he must for the job."

"Lord Scrimgeour?" Albus asked.

"Madam Bones spoke with a tone," Scrimgeour said, "that says while she may have a personal motive for the seat of Minister, it is not for her own personal gain. She wants changes for her life and for the lives of not just everyone she loves, but for others she has never met. Her experience in office and up there on the Wizengamot seats, and her tone of passion, tells me she can achieve whatever she is going to promise today and in the future if she is named Minister."

"We'll now ask you the opposite," Albus said, "Why would you not vote for your opponent, other than the obvious that they are, in fact, your reason you would not get the position you desire. Lord Scrimgeour?"

"If I was in those chairs and deciding on whether or not to vote for Madam Bones," Scrimgeour said, "I might have feared that her experience in her office and on those Wizengamot seats may have inflated her ego, and that could be a danger if she was ever in office. It is no secret that, in the past, Ministers have become arrogant when they took such a high office. She may be dreaming of goals that are too high, and if she cannot achieve them, it wouldn't be good news for her, her career, or the wizarding world."

Sirius tried his best not to react to this. What he spoke of was exactly what Amelia was worried about when it came to her hopes to become Minister. It seemed Rufus was playing an offensive game with his statements against Amelia.

_He's afraid of her... he knows she was a good chance of becoming the Minister, and he is trying to take those chances down a notch or two._

"Madam Bones?" Albus asked.

"Rufus Scrimgeour seems a little too sure of himself," Amelia said. "His obsession, while healthy, may point to a desire that makes him a bit too sure that his goals will succeed. His years of success and getting what he has yearned for may have gone to his head. He said in his opening statement, he was called a fool and people didn't believe he could achieve his goals. I have to wonder if the first time he fails at something as the Minister, he would start believing those people knew what they were talking about, and it could mean bad things for himself, his career and the wizarding world."

"Next question," Albus said, "If you become Minister of Magic, what are your goals for the next five years? Madam Bones?"

Sirius smiled. This was the question he and Amelia had been waiting for. This was where Amelia would either gain or lose votes with the Wizengamot.

"The recent Kiss on one Edward Borgin," Amelia said, "tells me that the Dementors are becoming out of control. If we do not handle this quickly enough, more and more prisoners in Azkaban may become Kissed either too early in their sentencing, or the prisoners might not deserve that high of punishment. If I become Minister of Magic, it will become my main goal to remove the Dementors from Azkaban prison."

A few of the Wizengamot members began murmuring to each other. Sirius wasn't sure if this was good or not.

"The recent mistake reported by an Auror that led to the accidental Kiss," Amelia said, "tells me that we are not focusing our efforts on those Aurors we send to guard the prisoners. If the Dementors are removed, and I become Minister, I would help to hire or assign Aurors that are specially trained to survive the horrors of Azkaban prison. Azkaban is a cursed building, and it does not only just affect the prisoners, it affects the guards. The Aurors we have now are not trained to go through something like this. We risk more mistakes, riots from prisoners, and ultimately prisoner escapes if the guards are weakened. My other main goal is to make the Giant population either our allies or neutral when it comes to our fight against the allies of the Dark Arts. If the allies of the Dark Arts gain power, it is inevitable that they would see alliance with the giants, and that would mean horrors for the wizarding and Muggle world if they side with the Dark Arts. We cannot afford that."

Amelia inhaled and exhaled.

"My other main goal is to put a stop to the mistakes our Ministry has made over the the past decade and a half," she said, "An innocent man went to prison without given a trial. If he had been given a trial, or Veritaserum, he would have not gone to Azkaban. Also, the recent arrests have proven that there are Death Eaters still free and needing to be captured. I will, as Minister, pass a law to make sure that all criminals associated with the Dark Arts be given trials and Veritaserum to verify, without a doubt, that they were Death Eaters or allies of You-Know-Who. If we do not act upon this, those violent criminals that are free will be given free reign to attack, maim, rape or murder innocent citizens of the wizarding and Muggle community."

She motioned she was finished. Many members of the Wizengamot murmured to each other, and even Rufus looked quite impressed.

"Lord Scrimgeour?" Albus asked.

"I heartily agree with Madam Bones," Rufus said, "When it comes to the mistakes our Ministry has made. Our own Ministry has been ridiculed because of the fact we do not give criminals a trial before sending them to Azkaban. Not every person is guilty, and not every innocent citizen is actually innocent. I will also pass a law so that Veritaserum is a legal mode of offense in the Wizengamot trials against criminals believed to be associated with the Dark Arts. Other than that, I also believe our children need to be well-protected at Hogwarts."

Sirius noticed Dumbledore look at Rufus through his glasses. Sirius realized, too, what he was probably thinking about.

_The attacks at Hogwarts, having to do with the Comatose Curse is not public record. If he gives that up just so it can play a part of his run for the Minister, it would not be a good thing._

"Last year, one of the Professors," Rufus said, "was found to be an ally of the Dark Arts. Two students were nearly killed by him. If he was not on a personal quest of his own, other students could have been killed simply because he had free reign in the school as a Professor. As Minister, I would change a few laws at Hogwarts as well as the inner works of the School Governors. I would also ask that Aurors are assigned year-round at Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, and during the trips on the Hogwarts Express. The children are the future of the wizarding world. We need to think about them."

He motioned that he was finished.

Sirius tried his best not to scoff.

_No goal for the good of the wizarding world against the possibilities of a new war. He would be an oblivious Minister, just like Fudge when it came to the war if there was ever a new one. If Voldemort did come back to his full form and Harry would not succeed in his mission, Scrimgeour would never admit Voldemort had returned. Hopefully the Wizengamot recognizes that._

"Next question," Albus said, "A good Minister must know their own strengths, however they must also recognize their own weaknesses. Give us examples of both. Lord Scrimgeour?"

"As a former Auror and Head of the Aurors," Rufus said, "I know the strength and weakness when it comes to the Auror Department. I would be able to help strengthen the Aurors and make sure we have a strong group of law-men to protect us against Dark wizards. I also know what it is like to lead people, as a former boss of a full department of Aurors. I suppose my weaknesses are that I have never been on the Wizengamot before, so I would have to learn how to be a member. I also trust very few people, I have a close circle of those I trust, and my choices of my team to assist me with my job of Minister would be very narrow."

"Madam Bones?" Albus asked.

"My strengths," Amelia said, "Recently I've been a part of a group of law-bringers who have brought a few workers inside this Ministry to justice, and discovered they were allies of the Dark Arts. As the former Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and member of the Wizengamot, I know a lot of things about justice and wanting to bring Dark wizards to justice. My weaknesses... I suppose I may care too much about things. I focus on things until they are completed, and at some point I may become obsessed with my goals. Also, I am going to be a married woman soon, and the option of having a family is still very much a part of me personally. My personal life may be a weakness for me in the Ministerial office."

Sirius smiled at the mention of 'family'. They had yet to discuss family, but from what Amelia had just said, it sounded as if she was very open to it. Sirius was open to it very much as well. But his smile turned into a glare as he saw Scrimgeour smile at this. Apparently he did not care too much about a personal life and family, and obviously pregnancy and maternal leave would not be a problem for him.

"Because of your answers to these questions," Albus said, "We are going to take a ten minute break to put together more that have to do with each of the candidates personally. Most of these will not be targeted to both of you. You may take a breather for ten minutes."

Amelia turned toward Sirius and motioned to the doors. Sirius nodded and stood up. Kingsley and Tonks escorted them out into the corridor, and parted ways a few feet to give them their privacy.

"You notice the Wizengamot could not stop from giving their opinions to each other during my goals for Azkaban and the giants?" Amelia asked.

"Don't know if it was a good thing or not," Sirius said, "I can't believe Rufus didn't mention anything about it. He was more focused on Hogwarts."

"I thought he was going to give away the investigation of the Comatose Curse," Amelia said.

"Me too," Sirius said, "And so did Albus I believe. Amelia... the last thing you mentioned. About family?"

Amelia smiled as she looked at Sirius. "It was something I was thinking about. I am still young enough to bear children."

"If you become Minister," Sirius said, "Would you still –?"

"Still want children?" Amelia asked, "Sirius, family is far more important than some high and mighty title like this. I'd give up a few months of maternal leave for a couple years if it meant starting a family with you. You... do want kids right?"

"I missed watching my godson grow up," Sirius said, "That gutted me for many months after I saw Harry for the first time as a young boy. Yes, Amy, I do want to see little rug-rats running around the manor."

Amelia grinned and put her arms around Sirius' neck.

"Are you worried?" she asked, "that I am not going to become Minister?"

"I hated those murmurs when you mentioned your goals," Sirius said, "I hate not knowing if those were positive or negative."

"Me too," Amelia said, nodding.

"But I tell you this," Sirius said, "It got a reaction out of them. It made them think. I didn't see that out of most of the Wizengamot when it came to Scrimgeour. You have good goals when it comes to a possible war. If the Wizengamot has any brains in their heads, they will not want another war to happen. They'll agree with that much, I think."

"I'm actually relieved Rufus didn't agree with me on that," Amelia said, "When he said he agreed on one part... well... at least we know that your false imprisonment will never happen to another soul. That is one of my goals right off the bat. To make sure it never happens again. I know I left you when you tried to propose to me the first time, but I still wonder what would have happened to us if you never went to Azkaban. Your imprisonment ruined both of our lives really..."

"We're together now," Sirius said, "Getting married this summer, and talking about a family. That makes me happy."

Amelia smiled and pecked Sirius on the lips.

"Amelia?" Kingsley said, "They're ready for you again."

Amelia nodded and looked at Sirius.

"Round of quick questions, then your final statement," Sirius said, "Blow them away, Amy."

"I'll do my best," Amelia said.

She pecked him on the lips again. Sirius took her hand and led her back into the room. Sirius sat back down in his chair, while Amelia returned to the podium. The questions went on for another hour, as a number of Wizengamot asked their own questions.

Questions toward Amelia were geared on her desires about Azkaban and the giants. When asked if she believed there could be another war like the Great War, and she replied with a 'I would be dimwitted if I was not prepared for another war to come at any moment', this got some mixed reactions in the Wizengamot. When asked about her desires to start a family and how it would affect her job if she became Minister, she answered honestly and said she would sacrifice some time of maternal leave to raise a child, and give the job to someone who would deserve it as much as she did, but she would just be as dedicated to her job either way. This also had some mixed reactions.

Questions toward Scrimgeour had to do with the fact that his goals did not have anything to do with the possibilities of war. He answered this with 'if we are smart and make less mistakes than we have, the likeliness of the wizarding world getting mixed up in another war is slim to none. Slim to none is exactly what it will be if I become Minister.' This had some very mixed reactions and Sirius was happy to see quite a few were negative.

"And finally," Albus said, "It is time for your final statements. Madam Bones, will you please go first?"

"When I decided to run for the title and role of Minister of Magic," Amelia said, "I asked myself why I chose to do so. I thought I was going to have a difficult string of words for an answer, but it came down to one: change. There needs to be a change in this Ministry. There needs to be a change in the wizarding world. After the end of the Great War, we were trying to pick up the pieces that we were left with, and when we finally, did we had a few years of peace until just recently when we had pick up more pieces that we had left. I don't like leaving pieces. I don't like leaving questions unanswered or mysteries unsolved. Eleven years after the end of the Great War, we're picking up pieces still. I ask you how many wizards and witches in the British community believe the chances of another war coming very high? I think you would be surprised with that answer. These people remember the horrors of the Great War, and while they fear the possibility of the world going through it, they are not dimwitted. They are ready for it, prepared for it. And yet I believe that while the community is prepared for a war, the Ministry of Magic, the government of the people is not ready for another war. That is what needs to be changed in this Ministry, and with me as the leader of the Ministry, I will guarantee that if another war comes, we will be prepared for it."

"Lord Scrimgeour?" Albus asked.

"Madam Bones talks of the possibilities of a coming war," Scrimgeour said, "I, myself, find that if we continue on the path we are on already, apprehending criminals and stopping the allies of the Dark Arts, we might not have to worry about a fully-fledged war approaching. We are already preventing a war from coming. Now we need to plan for a future of peace. We need to plan a future where the wizarding world can move on and go on with their lives. As Minister of Magic, I will do everything I can to make sure the war the community fears will never come at all. I will prepare for a future where there will never be a war again. Stop it before it starts, that is my guarantee. Forget the past, learn from it and mourn those who we have lost, but think about the present and prepare for the future. A future where the Dark Arts are not a nuisance. That is what I will bring if I become Minister of Magic."

_I have to give it to Scrimgeour... he is trying to relieve the Wizengamot members of their fear of an incoming war. But if a war comes, he will be just as foolish as Fudge was. He is not preparing for a war, he is moving on and hoping the wizarding world does not get into another one._

"The Wizengamot requests a fifteen minute recess," Albus said, "In ten minutes, we will vote for who we believe deserves to become the next British Minister of Magic. The vote will be private to the Wizengamot only. I will then give the results afterward. We will retreat to a private room and return in a quarter of an hour. Media, please hold your questions until after the decision is made. You will have an hour afterward to speak to both candidates in a press conference."

Albus motioned for the Wizengamot to move, and they filed out of the courtroom into two doors behind the rows where they sat. Amelia sat back down beside Sirius and her hands were visibly shaking.

"Oh, I am all nerves," she said.

"Don't worry, Amy," Sirius said, "Whichever way this goes, I am very proud of you today. Either way, tonight after we escape the mad rush of the post-decision mess, you and I will retreat to the privacy of the Manor, and I will treat you to dinner and a romantic night... be it celebration or otherwise."

"You always knew how to pamper me," Amelia said, grinning.

"Those ruddy Dementors couldn't take that from me," Sirius said.

Amelia chuckled. Over the next ten minutes, Amelia spoke to each of the supporters near her who wished her luck and said they were proud of everything she had said. As Amelia returned to her seat, Sirius heard a familiar voice clear their throat, and he and Amelia looked up. Scrimgeour was standing there.

"Amelia," Scrimgeour said, "Whichever way this goes, I want you to know it was a well fought session. You brought up a lot of good points. If I become Minister, I want you to become my Senior Undersecretary, if you wish to accept it."

"Thank you," Amelia said, "I offer you the same position."

Rufus smiled. "If you become the Minister, I would gladly work beside you. Best of luck to you."

"And to you, Rufus," Amelia said.

The doors behind the seats opened, and Rufus returned to his seat as the Wizengamot filed back to their own seats. Albus was the last to enter, and he walked down to the main seat but remained standing.

"These fifteen minutes were well-spent," he said, "The results were extremely close. The new Minister was decided by exactly one count difference. Lord Scrimgeour, Madam Bones, please stand."

Amelia kept her hand clutched to Sirius' as she stood up near him.

"By a vote of 18 votes to 17 votes," Albus said, "I, Chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore and the British Wizengamot hereby name the new British Minister of Magic... Madam Amelia Bones."

The supporters around Sirius and Amelia stood and applauded and cheered. Sirius stood just as Amelia fell into his arms in a hug. Sirius grinned and wrapped his arms around her, as he heard Amelia cry softly against him.

"Congratulations, Amelia," Sirius whispered, "Or should I say... Minister Bones."

Amelia hiccuped and chuckled. Rufus clapped behind them and Sirius turned toward him.

"Congratulations Minister Bones," Scrimgeour said, "A well-fought debate."

"Thank you," Amelia said, as she dried her eyes with her hand, "I keep my promise, you will become my Senior Undersecretary. Perhaps we can both achieve our goals we've set."

"I'd like that," Rufus said, "Thank you."

The Wizengamot joined in the applause. After the room quieted down, Albus smiled at Amelia.

"Minister of Magic Bones," Albus said, "My congratulations. If you and Lord Scrimgeour will move out to the corridor outside, I am sure the media would like to hear from the both of you."

Amelia nodded and looked at Sirius.

"Coming with me?" she asked.

"Well," Sirius said, "I was thinking of planning your celebration party between us, but... I think I could take a few minutes of those media sharks."

"Work now, party later," Amelia said.

"Oh, Amelia," Sirius said, shaking his head as they walked toward the doors, "And here I thought you knew me."

Amelia laughed and Sirius joined in with her. Head of the Aurors and soon to be husband of the Minister of Magic.

_Life, _Sirius thought, _was very good._

He didn't want to think about when things would go downhill, because as high on life as he felt, things could only go downwards sooner or later.

* * *

**Well, I truly did debate about this decision for quite a while. The whole Deja Vu factor, and whole 'well, there is part of our plan scuppered' thoughts were going through my head, but I needed this moment. For my story to turn out the way it is going to, I needed Amelia to become the Minister. She and Sirius both have big parts to play in the sequel to this story. Their jobs pave the way for things to happen all the way up to the showdown in the graveyard. So this decision was out of necessity for the storyline.**

**Was it obvious? Anti-climactic? I'm sure a few of you will think so. Also... there were a few hints about upcoming things in the near future of my story in this chapter.**

**The start of this chapter was entirely different... I was going to have the chapter start with Muggle Prime Minister getting news of a new Minister of Magic, and asking the portrait in his office who it was, then it kind of did a flashback to ten hours before to what is now the start of this chapter, and then would end with Amelia meeting the Muggle Prime Minister... but I decided against it.**

**The next big event is the Polyjuice Potion scene and that might come next unless I have something else planned in between. But more than likely it will be the Polyjuice Potion scenes on Christmas Break, with a small time-skip before.**


	82. Dobby Drama and Twin Talking

**Chapter 82  
Dobby Drama, Christmas Cheer and Twin Talking**

**Author's Note: Decided to have one more chapter before the Polyjuice Potion one. This chapter starts one of the storylines that will have more emphasis in Bonds of Time II. It also has a bit of comedy in it, since there's been a bunch of serious – no pun intended – stuff lately. So... um... early warning, if laughter makes you wet yourself, use the loo!**

* * *

**(Harry)**

On the first day of December, the day after the election of the new British Minister of Magic, the entire British wizarding community, students and Professors at Hogwarts included, was abuzz with the news that Madam Amelia Bones was now the most powerful women in wizarding Great Britain. But not every opinion was entirely good or welcome.

The media had a field day with Amelia's speeches and answers to questions she gave to the Wizengamot. "New Minister of Magic Boasts About Probability Of Future Wizarding War!" and "Minister Bones Admits She Would Put 'Family First' Over Minister Seat" were the follow-up headlines to the announcement of Amelia becoming the Minister. These two articles sparked as many opinions from the wizarding population as the initial announcement had done.

Witches around Britain were especially happy about the family-first attitude of their new Minister, expressing that it showed the power of a woman in today's society. Many wizards, even family men, thought that they needed to be led by a serious Minister, and not a hopeful future mother. Harry and Ginny both thought that Amelia could pull off both being a mother and the Minister of Magic, and their friends, Ginny's family and Susan Bones shared that same opinion.

There was a mixed reaction among the wizarding world about Amelia targeting the possibility or probability of a future wizarding war.

The supporters all had the same opinion that it was better to be prepared and have a war never come, than to totally ignore any thoughts of another war, and get slammed when it does come. They also supported the Minister's goal about releasing the Dementors from Azkaban, and giving the jobs to properly-trained Aurors. However, they also thought it was better to convince the Giants to be neutral to the war instead of allies to the 'Light' or 'Dark' sides. It was generally thought it would be better if the Giants were of the same mind as the Centaurs – not caring about war between humans.

Those who opposed Amelia were, as Harry thought, just too oblivious and full of fear of a future wizarding war to even be able to start thinking that a war could come. Ginny also added that many of those who opposed Amelia were probably also supporters of the Dark Arts, who wanted a war, and only opposed Amelia because if she was in the Minister's chair, the future of the Dark Arts was grim.

Harry and Ginny both wrote individual letters of support, congratulations and good thoughts for Amelia as Minister and told her to ignore the opposition because she was doing exactly the right thing. Their supporting thoughts of Sirius and Amelia thinking about children in the future were very much welcomed. There was a memorable hushed conversation in the library between Susan, Harry and Ginny a few days after the initial announcement, and Susan was happy about the thought of having a new cousin in the next couple of years. However the conversation turned temporarily on a sad note when Susan said she had been wishing for more family because she had never gotten to know her other cousins who had been killed in the Great War with her Uncle Edgar.

The buzz, at least around Hogwarts, soon slowed to whispers and murmurs around the corridors, and was replaced with the nerves and chatter of classwork, homework and studying because of the upcoming end-of-term exams. In every class, Professors were giving piles of homework and essays in preparation for the exams. Because of the homework, Harry, Ginny and their friends were up past midnight every night, and for days on end, all thoughts of the Comatose Curse, culprit suspects and their upcoming task with the Polyjuice Potion were moved to the back of their minds.

* * *

_Friday,_ _December 18__th__, 1992  
_  
A snowstorm the night before the last day of end-of-term exams covered the Hogwarts grounds in nearly three-quarters of a foot of fluffy snow, and most of the students had taken advantage of their post-exam and end-of-term (most students would be leaving for Christmas Break the next day) celebrations by building snow wizards and witches, making snow angels and having snowball fights using their own strength or Levitating and Impact Charms – Fred and George Weasley, for a bit of a joke, mostly attacked their own allies and each other.

However, Harry and Ginny were in the cozy imitation of the Gryffindor Common Room that the Room of Requirement had made. They were curled up on the love-seat while they waited for their friends, talking about their exams and other random things. Soon, the door opened, and their four friends walked in.

"Hermione, enough is enough!" Ron exclaimed, as he, Hermione, Neville and Luna made their way over to the chairs and couch, "Our exams our done. I've been thinking of exams for two weeks straight now and they are over. Here's an idea... can we just... stop thinking about exams until – erm – May perhaps?"

"May?!" Hermione asked scandalously, "I will be worried about next term's exams by your birthday at the very latest!"

"You... remember my birthday?" Ron asked.

Harry and Ginny snickered when Hermione blushed pink.

Hermione cleared her throat and sat down in one of the massage chairs. "You're one of my best friends, of course I do. Okay, I promise. No more talk about exams until March."

"May!" Ron exclaimed, then looked at Harry, "Does she even listen to anything I say?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and looked at Harry and Ginny. "Finally got my letter from Mum and Dad. Last minute kind of thing. They understand I want to stay here at Hogwarts with my friends, but they really did wish I was going home. I don't know why... they do the same thing almost every year – except last year. Dentist and Doctor's party on Christmas Eve, Christmas at home, a stop at both my grandparents' houses for Christmas, and then they'll head for a ski resort in France. It is very predictable, seriously. So I made the excuse and said I wanted to spend Christmas with my friends. So I am here for our little task, whenever we plan it."

"Since Luna and I are going home," Neville said, "We were able to sneak a peek at the list who is going home and who is staying here for Christmas Break. Draco, Goyle and Millicent Bulstrode will all be here. Theodore Nott, if the rumors are correct, is going to Pansy's house for Christmas Break."

"We'll have to remember that," Ginny said, "If we do this next Saturday, we just have to convince Draco we, as Pansy and Nott, came back for the weekend for some random reason and then are going back home."

"We'll think of something," Harry said.

"Okay," Hermione said, "Now all we have to do is plan how to get the Slytherin robes."

Harry and Ginny only smiled. They had been discussing this in secret, mostly through telepathy, over the past couple of mornings in bed before Ginny had to get back to her dorm.

"What are you two hiding?" Ron asked.

"All we have to do is get the help of a certain house-elf who will do anything Harry wants him to do," Ginny said.

"Oh, Dobby!" Hermione said, grinning, "Because you're his Master, Harry! Good idea!"

"Mental idea," Ron said, "Mad, mental idea. He tried to kill you two this past summer, and we need the robes to interrogate his former Young Master!"

"Please," Ginny scoffed. "Dobby loves Harry. He'll do anything for him if it means Harry won't chuck him out or make him suffer Sirius' wrath."

Harry chuckled. "She's probably right."

"Um... are you surprised about that?" Ginny asked, raising her eyebrows questioningly.

"Nope, not at all, love," Harry said.

"I didn't think so," Ginny said, as their friends snickered.

"Let's see," Harry said, then cleared his throat, "Dobby?"

A moment and a loud crack later, Dobby appeared near the love-seat.

"Master Harry calls for Dobby at Hogwarts?" Dobby asked, "Oh no... did Master find out? I'm sorry, Master, I didn't mean to!"

"Dobby!" Harry exclaimed, and the elf went silent, "I have no idea what you are talking about. Can you explain please why you are apologizing?"

Dobby's ears drooped. "Dobby is most embarrassed to say, Master. It isn't right for a house-elf like Dobby Not proper, not proper for a house-elf at all."

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked.

"Dobby – erm – Dobby may have broken a House-Elf law," Dobby said.

"What law is that, Dobby?" Harry asked.

"Dobby has discovered deep feelings for a fellow house-elf," Dobby said, "before Dobby has asked the Master if it is all right for Dobby to do so."

"Deep... feelings?" Harry asked.

"Aw, Dobby!" Ginny gushed, "Do you fancy Melina?"

Dobby's face went red, and he abruptly smacked his head repeatedly on the arm of the love-seat.

"I'm sorry, Master!" Dobby said, "Dobby never meant – oomph - to express deep feelings for – oomph - Master's family house-elf!"

"Dobby, stop!" Harry said, sighing deeply, as his friends snickered and laughed.

Dobby shook his head as if he was trying to get water from his ears.

"Dobby, please do not punish yourself," Harry said. "Answer me this: does Melina know about these feelings of yours for her?"

"No, absolutely not," Dobby said, shaking his head, "Dobby would never, ever, ever tell Melina about Dobby's feelings for her. Dobby would iron his hands first... repeatedly."

"I'm confused," Harry said, "Would you not tell Melina because you think I would forbid it... or because you're afraid of what she might say?"

"Dobby is ashamed to admit both, Master," Dobby said, blushing.

"First off, I would not forbid it," Harry said.

"I'd be mad at him if he did," Ginny said, "I think it is adorable you like Melina that way."

Dobby gave a nervous giggle as his ears rose up. Then they abruptly fell.

"Melina hates Dobby," he said, "Because Melina thinks Dobby tried to harm her Master Harry. Dobby has only gotten to the point of having civilized conversation with Melina. Dobby would never tell her because it might mean Dobby would not be able to talk to Melina anymore."

"Dobby," Ginny said, "I think you should just continue to talk to her normally. If you ever get the feeling that she might return these feelings, you should tell her."

"That is not an order," Harry said, "It is a suggestion."

"Dobby will most certainly try, Master," Dobby said, "Can Dobby ask why Dobby is being summoned?"

"I was wondering if you could get us something," Harry said, "It would break some rules, but we need it to get some information pertaining to a new mystery in this school." Noticing Dobby's frightened look, Harry quickly said, "- that has nothing to do with the Chamber of Secrets, Dobby."

Dobby's expression changed to one full of relief. "Ask and Dobby will do, Master. Dobby does not want Master Harry, Lady Ginny or Master Harry's friends to get hurt. Dobby will help in any way Dobby can help."

"We need you to get four sets of Slytherin robes from the laundry," Harry said, "Second year – two boys and two girls."

"Dobby will do so right away, Master," Dobby said.

He snapped his fingers and disappeared. Ron, looking as if he was going to burst, laughed out loud.

"What?" Harry and Ginny asked in unison.

"That is the maddest house-elf I've ever laid my eyes on," Ron said.

"How many house-elves have you laid your eyes on?" Hermione asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Two," Ron admitted. "Melina's very nice."

"So between Dobby and Melina, Dobby is the more mental of the two, according to you?" Ginny asked. "Captain Obvious strikes again!""

Ron scowled, as the others laughed.

"Why was Dobby afraid of falling in love with Melina?" Hermione asked.

"House-elf law," Neville said, "Gran explained this to me a few years ago when I saw my first house-elf at a social party. House-elves are only allowed to mate for the profit of their Masters. Families adopt the House-elf offspring to work for them after their parent dies. My Gran had a house-elf when she was my age. A female house-elf. Another family and my great grandfather agreed to have their house-elves meet and mate. Unfortunately the house-elf only had one offspring, so the other family got it. After Gran's house-elf died, the family never got another one. It is more common for house-elves than humans to have twins or triplets, so that each family can have at least one."

"Explains Millie and Melina," Ginny said. "I bet Millie had at least two babies, and Melina has a sister or brother somewhere."

"Probably," Neville said, "If Melina was an only child, the male house-elf's family would have gotten her. House-elf and wizarding law."

"So... Dobby falling in love with Melina?" Hermione asked.

"Dobby was probably raised to believe that, as a male," Neville said, "he is supposed to mate with another family's house-elf. Dobby and Melina are both Harry's elves now. If he was still with – say – Draco's Mum, or Sirius was his true Master, he probably wouldn't have been so worried about your reaction, Harry."

"Baby house-elves," Ginny gushed, "That would be adorable to see."

"They aren't babies for long," Neville said, "Two years from birth to maturity. They grow and learn very fast."

"Explains how they use the English language," Hermione said, "They almost never refer to themselves other than their own names."

"Daddy can speak the House-elves native language," Luna said, "One of his dreams for the Quibbler is to have an interview completely in Elvish language."

"Would it be published in English or Elvish?" Hermione asked.

"Elvish, of course," Luna said.

"Er... no one would be able to read it," Ron said.

"House-Elves would read it of course, Ronald!" Luna said.

"Point," Ron muttered, shrugging.

Dobby returned at that moment with a crack with four sets of Slytherin robes.

"Dobby apologizes for taking so long," he said, "Dobby almost ran into Dobby's old Young Master, Patroclus' Nott's boy, and Percival Parkinson's little girl."

"Draco, Theo and Pansy?" Harry asked, "What were they doing?"

"Dobby is not sure, Master," Dobby said, shrugging, "Dobby thought he heard them fighting."

"Fighting?" Harry asked. "As in... arguing?"

"Fighting as in using Wizarding Magic, Master," Dobby said.

"Dueling?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, Lady," Dobby said, nodding, "Dobby cannot be sure, because they were in a different room than the laundry room."

"Thank you, Dobby," Harry said, taking the robes, "You did very well."

"Dobby," Ginny said, "Promise me this. If there ever comes a chance, do not be afraid to tell Melina how you feel. Harry and I are both very supportive of the two of you. You can tell her that if she does have these feelings. Maybe she is afraid to feel them because she believes it is against your law."

"Thank you, Lady," Dobby said, "Dobby promises."

Dobby smiled, bowed to Harry, Ginny and their friends, then disappeared with another crack.

"Draco, Nott and Pansy are dueling?" Ron asked.

"Dueling practice, you reckon?" Neville asked, "Like we do?"

"We'll find that out next weekend," Harry said.

* * *

_Friday,_ _December 25__th__, 1992 _

On Christmas morning, Harry woke up and looked over at Ginny who was curled against him. He almost snickered when he noticed Ginny's closed eyes fluttering. He knew she was already awake... she had done this on their first Christmas Morning as a married couple at Potter Manor. Harry leaned toward her and kissed her very softly. Ginny giggled as she brushed her lips against his.

_Mmm, _Ginny said, telepathically, as she deepened the kiss,_ I was hoping you might have remembered our first official Christmas morning together._

_Are you kidding me? I'll never forget it. It was a good thing we weren't expected at your parents' house until later that afternoon, because I didn't want to get out of bed after that kiss._

_Mmm, I'm not sure I want to get out of bed today._

_That's a good idea. How about we just stay here and keep –?_

"Harry!" Ron exclaimed, "Wake up! It is Christmas! Our presents are downstairs!"

Ginny's muffled groans echoed against Harry's lips.

_I guess I'll distract him, _Harry said.

_No... he needs to know._

_What?_

_We'll just tell him I slept here for Christmas eve and Christmas morning. Just to see how he reacts. We don't have to tell him the whole thing._

_As you wish..._

Ginny smiled and backed out of Harry's arms and sat up.

"We'll be downstairs soon, Ron," she said.

"Ginny?!" Ron asked, "What the... what are you doing up here?"

Harry sighed, closed his eyes and opened the curtains. Ron spluttered as he noticed that Ginny was in her sleeping gown."

"Did you... sleep up here... in Harry's bed?" Ron asked.

"I did," Ginny said, "It was something Harry and I needed."

"For your Bond?" Ron asked.

"That is one of the reasons," Ginny said, nodding, "But... one of our most memorable moments as a couple was our first Christmas morning, almost two months into our marriage. We wanted to feel that again... well... in a way."

"She teleported here," Harry said, "And since you and I are the only ones in here right now, we'd figure there was really no danger."

"So... Hermione knows?" Ron asked.

"I told her, yes," Ginny said.

"Well, you better go before Fred, George or Percy shows up," Ron said, "I'm going to wake them up, but they might already be awake. If they come in here... especially Percy..."

Ginny took Harry's Invisibility Cloak from under the pillow.

"We were ready for that," Ginny said. "Nobody will see me,"

She turned to Harry.

"I'll see you downstairs in a bit," she said, "Don't get dressed. Christmas morning in pyjamas is a tradition. Remember?"

"Make sure Hermione knows that," Harry said.

Ginny nodded and pecked him on the lips. He kissed her briefly so Ron wouldn't complain if he lengthened it, and backed away.

_Love you, sweetheart, _Harry said.

_I love you too._

She stuck her tongue out at Ron and disappeared underneath the Cloak. Ron raised his eyebrows and looked from where she had disappeared, to Harry.

"You'd tell me if she slept in here again, right?" he asked.

"Depends on how you feel about it now," Harry said, "Our Bond might be a bit more supportive if sleeps in my bed. Really... would you have known she was here if she didn't tell you?"

"Not if she used that cloak," Ron said, shrugging. "It is just dangerous... I mean, if Seamus or Dean found out, or if Lavender or Parvati caught her going back to her dorm, even with the cloak. If a Professor found out..."

"We'd be very careful, Ron," Harry said, "Really, she was more worried about you finding out then getting in trouble for it."

"Oh... yeah, I guess I can see that," Ron said.

"Come on," Harry said, getting out of bed, "Let's go downstairs and wait for everyone."

"There is a large box down there," Ron said, as they made their way down the stairs, "Much too big for one present."

"Mine and Ginny's presents to everyone, and Sirius and Amelia's presents to us," Harry said, "Probably along with a couple others to us too. Never understood how the presents get brought here. Never see owls bringing them in. Maybe house-elves..."

"Oh, that's easy," Ron said, "Bill spent Christmas here for a couple years at one point while he was in school. He says that Hogwarts has a special charm for gifts from families that allows them to transport from our homes to here, if they have the correct address on them."

Ginny and Hermione were the next to arrive. Hermione seemed a bit embarrased at first, to be in her pyjamas around Ron and Harry, but she seemed to quickly get over it. Harry and Ginny opened the large box from Sirius and Amelia and, indeed, found a number of smaller boxes inside. Attached to the box was a letter from them to Harry and Ginny. Over the past couple of weeks, after they received a letter from Sirius that had come with an Owl-Order magazine, they ordered presents for Sirius, Remus, Amelia and Tonks, and other presents they couldn't find in the owl-order magazine, for Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna, they requested things via letter to Sirius. They requested that Neville and Luna's be sent to their houses.

As Harry sat down with Ginny, ready to read the letter, they heard a commotion on the stairwell and saw Fred, George and Percy coming down the stairs. Fred and George each had an arm under Percy's and were dragging him toward the others. Harry noticed Percy was not wearing his pyjamas.

"I told you!" Percy said, "I am heading to the Great Hall for breakfast."

"Percy, we already know about Penelope Clearwater," Fred said.

"You can see her after family time," George said, "This is Christmas after all."

"You... know about Penelope?" Percy asked.

"I told them," Ginny said, "I saw you kissing her before one of the Quidditch matches last term. The same day you yelled at me for kissing Harry before the match. Hypocrite."

"I happened to be fifteen last year, Ginevra," Percy said, "You two were ten and eleven."

"We're also married," Ginny said.

"Okay, guys," Harry said, "We're lucky we're the only Gryffindors in this tower right now, or this secret would be wide open."

Percy frowned and blushed, as if he had only just realized that Ginny also looked embarrased.

"Also, it is Christmas," Harry said, "family time. Sit Percy."

"Look, Percy," Ron said, as he juggled a package in his hands, then threw the package at Percy – it hit him in the glasses, "Probably your sweater. Get out of those school robes and put on your Christmas sweater."

Percy scowled and adjusted his glasses.

Ron played "Father Christmas" and gave out the presents that weren't from Harry or Ginny. Harry went through the large box and passed the gifts in there to Ginny, Ron and Hermione, and a few to himself.

"Ooh, look Harry," Ginny said, as Ron handed Harry a package, "Mum actually gave you a sweater that had her name on the package this year!"

Harry began opening the package that had the sweater in it, to hide that he wanted to talk to Ginny. _We still haven't told your parents you're planning on moving into my house permanently, you know._

_Ginny opened her own present. We haven't told anyone besides Sirius, Harry._

_Are you... still moving there permanently?_

_Well... if I am going to be at our summer-home this summer, so it isn't like I'll be at the Burrow, and once you agree with me that we should get married again on or near my fourteenth birthday, it will be permanent then, so... there's no reason I wouldn't want to move in permanently now._

_That is something else we need to talk to your parents about, too. Early wedding. I mean... there is less than three years still..._

_So you agree with me?_

_Maybe... I'm seeing more pros than cons. It just feels weird. I feel like Ron sometimes. I look at your eleven year old self and forget there is a much older, young woman in there too._

_I thought you outgrew those nerves. You have no problem kissing my eleven year old self._

_I don't..._

_Which is worse, Harry? Getting married to, or having to make love to, what appears to be my fourteen year old self?_

_That isn't fair... the latter is a bit creepy but something that – well – after three more years of sticking to kisses and watching you shower naked, I'll be yearning for more... those urges we can't feel right now will come back with a bang._

_Literaly, _Ginny said, as a mental snort rang through Harry's mind.

_Pervert._

Ginny snickered loudly, causing Percy and the twins to look at them.

"Ah, telepathic conversation," Fred said, "Stop that or you'll make us jealous."

"We don't have the ability of twin talk," Ginny said, sticking our her tongue.

"What?" George asked.

"You mean," Fred said.

"This?" Fred and George said.

"Exactly," Harry and Ginny said in unison.

Ron and Hermione laughed.

"Well-played," Fred said.

"You catch on quickly," George said.

"Brilliant," Percy said, "I've had to deal with this with the twins, and now my sister and her... whatever you are... are doing it!"

"Shut up, Percy," Harry, Ginny, Fred and George said.

Percy glared but went silent.

"It is a bit creepy though," Ron said, "Harry and Ginny aren't twins, their – er – well -"

"To put it," George said.

"In Prefect Percy's perspective," Fred said.

"Whatever you are," Fred and George said, grinning.

Harry and Ginny laughed.

"Oh, look, Fred," George said, "Speaking of twin talk..."

They were looking at Ron and Hermione, who were opening identical presents. Each had a tin of what appeared to be treacle tart.

"These are from you?" Hermione asked, looking at Fred and George.

"Treacle Tart?" Ron said, "Okay, give it up, what do they do?"

"He caught us, Fred," George said.

"Indeed. Ladies and gentle-wizards," Fred said, "We introduce to you... Twin-talk Treacle Tart."

"Our very first joke product," George said. "Go on, you two... try it. It is perfectly safe."

Hermione sighed and took a piece then bit into it. Ron bit into his own and raised an eyebrow. He shrugged and looked at Hermione, who shook her head.

"Doesn't do anything," Hermione and Ron said.

Harry and Ginny snickered. Ron covered his mouth.

"I didn't mean to say that!" Ron and Hermione said; Ron pointed to Hermione, "She did!"

Harry and Ginny laughed out loud.

"Ta-da!" Fred said, "If two people eat the treacle tart at the exact same time, and one says something, the other will say it too."

"This is genius, how did you make it?" Hermione and Ron asked.

Ron glared at Hermione and covered his mouth. Both laughed as well, and it seemed as if Hermione had initiated that laugh.

"Damn it, Hermione," Ron and Hermione said.

"Ron, don't make me swear!" Hermione and Ron said, "So improper... and vile!"

Harry and Ginny laughed harder. Even Percy looked a bit amused. Ron and Hermione then refused to say anything, and resorted to opening presents, as did everyone else. Harry and Ginny also received the twin-talk treacle tart from Fred and George.

Harry received a box of Chocolate Frogs from Ron, and a copy of _Hogwarts, a History_from Hermione. Amelia gave Harry and Ginny matching gold pocket-watches. On the inner wall of the watch's door had a small picture of Sirius and Amelia, posing on one of the couches at Potter Manor, and showing off their engagement rings. Sirius and Remus gave Harry stuffed animal forms of a wolf, dog and a stag.

"Matching plushies from when I was a baby, I think," Harry said, when the others looked at stuffed animals.

"That's sweet of Sirius and Remus to do that," Hermione said.

"Oh, thank goodness, the twin-talk is gone!" Ron said.

"Look, there's another present from them, Harry," Ginny said, "To both of us."

"We have one too!" Ron said to Hermione, pointing to a package.

"For both of us?" Hermione asked, "Why –?"

"I think I know," Harry said, as Ginny opened the package.

The gift was a book on deer, full of information on stags and doe. Ron and Hermione's gift was a book on lions and lionesses.

"Books on our Animagi forms," Harry said.

"Animagi?" Percy asked, "Wait..."

"Remus and Sirius are going to teach us how to become Animagi in a few years," Ginny said, "On Harry's birthday, us four and Neville took Animagi Revealing Potions. Harry's a stag, like his father, I'm a doe, Ron's a male lion, and Hermione's a female lion."

Fred and George snickered.

"What?" Ron demanded.

"Nothing," Fred and George said, "Nothing at all."

Harry and Ginny gave Hermione books on Arithmancy and Ancient Runes.

"Wicked!" Hermione said, as she ran her fingers down the cover of one of the books.

"Near the end of next term, we have to choose our new classes for third through fifth year," Harry said, "Those are two of the courses."

"Good foresight to give her those books, Harry," Percy said.

Harry smiled.

"Er..." Ron said, as he opened an envelope from Harry and Ginny, "This is a picture of a broom."

Harry grinned at Ginny and she reached over the couch and held up a long package, then handed it to Ron, who was wide-eyed. He tore through the package and pulled out a Cleansweep V.

"Thanks you two!" Ron said, as he admired the broom.

"The school brooms are so slow," Harry said, "Maybe you'll be able to catch more Quaffles this way."

"Not from me!" Ginny said.

"Maybe Oliver will let you play a game now," George said.

"Yeah, with a broom like that, he might," Fred said.

Ron grinned. Percy then got up and retreated from the room to go find Penelope, and Fred and George went back upstairs to change outfits. While Ron looked at his broom, and Hermione read through the lion and lioness book, Harry unrolled the letter from Sirius, and set it on lap, so he and Ginny could read it together.

_Harry and Ginny,_

_Merry Christmas!_

_Hope you two have a wonderful Christmas at Hogwarts with your friends. Amelia and I will be quite busy today. We were busy last night. Yesterday, Amelia held a Christmas Eve luncheon and dance for her first big event as Minister, and of course her and I were the media targets when we danced. Last night I took her out on the town and we had that romantic dinner date at a restaurant we've wanted since September._

_We're going over to Amelia's brother's house for Christmas dinner this evening, and this afternoon, we're going over to Remus' house, after Remus, Amy and I go see your parents' graves. You didn't hear this from me, but apparently Remus invited Andie, Ted and Nymphadora over to his house as well. I don't know if anything will happen, or has happened between Remus and Dora, but we'll see._

_Speaking of possible romance in the air, I need you to clarify something for me. Dobby's been acting really weird around Melina. When I asked him about it, he said he wouldn't tell me, but he has told his Master and Lady... so I assume he talked to you two sometime recently? Anyway... I have this funny feeling he fancies Melina. Amelia thinks it is cute... I guess it is, but if anything happens between those two, it could cause problems in the house-elf community, since they are both your house-elves. I'm certainly not going to disapprove, and I don't think you would. I don't know if Melina fancies Dobby, or will ever fancy Dobby, but she might. He just annoys her right now... so, we'll see where that goes._

_Hope you liked the presents from me and Remus. Those stuffed animals are indeed copies of the three stuffed animals we gave to you when you were a baby. And Remus thought you two, Ron and Hermione would want to become more acquainted with your Animagi animals, so those books were his idea. Please... do tell me if Ron acts funny when he sees the book. I'm still rooting for those 'crazy cats' – if you know what I mean._

_Amelia, Melina, Dobby and I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, and I am sure we'll love your_

_presents._

_Once again, Merry Christmas._

_Sirius_

Ginny grinned as she finished the letter and looked at Harry, then Ron and Hermione.

"Sirius and Amelia apparently caught onto Dobby's fancy for Melina," she said. "Sirius thinks there might be a problem with the house-elf community if those two become mates, but Sirius and Amelia both support it."

"Maybe Melina will catch on before too long as well," Hermione said, "If Dobby is being that obvious, I mean."

"Could have two weddings this summer," Ginny said, grinning. "I don't imagine house-elves have a long courtship before they become mates."

"Guess we'll find out," Harry said.

After that, the four friends retreated to their dorms to get dressed for the rest of the day.

* * *

**As for that... just a normal Christmas at Hogwarts... festive dinner with Professors and magical Christmas poppers, snowball fights, the works.**

**This chapter was just a fun – and funny – intermission between the naming of the Minister, and the next chapter's events. It also hinted at Dobby/Melina, which will grow out into a nice little side-story in Book 2, I have nice plans for those two.**

**To my readers who are Ron/Hermione shippers, I hope you liked that Treacle tart twin-talk scene... it came to me as I wrote it, and I needed a nice little scene between those two. I have another planned Ron/Hermione scene coming, but as for the two of them, nothing much "romantic" happens until Book 2, and even then you have to wait a while for that.**

**The Christmas scene also came to me as I wrote it. It started as a scene to echo Percy, Fred and George's Christmas scene from the Philosopher's Stone/Sorcerer's Stone book, and then grew into much more.**

**Next chapter... Polyjuice Potion and the Slytherin Common Room!**


	83. Polyjuice Potion

**Chapter 83  
Polyjuice Potion**

**Author's Note: This chapter will go back and forth between PoVs quite a bit. Q&A Time (Sorta)!**

**Q:**** I wonder if the books mention about Lions having sex 50 times a day, that would be embarrassing.**

**A: Keep this in mind when you're reading a part of this chapter. Your review inspired me!**

* * *

**(Harry)**

"And... voila!" Ginny said, "Sleeping Draught is done."

The day after Christmas, half-an-hour before lunch would begin, Harry and Ginny were currently in the Room of Requirement. Ron and Hermione were currently on their first task of the day – retrieving a platter of pasties from the kitchen. They would be using the exact plan Harry had used last time, only this time they would be knocking out Gregory Goyle and Millicent Bulstrode.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked, "We really don't need Goyle and Millicent waking up while Ron and Hermione are in their forms."

"Oh, you're right," Ginny said, grinning, "Do you want to test it out?"

"Fine, I trust you," Harry said.

"Don't worry," Ginny said, "I've used this exact same recipe before in the old timeline."

"For what?" Harry asked.

"Ever wonder how you slept for so long during some nights after your Auror training?" Ginny said, grinning.

"Ginny!" Harry scolded.

"You were very well-rested each morning and you had a nice day afterwards," Ginny said, "So I don't want to hear it."

"I don't like you sometimes, you know," Harry said.

"Aww, I love you too, prat," Ginny said, grinning.

The door of the Room opened and Hermione and Ron walked in. Hermione was carrying a plate of holiday pasties.

"We're back," Hermione said, as she and Ron walked over to Harry and Ginny, "You know, I never really realized how many house-elves work in this school."

_Oh no, _Harry said, _please, Hermione, do not mention S.P.E.W._

Ginny snickered.

"They love working here, Hermione," Ginny said, "Really."

"I wasn't going to say anything about that!" Hermione said, then looked at Harry, "Why? Did my other self react differently towards them?"

"Her first reaction to the house-elves," Harry said, "was that she called it 'slave labor' and she went on a hunger strike for exactly ten hours."

"Before she became hungry again, right?" Ron asked, snickering.

"Basically," Harry said, shrugging.

"Melina and Dobby seem very happy," Hermione said, "I guess it depends on who they work for, really. I bet they love Professor Dumbledore."

"I believe Dobby once said, in the past timeline, when he worked here," Harry said, "That Dumbledore gladly let the house-elves call him funny names if they wanted to."

Ron snickered. "See... they must love it here then. Now, remind me why Hermione and I have to be the ones to lure Goyle and Bulstrode into eating these things? I mean, you've done this before, right, Harry? And then there is the part where Hermione and I have to search for whatever this book is we're looking for in the dorm rooms. I don't even know what it looks like."

"None of us do, Ron," Hermione said.

"She's right," Ginny said.

"So tell me... why then?" Ron asked.

"You need the life experience," Harry said, grinning.

"Well, it is either that," Ginny said, grinning, "or you two could be Pansy and Nott and talk to Draco. Harry and I've been thinking of acting all couple-like in front of Draco, just to have a bit of fun with it. Maybe a kiss or two."

Hermione blushed and Ron raised his eyebrows, and looked slightly disgusted. Harry wasn't sure if Ron was reacting at the thought of kissing Hermione or the thought of Pansy and Nott kissing.

_You know perfectly well I haven't exactly agreed to kissing you when you're Pansy._

I do... they don't. And I have no objection to you being Pansy and me being Nott if you want.

No thanks.

"No... you can do that," Ron said.

"I thought so," Ginny said, "Believe me, you'll have the more simple job. We have to get answers out of Draco Malfoy... we're not even sure if he'll know the answers! We also have a little story we have to stick to. It has taken all Christmas break to come up with this. So believe me... baiting Goyle and Bulstrode and searching the dorm-rooms is far easier."

"Who made this Sleeping Draught last time?" Hermione asked.

"You did," Harry said, "and came up with the idea."

"It is a very good idea," Hermione said.

"Sorry we stole it from you," Ginny said.

"Quite all right," Hermione said, shrugging.

Harry and Ginny proceeded to fill a few pasties with the Sleeping Draught.

"Come on," Harry said, after they were finished, "Let's get to lunch and keep an eye on our targets."

* * *

**(Hermione)**

At lunch, Hermione and Ron stayed behind when Harry and Ginny headed back to the Room of Requirement to get the retrieve the Polyjuice Potion, glasses and Slytherin robes. They had decided it would be far better to use Myrtle's bathroom since it was a lot closer to the Slytherin Common Room, and time was of the essence once they used the Potion.

Hermione raised her eyebrows when she saw Ron looking at the lion book propped up on the table.

"What are you doing?" Hermione whispered.

"Keeping an eye on Goyle and Bulstrode while acting like I am reading this book," Ron said, "Er... Hermione, did you read this book yet?"

"Parts of it," Hermione said, "I'll read more of it later."

"Including the part where it says lions and lionesses – err – do that, that many times a day?" Ron exclaimed.

Hermione blushed. She knew exactly what Ron was talking about. She had rather hoped he hadn't seen that part.

"It is probably perfectly natural for lions and lionesses to – erm – behave that way," Hermione said.

"Are you _sure _you didn't see a chimpanzee as your Animagi, Hermione?" Ron asked.

"I saw a lioness," Hermione said, "I was sure of it. Why?"

"Mine is a lion, and yours is a lioness," Ron said, "It's just... I don't know."

_You do know, don't you? You just can't say it or even think about right now, huh?I wish I could tell you it is all right to feel that way, but... I can't... not until you say... something._

"Do Animagi change over the years?" Ron asked.

"I doubt it," Hermione said, shrugging, "Why? Do you not want to be a lion?"

"I do! Lions are really cool," Ron said, "I'm just... wondering why ours match. Harry's and Ginny's match for a reason... they're Bonded, right? I certainly can't talk to you telepathically or teleport where you are."

_Oh I wish! Wait... no, then he would hear me saying this._

"I don't know why either, Ron," Hermione lied, trying to hold the resignation from her voice, "Maybe we'll find out sometime. Maybe we just don't know the exact answer yet."

"You don't know the answer?" Ron asked, raising his eyebrows.

"No," Hermione lied, "I don't know everything, you know. I'm sure it will come to us sometime soon."

_I hope. I hope. I hope!_

"Yeah," Ron said, as he shut the lion book, "I'm sure it will too."

Hermione tried to hide the blush in her cheeks.

_It is in there somewhere, isn't it? You're just... not ready to say it. That's okay for now. At least we're getting somewhere with this..._

"Look!" Ron hissed, "They're getting ready to leave... together. Yuck!"

Hermione blinked out of her thoughts and looked toward Goyle and Millicent. They indeed looked ready to leave.

"Perfect!" Hermione said, as she grabbed her knapsack that had the Sleeping Draught-filled pasties, "Do you have Harry's cloak? We need to get to the dungeons before they do."

"Yes, I have it," Ron said, as he stuffed the book in his knapsack and picked up his bag.

"Come on!" Hermione said.

Hermione and Ron hurried out into the Entrance Hall, then toward the dungeons. When they reached the dungeons, Hermione took out the plate and pasties, and placed them on the dungeon floor, while Ron took the Invisibility Cloak from his pocket and put it over the both of them. Hermione twisted her wrist, and felt her wand come to her hand from her holster.

"Do we really have to get that Potions between-term homework done today?" Goyle asked, "We have over a week until next term ends."

"Better to get it done now then later," Millicent said, "Snape might appreciate that."

"I guess so," Goyle said, "I never really noticed... but you are smart. I guess we were never friends before... you know... that happened to Vincent."

"He's your best friend, Greg," Millicent said, "You needed another friend."

"Thanks, Millie," Goyle said.

"Millie?" Ron mouthed and Hermione shrugged.

"Hey, look!" Goyle said, "Who left these pasties out here?"

"I dunno," Millie said, "Should we take them back to the Hall?"

"Finder's Keepers," Goyle said, as he picked up the plate. "Ours now... want one?"

Millicent sighed. "Well, I guess a bit more food would help quicken our potions homework."

Goyle picked up a Pastie and offered it to Millicent. She blushed pink, and bit into part of it as Goyle still held it. She took the rest, and Goyle took one and put the full thing in his mouth.

"Ugh," Millicent said, "That is gross!"

"They're good,"Goyle said.

"I meant your manners," Millicent said, "Not the – the -"

Millicent groaned and fell over onto the dungeon floor. Before Goyle could react to his friend falling over, he too slumped to the ground.

"How thick can you get?" Ron asked, as he pulled off the cloak from around him and Hermione.

"Millie?" Hermione snickered, as they walked over to the sleeping pair, "Do you think Goyle likes her or something?"

"They seem to be friends," Ron said.

"I meant do you think he fancies her?" Hermione asked.

"He's twelve," Ron said.

"So?" Hermione asked, "Twelve year olds can have a fancy on someone."

"Just because you fancied Lockhart," Ron said, rolling his eyes.

"I wasn't talking about me!" Hermione lied.

"Oh," Ron said, "Well, come on, let's get these two hidden. Millie... I'll have to remember that one for when we become these two."

"Millie and Greg," Hermione said, as she grinned.

Hermione pulled Millicent into a closet nearby, while Ron did the same with Goyle, and shut the door. They ran down the corridor and hurried on their way toward the second floor girl's bathroom.

* * *

**(Harry)**

The first thing Harry and Ginny did when they arrived at the bathroom was change into two of the Slytherin outfits. They were a pretty good fit, and Harry knew Nott was a bit thinner than he was, so hopefully the outfits would fit well even then.

As he and Ginny were filling the four small glasses with Polyjuice Potion, Harry looked in the reflection the mirror in front of him and saw Moaning Myrtle's reflection, as she hovered nearby.

"Hello, Myrtle," Harry said, dully.

"What are you doing back in my bathroom?" Myrtle asked, "A girl's bathroom?"

"Snogging," Ginny said, grinning, "These potions are just to enhance those – you know – romantic feelings."

"Why would you want someone like her," Myrtle asked Harry, "when you could have me?"

"Warm lips, beating heart, you know... what most people like," Harry said, shrugging.

"Nobody likes Myrtle!" Myrtle sobbed, and flew through one of the nearest cubicle doors.

_That was not nice, Harry.  
__  
Should I not like your warm lips?_

Ginny smiled and Harry leaned toward her and kissed her. Before Ginny could do more than briefly kiss him, they heard the sound of coughing behind them. They broke away and saw Ron and Hermione standing there.

"Can't you wait until after we're done to do that?" Ron asked.

"If I have to snog Ginny when she's Pansy," Harry said, "I wanted to remember her lips instead."

Ron raised his eyebrows. "You two are so weird sometimes, you know?"

"We know," Ginny said, "Goyle and Millicent?"

"Sleeping in a closet in the dungeons," Hermione said.

"Good," Harry said.

He took his knapsack and pulled out the two sets of Slytherin robes.

"You'll want to put these on before you turn into Goyle and Millicent," he said, handing the outfits to Ron and Hermione, "Goyle won't fit in your robes, Ron, and it allows us to have more time with the Potion."

"How long does the potion last?" Hermione asked.

"An hour at the most," Harry said, "We'll probably have about thirty minutes in the Common Room, if we hurry to the Common Room. Fortunately I know where it is, so we can get there quickly."

Ron and Hermione retreated into two different cubicles, and returned less than five minutes later in Slytherin robes that looked much too large for them. Harry had labeled the four vials so they knew whose hair was whose. He gave Pansy's to Ginny, Millicent's to Hermione, Goyle's to Ron, and kept Nott's then passed out the cups of Potion. The four put the hairs into their own cup.

"Three of us need to do this in the stalls," Ginny said.

"I'll stay out here," Harry said.

Ginny, Ron and Hermione retreated once again, into cubicles.

"Ready?" Harry asked, and three voices said they were, "Three – two – one."

Harry pinched his nose and the familiar taste of overcooked cabbage.

It had been years since he had last taken the potion, but the he had not forgotten the painful and strange experience of changing into someone else's body. His hair shot back into his skull as it shortened, turned curly and went blonde. His face contorted as the features began to change. His fingers grew slightly and his feet grew, but didn't feel uncomfortable in his shoes. He closed his eyes as the last of the pain swept through him. He could hear his three friends groaning as their own transformations swept over them.

And then, as quickly as it had begun, it was over. He opened his eyes and was looking at the mirror image of Theodore Nott.

"Is everyone okay?" Harry said, in Nott's cool voice.

"Harry?" Ron said, in Goyle's low raspy voice asked, "Hermione? You still all human?"

"Ha-ha," Hermione said, sarcastically, "I'm good."

"I'm all right," Ginny said, and Harry shuddered when he heard Pansy's slightly high voice.

The three walked out and Harry's eyes fell on Ginny.

_It is so weird. I know you're Ginny, but I'm looking at the girl who tried to kill us._

_We'll be back to ourselves soon._

"Come on!" Ginny said, "We can't waste time!"

Harry led the other three out of the bathroom and toward the Grand Staircase. Harry wondered if they would run into a Professor or a student who had stayed at Hogwarts, but miraculously, nobody passed by them. Ten minutes later, they were standing in front of a damp stone wall.

"Hope this works," Harry said, "Pureblood!"

A stone door concealed in the wall appeared and slid back into the wall. Harry led Ginny, Ron and Hermione inside, and found Draco Malfoy sitting on the couch in the center of the Slytherin Common Room.

"Hey, Malfoy!" Hermione said in an uncharacteristic sneer, "Your pals must have missed you. They came back early!"

"Don't know why," Ron said, "Maybe Nott was afraid of what people would say about his father."

_Perfect, _Harry said,_exactly how we wanted them to act toward Draco._

_Hopefully this will spark something out of Draco._

"What about your father, Goyle?" Draco said, getting to his feet, "Just you wait. You'll be in my position soon when Black and the rest of those bastard Aurors catch your father, and everyone will ignore you too. Even your little girlfriend there."

"We'll see about that," Hermione said, "Come on, Greg. Ignore him. He's not important anymore."

Draco scoffed and sat back down. He looked at Harry and Ginny, and they walked over to the empty couch and sat down together.

"What _are _you two doing here anyway?" Draco asked.

"We're not going to be here long," Harry said, "Pansy's parents are in Hogsmeade, and we wanted to see how you were doing. First Christmas away from your parents..."

"I doubt I'll spend too many Christmases with Mum once I go to Durmstrang," Draco said.

_We can't convince him to stay here, even if we wanted to, _Harry said, _Pansy and Nott might support a different opinion than one we voice. Let's just continue with the planned conversation and hope Ron and Hermione can find something._

"Draco, I am curious about something," Ginny said, "Theo told me something just yesterday, and it really worried me about you as well. Theo told me he's been getting hexed lately... just a few days before Christmas Break started, somebody... a Slytherin... hexed him."

"Someone actually hexed you?" Draco asked.

"It didn't happen to you?" Harry asked, "Really gave me a bruise. Pansy only saw it because... she accidentally saw me in her shower."

"Not so much of an accident," Ginny said.

Draco raised his eyebrows as he looked at the two of them.

"Someone actually hexed you?" Draco repeated, "Bad luck. To think we were just using that excuse to hide our bruises from our dueling and training sessions."

_Dueling and training sessions? _Ginny asked,_They weren't getting hexed?_

_Of course... but... we saw bruises on Draco before Pansy and Nott hung around him._

"Yeah, I didn't see who it was," Harry said.

"Do you... think it was the one who hurt Crabbe and Blaise?" Draco asked.

_He doesn't know who it is, _Ginny said, _Damn._

"I would be in a coma too probably if it was," Harry said.

"I wish I knew why they were targeting Slytherins," Draco scoffed. "Why us? Why not... Gryffindors or Ravenclaws? We – well – this house _used _to be about loyalty. Then my father and your father, Theo, got imprisoned, and everyone turned on us. Just because our Death Eater Daddies got caught and theirs hasn't yet."

"Not everyone's parent here is a Death Eater, Draco," Ginny said.

"Supporters of the Dark Lord," Draco said, "Whatever you want to call it. If it isn't – what did Black call it – hazing, then why are they attacking us? If it was me doing this, I would go after Granger... or Potter's girl. Potter himself."

"Don't you want to find out who did it as much as we do?" Harry asked. "I mean... Crabbe was your friend, wasn't he? Blaise is pretty decent too."

"They were decent before they started ignoring us, Theo," Draco said, "Then they turned on us like everyone else. Really... I mean... as long as it isn't one of you two who end up in the Hospital Wing, I could care less who is next. One less person to taunt me."

_This is getting us nowhere. Hopefully Ron and Hermione can find something._

* * *

**(Hermione)**

Hermione, however, wasn't having very much luck. It seemed most of the Slytherins had gone home, but had kept their trunks and most of their belongings here. This had given her free access to look through things. Most of the time she wasn't able to get into trunks, so she looked on desks near beds, but found nothing.

Now she found herself in the second year girl's dormitory. She had just searched through Millicent's stuff, but there was nothing too interesting. One of her pieces of returned homework had an Exceeds Expectations on it... Hermione raised her eyebrows when she saw small drawings on other pieces of parchment. One had Gregory Goyle's name on it, with a heart around his name.

Hermione sighed and turned to look around at the other beds.

_Two second years. Coincidence or not...?_

Her eyes went toward Pansy Parkinson's bed as her mind went back to the previous month.

_I need to look for signs to see if Pansy knows she is from a different time again, or if the Memory Charm is still working._

She walked over to Pansy's bed and looked around for something suspicious. And that was when something caught her eye...

… or rather, what wasn't there.

_Where is her trunk? She brought her trunk home with her? Everyone else's trunk is here, but she brought hers with her home? Was there something she didn't want someone to find in it? Hmm... it is rather suspicious._

Hermione's mind went back to one of the recent Dueling Club meetings, the one where Harry and Ginny had taught.

_"I will get you back for that one, Granger," _Pansy had said.

The memory made her shudder.

_There is definitely something wrong with her. I will definitely need to tell Harry and Ginny this._

Hermione moved away from the bed, when she felt her foot kick something under Pansy's bed. She raised her eyebrows and kneeled down then looked under the bed. Laying there was a scrunched up ball of parchment.

She grabbed it and stood up, then unrolled it and looked at the parchment. Her eyes widened as she looked over the contents...

"Millie!" she heard a voice say in the distance, "Are you still up there?"

Hermione frowned and raced out of the room, then down the stairs. Ron, as Goyle, stood there.

"I couldn't find anything," he said, "Did you?"

"Maybe," Hermione said, "Not a book, but... it could be something."

"What?" Ron asked.

Hermione held out the parchment and Ron took it in Goyle's large hand. He read over it.

"They're just... numbers, Hermione," Ron said, "Dates, maybe? They're pretty recent if they are... last few months."

"Look how far they're apart on the page, Ron," Hermione said, "There was other stuff written there. It is like a diary page. I found this under Pansy's bed."

"Do you think she's the... culprit?" Ron asked.

"This could be nothing, Ron," Hermione said, "But it is our only evidence."

"How long have we been here, Hermione?" Ron asked.

"We still have time," Hermione said, "But, yeah, we should get going soon."

"Let's see how Harry and Ginny are doing with Draco," Ron said.

* * *

**(Harry)**

"I got a letter from my Mum for Christmas," Draco said, "Along with my father's wedding ring. She said it was mine now."

He pulled a chain from under his shirt and revealed the golden band.

"I don't know why she cares," Draco said, "She changed her name back to Black. She even had the nerve to ask me if I wanted to be a Black instead of a Malfoy."

"Do you?" Harry asked.

"Would you?" Draco asked.

"Well," Harry said, "Everyone is going to associate the Malfoy name with mud. Change it to Black... you're known as a relative of the Head Auror and soon to be the last name of the Minister of Magic. You go to Durmstrang, you'll still be a Malfoy, unless you're a Black. Durmstrang is full of the Dark Lord's allies, currently run by one, isn't it? How do you know they won't treat you the same as our fellow housemates do? As a Black, they might not realize you are your father's son."

_What are you doing, Harry? _Ginny asked.

_Trying to help him, as I said I hoped to so long ago. If he doesn't listen to me, maybe he'll listen to Nott._

_Harry, we need to wipe Draco's memory of this, _Ginny said, _if he says any of this to the real Pansy or Nott, we're in trouble._

_Damn... I didn't think about that._

"I'll think about it, Theo," Draco said, shrugging, "I respect my Father. I really do. But... maybe you're right."

_Harry, there's Ron and Hermione._

Harry looked up and saw the figures of Goyle and Millicent across the room. They were looking toward the doors of Slytherin.

"Well," Ginny said, "We need to get going, Draco. We'll see you when we get back."

Draco nodded and stood up. He walked over to the large fireplace and stared at it.

"Are you okay?" Ginny asked.

"Enjoy your holiday with your family, Pansy," Draco said, his back turned on them, "You never know when you might not have them anymore."

"I will, Draco," Ginny said, "I promise."

Harry and Ginny stood up, as Ron and Hermione crossed the room. As Ron, Ginny and Hermione left, Harry took his wand from his holster and stealthily pointed it toward Draco.

_Obliviate! _He said, mentally, as he thought of what he wanted Draco to forget.

Draco staggered, but didn't react to Harry. Harry slipped out of the Common Room and followed the others down the hall. They didn't say anything until they were back in the bathroom.

"Probably have a few minutes until we're back to ourselves," Ginny said.

"I wiped Draco's memory of us talking to him," Harry said, "Just in case he would have said something to Pansy or Theo."

"Probably a good idea," Hermione said, "I think Pansy's hiding something."

"You found something?" Harry asked.

Hermione handed a slightly crumpled piece of parchment to him and he looked at it. There were five dates spread across the parchment:

July 28th, August 5th, September 3rd, September 10th, September 15th, all from that current year.

"The last two dates were a week or less before the first attack," Harry said.

"I think they're diary entries," Hermione said, "Either Pansy got rid of the information somehow, or it is invisible ink."

"There are potions to reveal invisible ink," Ginny said, "The only one I know takes two months to make though."

"Two months?" Harry asked, "Can't we just buy it?"

"Extremely expensive," Ginny said, "No, Harry... I don't care if we have the money. The potion is easy to make, and we have all the ingredients. It is expensive because of how long it takes. Let's just start making it over the next few days."

"Fine," Harry said, "We can go with your plan and -"

"Ugh!" Ron grunted as he held out his hands, as bubbles formed across his skin.

"We're changing back!" Harry said.

Immediately, the other three retreated into stalls and Harry groaned as he closed his eyes. He felt the transformation back into his own body and inhaled and exhaled. He opened his eyes and looked at the mirror. He was back to himself.

He turned and looked back at the dates on the parchment.

_What is this, Pansy? What are you hiding? Are you really the person we've been looking for this whole time?_

* * *

**So... unfortunately that diary information won't be seen for a little while. Yes, I had the potion take two months for a reason. You'll see why when it comes around.**

**Fortunately that will happen sooner rather than later... I might skip over weeks and do a few things in one chapter and get to that information in one or two chapters! We're getting near the beginning of the end of this story!**

**Hope you liked this chapter! More to come soon!**


	84. Hazy Shade Of Winter

**Chapter 84  
Hazy Shade of Winter**

**Author's Note: This chapter will skip over a few weeks in between different events. The dates near the end of this chapter goes day/month, just to not confused anyone.**

**Warning: Vague descriptions of human growth development. **

The Potions book that had the Revealing Ink Potion recipe was in an open section of the library, and quite easy to find. Hermione volunteered to check out the book, because Madam Pince would not think it funny if she said she wanted to check it out for some light reading. So, two days after their visit into the Slytherin Common Room, Hermione checked out the book and met up with Harry, Ginny and Ron in the room of Requirement.

Harry was happy to discover that Ginny had indeed been correct when it came to the ingredients for the potion. They already had every ingredient they needed, which meant they didn't have to go on another heist into Snape's private stores. He was also happy to find that, unlike the Polyjuice Potion, the Revealing Ink Potion didn't need constant care and attention. All through out the process, it was entirely liquid, which meant that they would not have to worry about it becoming thick. The book had suggested a simple spell for keeping the boiling to an exact perfect temperature needed for the best results. Because of this, they only had to check the potion, stir it, or add an ingredient every three days.

So Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione spent the rest of their Christmas break keeping themselves occupied, which meant trying to think of events that had happened on or near those dates that had been listed on the parchment, finishing their between-term homework, playing out in the snow, or playing chess.

Harry thought watching Ron and Ginny teach Hermione how to play wizarding chess was extremely entertaining. Even though Ron always beat Hermione, the matches always lasted a good hour or more, because both players almost always took a minute to plan out their next move – the hilarious result of this was that the chess pieces kept yelling at players, for example Hermione's knight yelled in a loud squeaky voice 'that piece is going to attack me if you don't move me, bushy!" to which Hermione profusely apologized and moved the piece to a safe spot.

* * *

_Sunday, January 3__rd__, 1993  
_  
When Neville and Luna returned the night before term was scheduled to begin, the six friends met up in the Room of Requirement, where Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione updated them on everything that had happened.

"How do we know this even belongs to Pansy?" Neville asked, as he looked over the dates with Luna.

"I found it under her bed," Hermione said. "I know it was her bed because her trunk was gone and her roommates' trunks were all there – they had their names on it. We haven't figured out why she wanted to bring her trunk home, other than there had to be something inside that she didn't want anyone to see."

"Well, there could be something in the trunk, sure," Neville said, "But... she has what – three, four roommates? Someone could have kicked it under her bed by accident. Besides, if this was discarded as trash, why would she leave it laying around instead of binning it?"

"Maybe she wanted someone to find it?" Luna said, "Or maybe – nah – hmm..."

"What, Luna?" Ginny asked.

"Well... I just wondered if... maybe someone planted it under her bed?" Luna asked, "I mean... these dates... they don't exactly say they were recent, there is no exact year is there. Just day and month."

"True, it didn't show the year, we just assumed that it was recent," Harry said.

"I don't know if I am mistaken or not, but these dates remind me of something," Luna said.

"Like what?" Harry asked.

"Probably nothing," Luna said, shrugging, "These dates seem similar to important findings over the years. August 5th, 1987 was when a Wrackspurt hive was found in the Amazon. September 10th is the birthday of one of the explorers credited with discovering Crumple-Horned Snorcacks."

"Probably coincidences," Ron said.

"Some people say there is no such thing as coincidences," Luna said.

"So... what?" Ginny said, "You think this diary is a dead end?"

"Thrown away piece of trash," Neville said, "If whatever is on this could be – you know – incriminating, why would they throw it away?"

"Unless, like Luna said," Hermione said, "It was planted evidence."

"We'll find out when the potion is complete," Ginny said.

"Any exact date?" Harry asked.

"Sometime around Ron's birthday," Ginny said.

"Hopefully whatever we discover is a good birthday present for me," Ron said.

* * *

_Saturday, January 24__th__, 1993_

**(Ginny)**

"Alicia passes to Katie Bell – who immediately passes it to Angelina Johnson," Lee Jordan shouted, an hour into the fast-paced high-scoring, Gryffindor-Hufflepuff match, " She's nearing the rings, but there comes Preece of Hufflepuff, and he is excellent at doing a take-away. Ohh! Nice hit with the bludger from George Weasley, giving Angelina a free road – or sky – to the rings – Should have predicted that, George would do anything for his girl—"

"Jordan!" McGonagall's voice echoed.

"Sorry, Professor," Lee said, "Just a – ohh, Angelina attempts a score and – oh – oh - GRYFFINDOR SCORES! Fleet missed it completely! Might be a mistake due to these harsh winter winds!"Ginny tried to cheer, but the aforementioned harsh winter wind whipped by her and her friends sitting in the Gryffindor stands, and her whole body shook and shivered. She wrapped her coat tighter around her. As she gazed up at the sky, flurries fell around her, but all signs pointed to a rough snow storm coming before the end of the match if Harry did not catch the Snitch soon. **  
****  
**Ginny was not playing today, but it wasn't because she had performed poorly in practices. One of her weaknesses was playing in the snow – her hands would freeze up easily in cold temperatures, and that was not good for a Chaser – and she had suggested during the practice on Thursday night that Alicia, Katie and Angelina play in the match.

Beside her, Hermione scowled, then muttered something under her breath, and a blue-bell flame appeared in the jar. This had been the third time in the match she had to conjure the flames, thanks to the wind.

"Did anyone catch what the score is now?" Neville asked, "I missed it."

"Er... 80 to 130, Hufflepuff," Ron said, "Oliver's having a bad day."

"Could you do better?" Ginny asked.

"Doubt it," Ron muttered, shrugging, "Not against these Chasers. Harry's our only hope to win this match."

Ginny looked around for Harry, and found him in the air twenty feet or so above the rings where Oliver was watching the Hufflepuffs come toward him with the Quaffle.

_Harry, have you seen the Snitch lately? _Ginny asked, _Between the weather and the score, it would be really nice if you could catch it soon._

Sorry, Ginny, I've been looking,

Harry said, _But it is using the flurries to hide I think. Diggory hasn't moved from his spot for a good five minutes, so he hasn't seen it either._

Suddenly, Ginny heard a collective gasp from around her, and heard Harry curse loudly in her mind. She instantly realized why. A Bludger, hit by one of the Hufflepuff Beaters, was coming his way. He dived south and flew across the Pitch. Ginny sighed in relief.

_Close one, Harry, _Ginny said.

_I know. I almost didn't see it because of the snow._

The snow was indeed falling heavier now.

_I see the Snitch! _Harry said.

Then he went silent and Ginny watched as Harry flew in the direction of the Slytherin stands, where the Snitch must have been near.

"Blimey!" Ron said, "Another bludger is coming Harry's way! Look!"

Ginny didn't need Ron's long arm pointing toward the Bludger to see it. It was indeed coming toward Harry once again.

_Harry! Bludger coming at you again!_

Ginny watched as Harry dived toward the Slytherin stands. Over the wind, Ginny could hear screaming from the Slytherin stands.

_What is happening over over there with the Slytherins? I can't see anything!_

_I don't know! I think this Bludger's gone rogue!_

Ginny's eyes went from the Slytherin stands, to the Bludger, which was indeed chasing Harry as he flew away from the stands.

"That Bludger's been cursed!" Ron yelled over the winds.

Ginny twisted her hand and pointed her wand toward the direction of the Bludger, when all of a sudden the Bludger stopped in mid-air and fell toward the ground.

"What just happened?" Hermione asked, "Why did the Bludger –?"

"ATTENTION STUDENTS!" McGonagall's voice rang out, "This match has been called short! The game is a draw. Please start heading back to the castle and go to your Common Rooms."

"What?!" Ron asked, "She can't do that! Can she do that?"

"I think she can, Ron," Hermione said, "Come on, let's go."

_Something's happened. _Harry said,_Something happened over at the Slytherin stands. Hang on, let me see..._

Ginny raised her hand to quell her friends when she noticed they were looking her questioningly. If she translated her telepathy to her friends, their fellow Gryffindors would hear her.

_Oh no. I think I see – what? Pansy Parkinson's unconscious! _

_Pansy? Are you sure?_

_Yes! Draco and Nott are guarding her. Professor Snape and Flitwick are guiding the other students away. Dumbledore is there too, heading toward Pansy and – Uh-oh... he saw me up here. I need to land. See you back at the castle._

_An hour at the most, Harry. We have to go back to our Common Rooms._

When they were outside the Pitch, and on their way toward the castle, Ginny and her friends lagged away from the retreating, chatting students."What happened?" Hermione asked, anxiously.

"Another attack?" Neville asked.

"You're not going to believe this," Ginny said, "Pansy Parkinson is apparently unconscious."

"Pansy?!" Hermione asked, "But she – she's our –!"

"Our suspect, I know," Ginny said.

"I was sure it was her!" Hermione said.

"Me too," Ginny said.

"What was going on with that Bludger?" Ron asked, "It looked... well, it looked cursed!"

"A Rogue Bludger," Ginny said, "Last time, Dobby was responsible for it. I doubt it was him this time. He only did it to scare Harry away from the school. He wouldn't do that now."

"Maybe the Bludger was a distraction?" Luna asked, "If the Bludger was acting weird and going after Harry, everyone would look at it. Nobody would notice someone cursing a person."

"You know, Luna," Ginny said, "I think you might be right."

Ginny didn't know what to believe now. She had been completely sure Pansy was responsible for this.

* * *

An hour after the match ended, most of the Gryffindor students, beside the active Quidditch team, was in the Common Room, chatting, gossiping and murmuring away about what had happened at the match. Percy was standing guard at the portrait hole and would not let anyone through out into the corridors.

Ginny and her friends were sitting at the bottom of the stairs that led to the boys' dormitory, waiting for Harry, her brothers and the rest of the team.

_We're here, Ginny, _Harry said, just as the portrait hole opened.

Ginny stood up immediately as Harry walked in and headed over to them. Ginny hugged him immediately and did not care who had seen them. She needed him in her arms.

"Is it Pansy?" Ginny murmured.

"May I have your attention please?" McGonagall asked; Ginny had only noticed then the Professor had accompanied the team.

Harry backed away from Ginny, and they sat down with their friends.

"The Gryffindor-Hufflepuff Quidditch match was stopped short," McGonagall said, "Because there was yet another Slytherin student attacked while at the match. Second year, Pansy Parkinson, was found unconscious in the Slytherin stands."

Ginny looked up at Harry, who had a strange expression on his face.

"However," McGonagall said, "She did not suffer the same effects as her classmates. She is awake and responsive in the Hospital Wing, talking to Professors Dumbledore and Snape. Also, you may have seen what is known as a Rogue Bludger chasing your Seeker, Harry Potter. It has been decided that the Bludger was cursed, though it is unknown how, as a diversion and distraction so the suspect would not be noticed when they attacked the student."

"Professor, I thought the threat was gone when Marcus Flint was expelled," Percy said.

"It is under investigation, Mr. Weasley," McGonagall said.

"What about the Quidditch match?" Ron asked, "Will there be a rematch?"

"The match has been official called as a draw," McGonagall said, "and due to the fact that the Snitch was not caught and could have been caught by either team, one-hundred-and-fifty points will be added to the score. Two-hundred and thirty points for Gryffindor will be added to the Quidditch cup race, and two-hundred and eighty will be added to Hufflepuff. The leader is unknown until we know the results of the Ravenclaw-Slytherin Match in March. You are all free to go about your own business, and dinner is still being held in the Great Hall this evening in a few hours. We will keep you all updated on the investigation in these attacks. Thank you for your cooperation on getting back here quickly."

McGonagall turned and retreated from the room. Many of the students followed her to do their own things, while a few students stayed behind to gossip in the Common Room. Meanwhile, Ginny, Harry and their friends headed up to Harry's dorm, and Ginny prayed they weren't discovered.

"Pansy Parkinson attacked," Hermione said, "I was sure she was behind this."

"Why isn't she in a coma though?" Ginny asked. "She was just unconscious, it seems."

"Perhaps it was a mistake by the culprit?" Neville asked, "a misfire or something, due to the high winds?"

"So what does this mean for the parchment we found?" Ron asked, "Should we ignore it."

"No," Harry said, "I still want to know what is on it, and if it is Pansy's. If it isn't Pansy's, it could belong to the culprit."

"Besides," Ginny said, "It would be a waste of time and ingredients if we wasted that potion now."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

* * *

**(Hermione)**

_Sunday, March 1__st__, 1993_

The morning of Ron's thirteenth birthday, Hermione was awoken to the sound of grumbling. She was rather surprised when she realized it was Ginny. Ginny and Harry usually slept in on Sunday mornings, and from the lighting in the room, it was shortly after seven. She could hear her other roommates snoring softly in their beds across the room. Hermione pulled open her curtains as Ginny plopped down on her bed, her usual wet towel around her hair to fool her roommates that she had just taken a shower, and that was why she was out of the dormitory.

"Perfect!" Ginny grumbled, apparently to herself, "Halloween all over again. Ron is not going to be happy, especially since it is his birthday!"

Hermione yawned. "Morning, Ginny."

"Morning Hermione," Ginny said, with a sigh; her wand appeared in her hand and she pointed it toward Lavender and Parvati's beds, and whispered, "Muffliato!"

"I sense a private chat," Hermione said, giggling, "What is Ron not going to be happy about?"

"Oliver's assigned Quidditch practice!" Ginny said, "We're supposed to have an early lunch and have practice until three."

"Three?" Hermione asked, "But... that is when he scheduled his surprise birthday party today in the Room of Requirement."

"I know!" Ginny said, "Hermione, you don't usually go to our practices, right?"

"Not usually," Hermione said, "I could go today since it is Ron's birthday. Though it is supposed to be rather chilly. Why?"

"I figured you could set up the birthday party for Ron," Ginny said. "And the Revealing Ink Potion should be done soon. Maybe even today. Perhaps you could check on it. If it is ready, the diary page is in the safe in the room. You, Ron, Neville and Luna have been given permission to get into it. Password is humming the school song."

"Like your safe at Potter Manor," Hermione said, nodding, "Sure, I can do that."

Ginny smiled and proceeded to remove her sleeping gown. Hermione turned to look away but as she did, she realized something as she caught sight of Ginny.

"Um... Ginny?" Hermione said, giggling, as she scooted down to get some clothes for the day, "I think you might want to consider wearing a bra."

Hermione snickered when Ginny looked at her chest.

"So that is what Harry was talking about today," Ginny said.

"What?" Hermione said, and was embarrased to hear her voice squeak.

"I usually cuddle right up against him when we sleep," Ginny said, "My back to his chest, or chest to chest, and last night we did chest to chest. He said something felt different. Now I see what he meant."

Ginny suddenly giggled and rolled her eyes.

"Harry's such a prat!" she said.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"He's been listening in to our conversation," Ginny said, "Audio-share, you know. He asked me if he could do sight-sharing while I get dressed."

"Not if he doesn't want to see me get dressed," Hermione said, grinning.

Ginny laughed. "That shut him up.

"Hermione?" Luna said, as she emerged from her curtains in the bed neighboring Ginny's, "Don't you usually get dressed behind curtains?"

Hermione shrugged and looked at Ginny. "Does Harry know that?"

"Nope," Ginny said, "He still does his best to ignore things that happen in here."

"And yet he wanted one of those sight-sharing moments of yours," Luna said.

"What?" Ginny asked, "It is romantic."

"It is also perverted," Hermione said.

"So he's a romantic pervert!" Ginny said, laughing.

Hermione chuckled and shook her head. She searched through her trunk for a nice warm outfit, to look nice for Ron's birthday, and proceeded to get dressed behind closed curtains. As she opened her curtains back up, she heard a light cheer from Lavender's bed.

"The youngest second year finally gets to wear her bra," Lavender said.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah," Ginny said, "Nothing to celebrate."

Lavender and Parvati both gave scandalized scoffs.

Ginny looked at Hermione and mouthed 'And you call Harry a pervert!"

Hermione laughed and headed into the bathroom to do the rest of her morning routines.

* * *

At half-past two, Hermione approached the blank wall near the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy and looked around for eavesdroppers, then paced back and forth by the wall.

_I need the room we use to brew potions and do mind exercises, but I also want it to be decorated for a Gryffindor student's thirteenth birthday party._

She repeated this two more times, and the familiar door appeared in front of her. She opened it and walked inside the room. The familiar, warm room that echoed a smaller version of Gryffindor Common room welcomed her. Where the bed usually was for Occlumency exercises, there was now a round table, big enough for six to sit comfortably at. It was decorated with a red and gold tablecloth and dishware, as well as red-colored candles. Red and gold streamers and gold balloons, each with black words that read "Happy 13th Birthday!" were seen on the ceiling.

_Perfect. I'm sure we can get food from the house-elves too. Now, for the other reason I am here._

She walked over to the bookshelf, and wrapped her hand around a bookend, and pulled it. The bookshelf slid to the side, and a small safe was revealed behind it. She hummed the tune of "Hoggy Warty Hogwarts" and the safe opened by itself. The piece of parchment, and the Potions book, which Neville had checked out after Hermione had to return it, lay there. Hermione took out both and walked over to the cauldron on the other side of the room. She opened the potion book to the correct page. The picture of the finished potion resembled the product in the cauldron.

_Looks pretty good. Harry and Ginny will be happy. Should I use it on the parchment now? Ginny did say I could? They should come in less than an hour, but... I really want to know what it says._

She shrugged and looked back at the book. The instructions showed multiple ways to use the potion on parchment, and the easiest was to hover the parchment over the cauldron, and lower it into the potion. If the potion was right, the parchment would not get wet, and would only affect the invisible ink.

Hermione set the book on the table nearby, and twisted her wrist. Her wand appeared in her hand, and she pointed it at the parchment in her other hand.

"Wingardium Leviosa," she said.

The parchment levitated into the air, and she made it move over to the potion, then down into the potion. She heard a slight sizzling sound when it the parchment hit the liquid, but she allowed it to be immersed completely. She then raised it up and grabbed it. She smiled as words began to appear all over the parchment.

* * *

_28-10_

_Had a weird dream today. Think I was swimming... or... drowning... maybe?_

_Wrote to Theo today. He says he will go with me to Diagon Alley next month the day that Gilderoy Lockhart is there. I don't know what is so special about him, but it isn't everyday you meet a celebrity._

* * *

_5-8_

_Remember that weird dream I mentioned I had a couple weeks ago. Had another one... I was older, and I was with Theo... he proposed to me – marriage, you know - and there were other people around us. I've never met some of those people, but I could have sworn they looked like older versions of Draco Malfoy's friends, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. Might have even seen Blaise Zabini._

_I'll write later today after my 'date' with Theo._

_Well... that was... interesting! Draco Malfoy's father got arrested, by Sirius Black._

_Why is it weird to me that Black had anything to do with it? I don't know..._

_Came home with this weird book that I don't remember buying. Maybe Theo bought it for me. I'll have to ask him._

* * *

_3-9_

_I keep having these weird feelings. Draco Malfoy's been getting ignored and teased because his father was sent to Azkaban. I have this weird... desire to be really mad at him for some reason. He's always been friendly to me. Why am I so angry with him?_

* * *

_10-9_

_Theo's father was arrested last night, today, not sure which. But... now everyone is teasing and being mean to Theo. I'm really angry. He doesn't deserve that. Patroclus Nott is a really nice man._

_Anyway, I told Nott we should be friendly with Draco again._

_I had this weird dream last night... I was talking to... well... myself! And the other me told me to be angry at Draco. But I just can't._

* * *

_15-9_

_Ugh! I keep getting these headaches. I know it is not my period because those happen during the last week of the month... I had another dream about talking to myself again... another version of myself, you know. Now they told me to be friends with Draco, and become just as close with him as I am with Theo... they kept screaming names of some of my fellow students and telling me they were traitors to the cause, and they were supposed to be my friends._

_What is happening to me?_

_Ugh! Stop! These headaches are_

* * *

And it just stopped right there. Hermione's hand fell to her side, and the parchment with it.

_These are definitely Pansy's thoughts. What was happening to her? Dreams of another form of her talking to herself? Headaches? And then there was that book that she believes Theo bought for her. And why does her writing just stop right there? An unfinished sentence? What happened to her?_

Hermione looked over the grandfather clock. There was still over half-an-hour before her friends would probably be back from practice. But she needed to tell someone about this now. Neville and Luna had gone down to the pitch with her friends.

_Dumbledore! Of course! He needs to know what I've found!  
__  
_Hermione nodded and hurried out of the room, then headed down the corridor. Ten minutes later, she was near the corridor that led to Dumbledore's office.

And that was when she heard somebody walking behind her.

She turned around to look at who was following her.

And that was the last thing she remembered.

* * *

**(Harry)**

_30 minutes later..._

Harry grinned as he began changing back into his normal clothes. He had caught the Snitch eight times in three hours. He thought that was good considering the weather was just as wild as it had been during the Quidditch match in January.

_Harry... something has happened..._

_What, Ginny?_

_Professor McGonagall... she..._

"Professor McGonagall?" Oliver Wood said behind Harry, "What are you doing here?"

"I need to see Harry Potter and Ron Weasley," McGonagall said.

Harry looked at Ron, who shrugged. Harry pulled on his trainers, as Ron pulled over his shirt and they followed McGonagall out of the locker room. Ginny, Neville and Luna were all standing there, all looking confused.

"What's going on, Professor?" Harry asked.

"I'm sorry, everyone," Professor McGonagall said, "Hermione Granger was found near Professor Dumbledore's office about half-an-hour ago. She's in the Hospital Wing right now. We believe she is in a coma."

* * *

**-ducks- Don't kill me! I won't be able to continue the story! And I thought you saw this coming ever since my question! -dodges tomato-**

**The final two scenes of this chapter was strange to write. I kept telling myself... don't do it! Keep this story happy! Don't do it! Hermione is your favorite character! You – sorta, kinda, maybe - hate Chamber of Secrets because she got Petrified!**

**Unfortunately, I needed to do it. For one major reason, and that will happen next chapter.**

**Also... that diary part was extremely fun to write. Um... did I kind of make something obvious in this chapter? Pertaining to that piece of parchment? I won't say more, but I cannot wait to explain that before the end of this story. The explanations for everything pertaining to the second half of this story is so awesome. And might make up for the predictability factor. Okay, enough teasing... that won't come for a few chapters.**

**Next chapter... more aftermath of Comatose Hermione, and if my plans go right, much of it is Ron-****centric!**

**P.S. The "Hoggy Warty Hogwarts" tune is the same one from a deleted scene from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.**


	85. Weasley Woes

**Chapter 85  
Weasley Woes**

**(Harry)**

Harry felt numb.

An hour after McGonagall's announcement, he was sitting in the Hospital Wing on a small couch with Ginny, who was curled up in a ball, her head in his lap, and Harry didn't know if she was awake or asleep, but he could hear her sniffle from time to time. She hadn't spoken, vocally or telepathically in about ten minutes, ever since she collapsed against him after seeing Hermione's comatose form. Harry mindlessly stroked her hair as he looked around the room.

Ron had a dead stare in his eyes as he looked at Hermione. He hadn't taken his eyes away from her for a good ten minutes. Neville and Luna were sitting in chairs near Ron, holding each others hands – a friendly gesture, Harry thought – their gazes looking at their laps. It was so haunting to see the look in Luna's eyes. Her usual dreamy stare was gone.

Across the Wing, Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey were speaking in whispers. A few minutes ago, McGonagall had informed them that Sirius and Amelia were both on their way to the school, and that Harry and his friends were allowed to stay there with Hermione as long as they wished.

_Harry, I'm sorry, _Ginny finally said, though she didn't move an inch from her spot.

_What?_

_She's in a coma because of me. One of your best friends is in a coma because of me. Last time she was petrified, and now she is in a coma, and it is all my fault._

_Ginny, it is not your fault. And she is your best friend too._

Ginny sat up rather forcefully and looked at him. Ron, Neville and Luna each jumped at her sudden movement, and looked at her. Harry shook his head, and Ron returned his gaze to Hermione, and Neville and Luna returned their gaze to their laps.

_It is my fault! I asked her, this morning, if she would stay behind in the castle while we were at practice. Ron's party was supposed to begin around the time practice ended and I asked her to go to the Room of Requirement and set things up, and I also asked her to – to -_

She gasped and stood up then walked over to Hermione's bed. Harry couldn't tell what she was doing.

"Miss Weasley?" McGonagall asked, "Is something wrong?"

Ginny shook her head violently and Harry heard her sob in his mind. She sat back down next to Harry and buried her head against Harry's chest.

_She doesn't have it with her, _Ginny said, the sobs still wracking Harry's mind,_Please... please let it be back in the Room. Please!_

_What are you talking about?_

Harry noticed McGonagall and Pomfrey walking toward them.

"Is she okay, Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked.

"She looks in need of a Calming Draught," Pomfrey said.

"No!" Ginny exclaimed, though she kept her face against Harry, "I don't need one."

"Miss Weasley," McGonagall said, "What has happened here can cause severe emotional distress. It might be best if -"

"I said no!" Ginny growled.

Harry felt a burning sensation sweep through his mind.

"Calm down, love," he said, stroking her hair, "Remember... our Bond... rage..."

"Mr. Potter is right, Miss Weasley," Professor Dumbledore's voice rang through the room.

Harry looked around McGonagall and saw Professor Dumbledore, Sirius and Amelia standing at the entrance to the Hospital Wing. Ginny sobbed and stood up, then ran past McGonagall, over to Sirius, and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

Sirius' expression went from alarmed to sympathetic. Harry stood up and walked over toward them.

"It's okay, Ginny," Sirius said, "you'll be okay."

"No, it isn't okay," Ginny said, "This is my fault."

"Sirius," Harry said, "Ginny, Ron and I need to talk to you and Amelia about something. Something that happened this past Christmas Break, that... might have something to do with this."

"Am I correct to say that this is not a conversation for myself or Professor McGonagall?" Dumbledore asked.

"I'm sorry, Headmaster," Harry said, "If you heard this, you would have no choice but to do something you might not like, even if it was for – erm – the greater good."

Dumbledore looked at Harry through his glasses and nodded.

"All right, Harry," Dumbledore said.

"Come on," Sirius said, "Ron?"

"Will I be able to come back in here?" Ron asked, not moving from his spot.

"I'm sure Poppy wouldn't mind if you were here until curfew to be with your friend," Sirius said.

Harry looked at Madam Pomfrey, who looked as if she did mind, but she shook her head.

"Not at all, Mr. Weasley," she said.

Ron nodded, then walked across the Wing. Harry, Ginny and Ron walked out into the corridor with Sirius and Amelia.

"We need to go the Room of Requirement," Ginny said, as she took Harry's hand, "Now... I need to check... I have to make sure... Merlin, please, let it be there."

"What is the Room of Requirement?" Amelia asked.

"A rather interesting room," Sirius said, "I didn't know about it until late last year. Can you believe it? A place the Marauder's never knew about?"

"Okay, now I'm curious," Amelia said.

Sirius grinned, then frowned as he looked back at Harry, Ginny and Ron.

"I know this is a hard time for all three of you," Sirius said, "But Dumbledore tells me the Mandrake Draught will be ready by mid-June, at the latest."

"Two and a half months without Hermione?" Ron asked.

"I'm sorry, Ron," Sirius said.

Ron didn't respond... he only stared straight ahead as they walked toward the Grand Staircase.

"So... tell us what is going on?" Sirius asked.

"During Christmas Break," Harry said, "Ginny, Ron, Hermione and I used Polyjuice Potion to become four Slytherins. We went into the Slytherin Common Room to talk to Draco Malfoy."

"Polyjuice Potion?" Amelia asked, "How –?"

"We made it," Ginny said.

"We wanted to tell you this sooner," Harry said, "Because we believe part of it has to do with the hazing, and the other part... just might have to do with the attacks."

"Oh?" Sirius asked, "Do tell."

"Apparently there was no hazing," Harry said. "Draco said he, Theodore Nott and Pansy Parkinson were practicing dueling each other, and that is how they got hexes and bruises. They let everyone assume the hazing so they wouldn't get caught."

"That is a good explanation," Sirius said, "At least no one else is to blame for this one. Now, what was that part about the attacks?"

They reached the Grand Staircase and started toward the seventh floor.

"Hermione and Ron, in their Polyjuice forms," Harry said, "Searched the dorm rooms, Hermione on the girls side, Ron on the boys. Hermione found a crumpled piece of parchment under Pansy Parkinson's bed. The parchment only had numbers on it. Dates... possibly from late last year. So we decided to make a Revealing Ink potion. Ginny knows how to make it..."

"Those take two months to make," Amelia said.

"Yeah, we knew that," Ginny said. "Anyway... today – well... we were going to surprise Ron for his birthday."

Ron raised his eyebrows for a brief moment, before his expression went sad once again.

"Hermione... I..." Ginny began, then sniffled, "We had Quidditch practice today, and it would end around the time we wanted to have the party. I asked Hermione if she would stay here in the castle and fix up the Room of Requirement for the party. I also... I suggested her to check on the potion because I thought it might be done. I... I don't know if she made it to the Room of Requirement before she was attacked or not. If she did... well..."

"She was found outside Dumbledore's office," Sirius said.

Ginny nodded. "I think I know why too. Merlin, this is -"

Ginny sniffled and went silent.

"You didn't know this would happen, Ginny," Amelia said, "So it isn't your fault."

"I wish I could believe that," Ginny said, "We left her alone, all by herself. No, I left her alone. I convinced her to stay in the castle instead of go with us to the Pitch."

No one spoke until they reached the Room of Requirement. When they arrived, the door formed, and opened. Harry heard Ginny let out a sob, and Ron groan, when they walked inside. And he knew exactly why... the room was decorated for a party.

"She was here," Ginny said, "No!"

Ginny ran across the room over to the bookshelf, and Harry's eyes followed her, and saw that the safe was open.

"The parchment is gone," Ginny said, sniffling.

She sank to the floor, and Harry hurried over to her, then kneeled next to her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her into a hug.

"Whatever Hermione found," Harry said, "it worried her. She was heading to tell Dumbledore about it."

"You didn't see it on Hermione?" Sirius asked.

"No," Ginny said, "And McGonagall said she was only found with her wand and wand-holster, nothing else in her pockets."

"Are you sure the parchment was Pansy Parkinson's?" Sirius asked.

"No," Harry said, "We only think it is. It was rolled up in a ball... as if it was thrown on the floor and kicked under the bed sometime. It could have been planted there, or kicked there on accident."

"That isn't enough to accuse Miss Parkinson of this," Amelia said.

"You're right," Sirius said, "If she didn't tell us anything that incriminated her, we couldn't even suspend her for a day, let alone a week, or the rest of term, and don't even ask about arresting her. The only evidence we have was -"

"Found illegally because of what we did," Harry said.

"Exactly," Sirius said, "And there is evidence supporting the fact that she might not be the culprit. Albus said she was attacked in January."

"Yeah," Harry said.

"Could she have cursed herself?" Ron asked.

"She would have been found with her wand in her hand," Sirius said, "Albus said her wand was in her pocket."

"So at the moment she is a possible suspect," Harry said, "that you can't do anything about?"

"The only thing we can do is watch her," Sirius said, "and have the Professors watch her."

"And if she is the culprit," Harry said, "She's not about to do anything incriminating with everyone watching her."

"Exactly," Sirius said, "Ginny? Are you okay?"

"I'll be okay," Ginny said.

"Can we go back to the Hospital Wing now?" Ron asked.

"What the birthday boy wants," Sirius said, "The birthday boy gets."

Ron smiled for a brief moment before his sad expression he had for a good hour now came back.

Harry stood up and pulled Ginny to her feet. She gripped his hand tightly and he led her out of the Room with Ron, Sirius and Amelia.

-  
**(Ron)**

Midnight. Ron was laying in his bed, wide awake.

In seven hours or so Ron was supposed to be up and about, getting dressed, going to breakfast, before heading off to his first class of the day. And there was only one thought going through his head.

_I don't know if I can do it without Hermione there._

_Hermione may be bossy and she may talk a lot. She might, at times, tell me off when I don't do my homework until the last moment. She might hate flying a broomstick and she's horrible at playing wizard's chess._

_ But..._

His mind went back to what Sirius had said earlier that day:

_"Dumbledore tells me the Mandrake Draught will be ready by mid-June, at the latest."_

Ron frowned and inhaled and exhaled.

_Two and a half months without Hermione. Two and a half months where she won't be bossy, she won't talk a lot... at all. She won't tell me off when I don't do my homework until the last moment._

_It may sound mental... but how am I going to last two and a half months without that? I need to hear that from her. It helps me get through the day. I need to hear her quill scratching and her muttering to herself as she writes essays. I need her in Potions class, for Merlin's sake! Snape is going to stick me with Neville. We're both horrible at Potions!_

Ron blinked back the tear in his eye as he looked at the closed curtains around Harry's bed. He knew Ginny was there in Harry's bed. Ginny had told him just a couple hours ago she was going to be sleeping with him.

_She told me the truth. She told me she had been sleeping in his bed since the start of last term in September, and I've never noticed. I don't know if I'm mad at her for doing it, for not telling me or what. But... I don't think I am mad at her, really. I'm..._

_I'm jealous. That is what I am. I'll never tell her that. But she has Harry. Harry's been my best mate since the day we met really, but Harry's been Ginny's... whatever he is... for much longer than that._

_I'm jealous because I want someone like that._

_And there is only one person for me who can... be that. Maybe not exactly what Ginny is to Harry. But close..._

_And I'm not going to be able to tell her that for two and a half months. Even then, I'm not sure I can tell her._

Ron's eyes fell on the object on the ground near Harry's bed.

_Or can I?_

Harry's invisibility cloak was laying on the ground. Ron knew it was usually under Harry's pillow so Ginny could use it in the mornings.

_So... why is it on the ground?_

Then an impossible answer came to Ron's mind.

_Harry knew I might want to visit Hermione tonight. Should I? If I get caught... aw, screw it!_

He sat up and found his wand and wand-holster where he left it, in his shoes on the ground by his bed. He strapped the holster to his arm, and placed his wand inside, then put on his shoes. He stood up, grabbed the Invisibility Cloak, then crept across the room, so as to not wake his dorm-mates.

He crept down the stairs, and before he reached the bottom, he put the cloak on. This was a very good idea to do it then, because he found Percy sitting at a table and doing homework of some sort. Ron hoped that Percy wouldn't notice the portrait open and close without someone going in or out, and inhaled and exhaled silently, then crossed the Common Room and headed through the portrait-hole, then pushed it open and stepped out into the corridor.

"Who is there?" The Fat Lady said, sleepily, "It is past curfew, you know!"

Ron could have hardly cared less, as he started off toward the Grand Staircase.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, because he was thinking more about the possibility of Mr. Filch, Mrs. Norris, a Professor, or – much worse than the other three combined – Peeves discovering him. But miraculously he soon found himself in front of the doors of the Hospital Wing.

_Damn... doors are closed. Let's hope this works._

He twisted his wrist and felt his wand slide between his fingers.

"Muffliato," he whispered, pointing at the door.

He scrunched his face up as he opened the door and looked inside the Wing. There was no sign of Madam Pomfrey. He slipped inside and closed the door behind him. He used Muffliato on the door of Madam Pomfrey's office, then crept over to Hermione's bed. He found that the curtains were closed, but that didn't matter much to him. He crept over toward a nearby chair, and pulled it soundlessly over to the back end of Hermione's bed, then sat down and pulled the curtains around the chair, so that they surrounded him too. .

He had been avoiding looking at Hermione all throughout this process, and now he finally looked at her. She looked so peaceful, as if she was just asleep and not in a coma. He pulled the cloak down so that only his head and arms were seen. He inhaled and exhaled, then placed is hand over hers. It still felt very warm.

_She's just in a coma, Ron. She's not dead. She'll wake up in... two and a half months._

Ron blinked back tears and gingerly took her hand in his.

"I'm breaking so many rules just by being here, Hermione," he whispered, "So I hope you can somehow hear me in there. Er... or perhaps not. Because what I want to tell you, I'm not exactly sure I want you to know yet. A little while ago, I was laying in my bed, and next to my bed is Harry's bed, you know. And... Ginny told me she sleeps in his bed. You might know that already, I dunno. But... I felt so jealous of the two of them. They are always so close with each other, and while I know Harry's my best friend -"

He closed his eyes and sighed then opened his eyes again and looked at Hermione's sleeping face.

"- _one _of my best friends," he continued, "He isn't – I hate to say this, but he isn't my _best _friend, you know what I mean? He and I, we've been mates for a while, but... I don't know what I am trying to say. What he and Ginny have – not their Bond, really, but how close they are – that is what I want with – with somebody. Oh, all right, with you. I'm not sure if you can understand me right now. I'm a coward, you know. I can only say this to you when you're asleep. I'm not stupid, you know. I've known ever since I read that lion book exactly what our Animagi animals mean for us. You're smart... I'm sure you know that too. But... how could I ever say this to you when we're able talk to each other again? I can't... maybe in a few years I can, but..."

He sniffled.

"Hermione," he continued, sighing audibly, "I need you to tell me to get my homework done. I'm going to fail and be a second year because you won't be here to tell me that. In April, we get to choose what classes we want to take next year, and you were looking forward to that. How will I know what you want to choose, so we can take classes together? Oh, sure, Harry and Ginny will help me. They know all this stuff, of course, but... it is you who can keep me sane around those two. They love each other, they kiss and stuff, and it is always you who gets me to calm down around them. I'm going to lash out at them before you wake up, I just know it."

Ron rubbed his thumb across Hermione's hand.

"I was about to plead to you to wake up," Ron continued, chuckling humorlessly, "And it is right selfish of me. You can't wake up until the Mandrake Draught is done. Hermione, who did this to you? Was it Pansy? Was the information you found about her? I wish you could tell me. How am I going to survive two and a half months without you. In less than eight hours, we have Transfiguration with the Slytherins. Pansy will be there. Exactly how am I going to stay in my seat and not want to curse her without you telling me to stay there?"

Ron chuckled and shook his head.

"Get Harry and Ginny to do it?" Ron scoffed. "Yeah... good idea. If you could talk to me, I know you'd tell me I can make it through these next couple of months because of Harry and Ginny. And Neville and Luna. And I will promise you this. I'll try. For you..."

Ron sighed audibly once again.

"I need to get back to bed," Ron said, "Madam Pomfrey might catch me, and that would get me in trouble. You'd probably yell at me anyway for being here if you could. I'll be back later today... I promise."

Ron stroked his thumb across her own a few more times, hoping beyond hope her hand would move. But it just remained still in his. He blinked back a tear, and released her hand. He put the cloak back over himself, and pushed the chair away from the curtain, and back to its original position.

He took a last look at the bed, then crept back across the Wing and toward the door. He opened the door, went through it, before lifting the Charms with the Finite Incantatem spell Harry and Ginny had taught during one of the Dueling Club meetings they instructed. He then shut the door as silent as he could and headed back toward the Gryffindor Common Room.

* * *

**(Random PoV)**

Madam Pomfrey smiled to herself as she heard the doors of the Hospital Wing shut. She knew there had been a new presence in the Hospital Wing. She knew exactly who it was too under that peculiar Invisibility Cloak. She had witnessed, unknown to him, James Potter appear and disappear under the cloak when he was a student, and she was only an apprentice nurse. She also knew it wasn't Harry Potter who had visited Hermione Granger.

For months she had told students, usually Slytherins that the comatose patients couldn't hear them when they spoke, but she knew Ron Weasley wouldn't have listened to her. Ron had been in the Hospital Wing that day for about eight hours, a lot longer than half her patients had spent in the Wing this year, and didn't leave until she had made him. He had even missed dinner.

She also knew during that entire time that Ron hadn't said many words to Hermione. He had just sat there with her lost in his thoughts. So, it didn't exactly surprise her that he had chosen a time way past curfew to come and finally talk to her.

"He'll be back," she said, as she walked out of her office to do a last check on her patients before she would go to bed, "Oh yes, he'll be back... and who am I to stop him? I'd just have to give him detentions, and my detentions would send him right back in here... where he will probably be for much of the next couple of months! So really... there is no point."

Madam Pomfrey smiled as she looked at the closed-curtain bed of Hermione Granger.

"Don't ever lose that boy, Miss Granger," she said, "I'm not sure you'll ever find someone more in love with you than he is."

* * *

**I've seen a theory or two about Ron that when Hermione got petrified in CoS, Ron broke curfew many times to talk to her. And every time he was there, Madam Pomfrey knew it, but he didn't know she did. That was what this last part was inspired by.**

**So... who knew it was obvious that Hermione would not have the parchment with her anymore? Show of hands?**

**I loved this chapter... emotional and full of angst.**

**So... I have a good feeling the climax of this story is going to be coming up pretty soon. I really have no big events between now and then... and that is about two months away in the story. Well, there was one, but I'm not sure I want to do that anymore.**


	86. Rage

**Chapter 86  
Rage**

**Author's Note: This story has passed 500K Hits. Thank you all! The first scene of this chapter is inspired by a similar scene in the "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" Movie.**

**I disclaim the quote from the Santa Clause movie.**

**Warning: Caps-Lock Harry!  
**

* * *

**(Harry)**

_Monday, March 2__nd__, 1993_

As Harry walked with Ginny, Ron and Neville down the corridor toward the Transfiguration classroom the following morning, he already knew things were not going to go very well. Ginny's hand was shaking in his, and he did his best to calm her down through their Bond. Ron was mumbling to himself and looked visibly shaken.

"I don't think I can do this," Ron muttered aloud.

"What?" Neville asked.

"We all know Pansy Parkinson cursed Hermione," Ron said, "We just can't prove it. I can't go in there. If I do, I am going to end up attacking Pansy."

Beside Harry, Ginny looked ready to agree with Ron. Harry opened his mouth, ready to say something to calm both of them down, but the sound of someone clearing their throat made them all jump and they turned around.

Professor Dumbledore was standing there.

"Hello, Professor," Harry said.

"Good morning, young Gryffindors," Dumbledore said.

"Did you – erm – hear what I said?" Ron asked.

Dumbledore looked at Ron through his glasses. "I did, Mr. Weasley."

Ron groaned. "I'm sorry, Professor. I just can't help -"

Ron stopped when Dumbledore held up his hand to silence him.

"I do not blame you for your expressions of rage, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said, "You might be surprised to learn I actually welcome this behavior from you at the moment."

"Sir?" Ron asked, his eyebrows raised in shock.

"It is not healthy to keep your rage and anger locked inside," Dumbledore said, "As such, you do not have to worry about Miss Parkinson as much as you fear."

"Unless she is being expelled," Ron said, "I think I do."

"No, Mr. Weasley, she is not being expelled," Dumbledore said. "You see, I have temporarily changed second-year schedules, the notices went up on all four notice boards in the Common Rooms this morning. Gryffindors no longer have Transfiguration or Defense Class with the Slytherins. Transfiguration is with Hufflepuff, and Defense is with Ravenclaw. Perhaps you did not notice?"

Harry looked at his friends, who shook their heads and shrugged.

"No, sir, I suppose not," Harry said.

"Too distracted worrying about your friend," Dumbledore said, with a smile, "I understand. However, the true reasons behind doing this schedule change is just between us and Miss Lovegood. I'm sure you know what I mean."

"Yes, sir," Harry said, "thank you."

"I do not usually think myself of the type of wizard who is good at foreknowledge," Dumbledore said, "But after Miss Granger was attacked, I knew Gryffindor house was not going to be happy with the Slytherins, especially the second years. I can see now that I am right."

"Sorry, sir," Harry said; Ginny and Ron nodded in agreement.

"No apology needed, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said, "However, I must make this request to you and Ginny. Next Saturday, after lunch, I request your presence in my office for - we'll call it a special lesson. Luckily for us, Mr. Wood's healthy Quidditch obsession has not made him assign practice for you then, so you are free that day, I am sure."

"Yes," Harry said, "We are."

Ginny nodded. "We'll be there, sir."

"Good," Dumbledore said, "Enjoy your classes today, young Gryffindors. My thoughts are with you over the next couple of months while Miss Granger is – for lack of a better word – indisposed."

"Thank you, sir," Harry said.

Harry's friends said their thanks, and Dumbledore smiled and turned back down the hall. Harry, Ginny, Ron and Neville headed into Transfiguration class. It was indeed filled with Hufflepuff students. It was also filled with a number of different animals, including...

"What is Pig doing here?" Ron asked.

"How did Trevor get here?" Neville asked.

"Hedwig is here too, look, Harry!" Ginny said.

Indeed Hedwig and Pig were both perched on small stands near a couple of desks, and Trevor was sitting on a desk near them. Harry, Ron and Neville joined their pets, and in front of where Ginny usually sat was a cage with a small chameleon inside it.

"Please sit down, students," Professor McGonagall said, as she walked into the room, and toward her desk.

The students did as was instructed. Hedwig nuzzled her beak against Harry's fingers when he petted her. Professor McGonagall whistled, and a large macaw flew from the back of the room, over the students heads, to a large perch near the Professor.

"As you can see," McGonagall addressed the students, "I have summoned – in a sense – your personal pets for today's lesson. Those of you who did not bring pets to school, you have been given a pet to use for today's lesson.

_This_ c_hameleon is kind of cute, _Ginny said.

_I'm suddenly strangely jealous of a lizard._

_You should be._

"Today," Professor McGonagall continued, "You will learn how to transform animals into water goblets. This transfiguration is extremely temporary, and very dangerous for animals if not done correctly. Can anyone tell me why?"

Ginny raised her hand, as did a few other students.

"Miss Weasley?" McGongall asked.

"Because they are living, breathing, thinking beings," Ginny said, "If you permanently turn an animal or human into an object, it is basically the same as murdering them. Even for long periods of temporary transfiguration, there is a danger of the animal or human – they could lose their minds and their senses if under the spell for too long."

"Exceptionally answered, Miss Weasley," McGonagall said, "Fifteen points to Gryffindor. Miss Weasley is exactly right. This is a very dangerous spell. Then why, you may ask, am I teaching it to students as young as you? Because it is on the school curriculum, no more no less."

McGonagall gave a rare smile, and many of the students chuckled. Neville raised a timid hand.

"Mr. Longbottom?" McGonagall asked.

"If this is so dangerous to our pets," Neville said, "Er – well – I wouldn't want to harm my toad -"

A few students who had their own personal pets murmured in agreement.

"I assure you all of your pets and these animals will be perfectly well-protected today," McGonagall said, "It takes a well-practiced hand to even accidentally turn animals permanently into objects. If any of you transformations are successful for more than a minute, I will be most impressed. That is another reason why I teach it to students as young as you. Because it is harmless to your animals with the minimal knowledge of this particular trade you have. I assure you that is not an insult, and if it was, it was more of an insult to myself towards my teaching, than to you."

The students chuckled again.

"Pay attention now, please," McGonagall said, as she took her wand from her robes, and pointed it at the macaw, "Listen carefully, because there are two pronunciations of this spell. The first is the transformation spell, the second is the reverse spell. Each could be confused if heard wrong, because they are so similar. Vera Verto!"

The macaw instantly transformed into a bright, silver goblet.

"Now," McGonagall said, "There are two things you should notice here. The shape and color are done with the same incantation, unlike other transformations. Also... the incantation is pronounced with the letter 'V' for each word. Repeat after me, without wands please. Vera Verto."

"Vera Verto!" a few students, including Harry and Ginny said clearly, while other students, including Ron and Neville said "Fera Verto" or "Veraverto."

"You see," McGonagall said, "I counted exactly three different variations of that incantations amongst you. One of the wrong incantations was that the words were actually pronounced as one full, word. That is completely wrong. However, the other wrong incantation is actually right in a way because it is the reversal incantation. The two words are almost exactly the same as the initial incantation, except for the first letter, an 'F' instead of 'V'. Fera Verto!"

She said the incantation as she pointed her wand at the goblet, and it turned back into the macaw, which squawked and flapped its wings.

"The reversal is much more difficult than the initial transformation," McGonagall said. "Most of you will probably not be able to do the reversal before the water goblet will turn back into the animal on its own. So... let's begin. Remember, Vera Verto. Two words, two V sounds. The wand movement is a jab of your wrist toward the animal. Be careful, because you may injure your animal if you do it too hard. You may do this for fifteen minutes, then you will read about this spell in chapter 16 of your books, and answer the questions at the end for your homework. You may begin now."

Many students around Harry and Ginny began their incantations.

_How do you want to this? _Harry asked Ginny.

_We can't mess up the wand movements, they're too easy. And Professor McGonagall was clear with her instructions on the words. We'd look really thick if we messed that up. Let's just do it and see how she reacts. However, I doubt she'll think we can do the reversals, so we'll do those silently... otherwise Hedwig and this little lizard friend of mine will be a goblet a lot longer than a minute._

_'Kay. If you say so._

Harry watched Ginny, as she took the chameleon out of its cage.

"Sorry, Hedwig," Harry said, as he pointed his wand at his owl, "Vera Verto!"

He sighed as he watched Hedwig slowly transform into a silver goblet.

"Vera Verto!" Ginny said.

Her chameleon, too, changed into a goblet... however it was changing to different colors every few seconds.

"Well done, Mr. Potter and Miss Weasley!" McGonagall said, as she walked over to them, "Oh! What is this, Miss Weasley? Your goblet is not silver... it is red... no... yellow... oh, color changing!"

"I'm... not sure Professor," Ginny said.

"Hmm... what kind of animal are you using?" McGonagall asked.

"A chameleon," Ginny said.

McGonagall smiled. "It seems we have witnessed some very strange side-effects of the Chameleon's talent for color-change. Very nice, both of you. Ten points a piece to Gryffindor. Can you change them back now?"

_Er... what should we do? _Ginny asked.

_Mistranslation, then silent spells when she goes away._

_Sure._

"Feraverto," Harry and Ginny said, combining the two words into one.

Predictably, the spells didn't work.

McGonagall smiled. "Keep practicing. Your animals should return to themselves very soon by themselves if you can't do it yourselves. Mr. Weasley, two words, not one."

"I'm trying, Professor," Ron said, sighing.

"I know Miss Granger inspired you to do better," McGonagall said, "But perhaps you can try on your own, and she'll be more impressed with how well you've done when she wakes up, yes?"

"I'm sure she will, Professor," Ron said, though his voice didn't express anything beyond sadness.

McGonagall smiled and walked over to other students.

_Fera Verto! _Harry and Ginny said silently, together.

Hedwig and the chameleon changed back to their normal selves. Hedwig hooted in annoyance at Harry and shook her wings.

"I'm sorry, Hedwig," Harry said, "Blame McGonagall, it is her lesson!"

Hedwig put her head on her wing, ignoring Harry.

"Perfect," Harry grumbled, sarcastically, as Ginny giggled.

* * *

After class, as Harry, Ginny, Ron and Neville made their way to Charms, Ron was, once again, muttering to himself and sulking.

"What's wrong, Ron?" Ginny asked.

"Nothing," Ron muttered.

"We're your friends and family, Ron," Harry said, "Tell us."

Ron sighed. "I'm rubbish in class without Hermione. Watching her do her work helps me do mine."

"You watch her do her work?" Neville asked, as Ginny smiled secretly at Harry.

"Piss off," Ron grumbled, "That's personal. See that is why I didn't want to tell you. Taking the mickey out of me."

"Ron," Harry said, "Last night I got up to go to the bathroom, and didn't see you in your bed. And my Invisibility Cloak was gone."

"So I went somewhere and broke curfew," Ron said, "I couldn't sleep... could you, after yesterday?"

"We know where you went, Ron," Harry said.

"Used that map of yours, did you?" Ron asked, scathingly.

"We didn't need to, Ron," Ginny said, "We know you went to the Hospital Wing to see Hermione."

"Yeah, so what?" Ron asked, "Ow!"

Ginny had smacked Ron on the back of his head.

"What the bleeding hell was that for?" Ron asked, rubbing his head.

"I'm only doing what Mum would do if she saw you like this!" Ginny growled, "Don't have an attitude just because Hermione is in a coma. Hermione would not be very happy with you if she found out about this."

"Yeah?" Ron asked, "How do you think she'd feel if she saw you all in an attitude yesterday in the Hospital Wing!"

"That was panic, Ronald!" Ginny growled, "Panic because the one clue we have to a possible culprit is gone! Panic because I truly felt as if it was my fault she was there! So don't tell me I had an attitude!"

Harry felt that burning sensation in his mind again. He squeezed Ginny's hand in his. _Ginny, please calm down. Count from five. Now._

_Five, four, three,_ Ginny said in rapid succession, then sighed, _two... one._

"Sorry, Harry, Ron," Ginny said, "I shouldn't have yelled like that."

"We're all emotional because of what happened to Hermione," Neville said.

"Professor Dumbledore said it was okay to let it out," Ron said, "We shouldn't have to apologize for yelling like that."

"It may be okay for _you _to let it out, Ron," Harry said. "Even Neville. But this is the second time Ginny had a fit in two days, and it made me feel this... heat inside my mind because of our Bond."

"Something might happen if you become too angry?" Neville asked, "Like what?"

"We burned Professor Snape's arm when he insulted Ginny first Potions class of first term," Harry said. "I'm sure it is something like that."

"I bet that is what Dumbledore wants to talk to us about on Saturday," Ginny said.

"Probably," Harry said, "Ron, we know you went to see Hermione because we left the Invisibility Cloak out just so you could do that. We know you needed that. We're not taking the mickey out of you. We just..."

"We wanted you to say it," Ginny said.

"Why?" Ron asked.

"It is like Dumbledore said," Ginny said, "You can't keep stuff inside, you'll explode."

"Exploding Ron wouldn't be very fun to look at," Neville said, chuckling.

Harry, Ginny and even Ron laughed at this and stopped all conversation for a good few minutes.

* * *

_Saturday,_ _March 7__th__, 1993_

After lunch, Harry and Ginny made their way to Dumbledore's office. It had been a very long week, and Harry and Ginny thought it was rather lucky they had survived it. Ron's bad mood hadn't improved much. Three of the five evenings that week, Harry or Ginny had woken up around midnight and found Ron and the Invisibility Cloak gone. The following mornings, he would be happy during breakfast, but then his bad mood would return if he had a bad time in at least one of his classes.

Ron's midnight visits didn't happen on Monday or Wednesday because of Astronomy, and he missed dinner both times earlier in the evenings just to visit Hermione. It didn't help that the following days they had Potions class. Ron even got in trouble on Friday in Potions, when he nearly put the wrong ingredient in his cauldron, lost twenty points and got a detention with Snape for it.

So, while Harry and Ginny would be having a meeting with Dumbledore, Ron would be cleaning cauldrons with Professor Snape.

_He kind of deserves it,_ Ginny said, as she and Harry made their way down the corridor toward the gargoyle statue. _Ron, I mean. His attitude hasn't changed much, even after we lectured him... three times!_

_He hasn't told us yet,_ Harry said, _But I think he's realized his feelings for Hermione are more than friendly. That's confusing him and making him worse. I think those feelings scare him, and he's half-worried he won't be able to tell Hermione how he feels, but the other half, he's worried what would happen if he does tell her._

_I give it two years._

_Two? You do remember when their... other selves... got together, right?_

_Oh please... I am not going to deal with that Viktor Krum fiasco, Harry. I'll do something about it if they don't. So yes... two years. Less than two years!_

_I never actually agreed to play Cupid with my best friends, Ginny._

_Harry, do the words 'Oh, Won-Won, you're so wonderful! Smooch, smooch!' ring ANY bells?_

_Er... on second thought, I'll invest in bows and arrows._

_Good boy._

_Hey! Save that for Padfoot._

Ginny giggled and Harry rolled his eyes. They reached the gargoyle, and Harry stated clearly "Sugar Quill." Dumbledore had written them earlier that morning and told them the password for his office. The gargoyle nodded and stepped out of the way, as the wall opened up into an archway. Harry and Ginny walked up the staircase, as the wall closed behind them.

When they arrived at the office, Dumbledore was waiting for them in his usual chair behind the desk. His Pensieve was sitting in front of him on the desk.

_Looks like we're taking another trip through memories today, _Ginny said.

_Yes, but whose?_

Ginny shrugged as she and Harry sat down in the loveseat on the near side of Dumbledore's desk.

"Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Potter," Dumbledore said.

"Why do you call us that in here?" Ginny asked, "You do know these portrait inhabitants are not asleep."

Dumbledore chuckled. "None of these portraits will betray the headmaster's secrets."

Phineas Nigellus-Black harrumphed.

"Not even Sirius' ancestor," Dumbledore said.

"Fair enough," Ginny said, "May I ask why we are here?"

"I suppose we should skip the small-talk," Dumbledore said, "I am curious to know... Ginny, how have you been since Miss Granger's attack?"

"I've been... improving," Ginny said. "I've still been... rather angry at myself."

"Why?" Dumbledore asked.

"I've only recently, as of last night or this morning," Ginny said, "Told myself it wasn't my fault for what happened to Hermione."

"So you don't believe it is your fault anymore?" Dumbledore asked.

"Harry's been trying to convince me," Ginny said, shrugging, "I'm not sure. Why?"

"Did Miss Granger want to go down with you to watch your Quidditch practice that afternoon?" Dumbledore asked.

"She did," Ginny said, nodding. "She thought it might be nice since it was Ron's birthday."

"And you convinced her to stay behind," Dumbledore said.

"I did," Ginny said.

"So," Dumbledore said, looking at Ginny through his glasses, "it could be your fault. If she had gone down with you and your friends to the Pitch..."

"So you do think it is my fault?" Ginny asked.

Dumbledore shrugged his shoulders.

"Answer her, sir," Harry said, "Do you, or do you not think it is her fault Hermione's in a coma?"

Dumbledore remained silent. Harry narrowed his eyes and stood up from his seat.

"Is this why you wanted us to talk to you today?" Harry asked, ignoring the anger coming into his mind, "To accuse Ginny? She was not the one who cursed Hermione! I KNOW WHO IT WAS AND WE CAN"T REALLY DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT WITHOUT PROOF! WHICH WE DON'T HAVE BECAUSE IT WAS STOLEN!"

Harry thought he weird a strange cracking noise somewhere near him that sounded like Apparation, but he decided it was in his mind. Dumbledore rubbed his temple and closed his eyes. Harry's anger intensified... was Dumbledore ignoring him?

"DO YOU THINK I WANTED HERMIONE ATTACKED?" Harry asked, "DO YOU THINK GINNY DID? DO YOU THINK WE WANTED ANYONE ATTACKED?!"

Ginny pulled him back down onto the couch and hugged him around the neck.

"Shh," Ginny said, "It is okay. We don't need Professor Dumbledore for this. We can do it ourselves. Calm down, my love."

Harry sighed and exhaled and counted back from ten.

"Mr.. and Mrs. Potter," Dumbledore said, "I know I have made you angry, but there is a good reason for it. Please look behind you."

Harry backed away from Ginny and they both turned their heads behind them, looking for somebody. What they saw they did not expect. Objects and books were scattered all over the floor, but that was not the worst part of it. There was a big fissure-like crack splitting Dumbledore's office in two, going straight backwards from the couch they were sitting on.

"Oh, Merlin," Ginny gasped, and looked at Harry, then Dumbledore. "Did we do that?"

"Yes, Mrs. Potter," Dumbledore said, "You did. Harry did most of it, but it was the combined power of your Soul-Bond. You may not have noticed it because you were so angry that it blinded and deafened you to anything else but your anger toward me."

"What power?" Harry asked, "We're not supposed to have this strong power until we turn age of consent."

Dumbledore sighed. "What you've witnessed here, is almost immeasurably smaller than what I expect you will endure when you turn the age of consent. If you were fourteen, Mr. Potter, right now, I'd probably be severely injured, even dead, from your rage. Because my magical core is a lot stronger than yours at the moment, I only had a small headache and had to protect myself using the same meditation I use as an Occlumens."

"Then why did you do this?" Harry asked, "Why make us angry? Why –?"

"Why did I accuse Ginny?" Dumbledore asked, and Harry nodded, "I do not believe Ginny is guilty of anything. Nor are you. I just needed you to believe that to make you angry, so I can show you exactly what would happen if you became too angry with someone."

"Did you know this would happen?" Ginny asked.

"I had a theory it would," Dumbledore said, "And I also had a bit of proof to back it up."

"What proof?" Harry asked.

"I think it would be best if you would see this for yourself instead of me telling you," Dumbledore said. "Like some Muggles say when it comes to Father Christmas, 'seeing isn't believing believing is seeing'. Which by that, I mean, I wish you to follow me into the Pensieve."

"Whose memory are we seeing?" Harry asked.

"Mine," Dumbledore said, "You will most definitely recognize the settings. I trust you remember how to get inside the Pensieve on your own?"

Harry and Ginny nodded.

"You first, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said.

Harry leaned toward the Pensieve and dipped his face into the bowl of liquid. He immediately felt himself falling. He landed on his feet and looked around at the scene. He was one of the corridors of Hogwarts. At the other end of the hallway was the doors to the Hospital Wing if he wasn't mistaken. Ginny appeared next to him and Dumbledore behind them a moment later.

Harry was about to ask what was going to happen, when they heard a familiar voice.

"_Hermione Granger," Sirius said, "I can't believe it."_

_"Neither can I," Dumbledore said, "Especially since it is the first of four attacks that aren't Slytherins."_

_"Four victims?" Amelia said, "I thought there were two Slytherins attacked."_

_"In January, Pansy Parkinson was attacked but didn't wind up in a coma," Dumbledore said._

Harry turned behind him and saw Dumbledore, Sirius and Amelia walking down the hall toward them. Harry and Ginny instinctively stepped out of the way, as the three memory-figures passed them. They followed the three figures as they continued talking.

_"And you said Hermione was found near your office?" Sirius asked._

_"Yes," Dumbledore said._

_"I wonder if she was headed there for a particular reason," Sirius said._

_"I do not know," Dumbledore said._

_"Do you k now how Harry, Ginny and their friends are taking this?" Sirius asked, "Hermione's like – she's almost family to –__"_

_"She looks in need of a Calming Draught," Pomfrey said._

_"No!" Memory-Ginny exclaimed, and her shriek could be heard from the corridor, "I don't need one."_

Memory-Dumbledore, Sirius and Amelia ran forward toward the Hospital Wing. Harry, Ginny and the actual Dumbledore followed as the conversation continued.

_"Miss Weasley," McGonagall said, "What has happened here can cause severe emotional distress. It might be best if -"_

_"I said no!" Memory-Ginny growled._

_"Calm down, love," Memory-Harry said, "Remember... our Bond... rage..."_

_"Mr. Potter is right, Miss Weasley," Memory-Dumbledore said, as he walked into the Hospital Wing._

Harry and Ginny walked into the Hospital Wing just as Memory-Ginny hugged Sirius.

_"It's okay, Ginny," Sirius said, "you'll be okay."_

_"No, it isn't okay," Ginny said, "This is my fault."_

"I believe you remember what happened here, yes?" Dumbledore said, "we can skip just a few moments."

As Dumbledore finished, the memory fast-forward slightly, and when it slowed down, the memory versions of Harry, Ginny, Sirius and Amelia were not in the room anymore.

"Here we go," Dumbledore said.

Memory-Dumbledore walked over across the Hospital Wing. The real Dumbledore followed him and Harry and Ginny followed as well.

"_Those poor children," Madam Pomfrey said. "Mr. Longbottom, Miss Lovegood, can I do anything for you?"_

_"We're okay," Neville said, very softly, almost inaudibly, though he didn't look up from his knees._

Luna only nodded in agreement with Neville. Memory-Dumbledore continued to walk forward and finally stopped in front of the chairs Harry and Ginny had been sitting in.

"Harry, Ginny?" Dumbledore asked, "I urge you to look at the wall behind the chairs you were sitting on. Do you notice anything different?"

Harry stepped forward and examined the wall. Indeed, there were small fissures in the stone there, and parts were crumbling away to the ground.

"We did that?" Harry asked.

"Ginny did," Dumbledore said, "When she became angry at Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch. We can leave the Pensieve now. That is what I wanted you to see. Raise your wand arm please."

Harry raised his wand arm, and felt himself rise up off the floor. Soon, he was back in Dumbledore's office with Ginny and Dumbledore. Harry sat down on the couch with Ginny, and she took his hand in hers and gripped it tightly.

"Did you feel anything, Harry?" Dumbledore said, "That moment when Ginny became angry?"

"I... remember feeling a burning sensation in my mind," Harry said.

"Then it is familiar to you?" Dumbledore said, "Something you can recognize?"

"Yes," Harry said.

"Ginny?" Dumbledore asked, "Have you felt something similar?"

"Yes, sir," Ginny said, softly.

"I believe that is what is known as an early-warning system in your Bond," Dumbledore said. "If you feel it, you're mate is becoming too angry, and reaching their limit. I believe you remember at the start of your first year when you were escorted here by Professor Snape, who reported feeling a burning sensation on his arm, yes?"

"Yes, sir," Harry said.

"Did you two do that?" Dumbledore said.

"I think so," Harry said, "He... he insulted Ginny."

"Your Bond was fairly new at that point," Dumbledore said. "Ever since then, your bond is slowly maturing, and gaining strength because you are keeping in contact with each other on a daily basis. For example, sleeping in the same bed."

"We don't want to stop doing that," Ginny said.

"I am not going to ask you to," Dumbledore said, "If I did, it could only spark another bout of rage from you, accidental or not. Harry, I am reminded of when you described your fight with Professor Quirrel when Ginny was nearly killed. That is another example of the power of your rage."

"And... this will be even worse when – when we turn fourteen," Harry said.

"Yes, it will," Dumbledore said, nodding. "That is a little over a year for you, Harry. You will have to learn to control this power and your rage. So... for both terms of which I am sure will be your third year, both of you will have lessons with me two times a month. I will help you control your anger, rage, and also help you keep your charms, spells and curses to a minimum power. Even at minimum, they will be above average once you turn age of consent. Do you agree with these lessons?"

"Will we still have to choose two new classes out of the five?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, you will," Dumbledore said, "If memory serves me correctly, that will take place next month. You can take two or three new classes and still have a good schedule."

Harry and Ginny nodded.

"Again, I apologize for making you two angry," Dumbledore said, "I did not mean anything I said about the accusations. I was trying to provoke you."

"It is us who should apologize," Harry said, "I mean... your headache... your office -"

" – will take less than half-an-hour after you leave to be put back to normal, Harry," Dumbledore said, "No harm done. In fact, I kind of expected it to happen. You did not surprise me at all by doing so."

"Oh," Harry said.

Dumbledore smiled. "Please look out for those warning signs, especially over the next two months while you and your friends are not whole – by that, I mean that you are a group of five right now, not six. This will take a little while to cope with. I'm sure by the time you do cope with it, it will nearly be time for Miss Granger to rejoin us again."

"We will help each other calm down as best we can," Ginny said.

"If you feel angry again," Dumbledore said, "Please write to me, or come see me. The gargoyle will always let you in, even without a password."

"Yes, sir," Ginny said, "We will."

"Good," Dumbledore said, "The two of you may be excused."

Harry and Ginny stood up and made their way past the debris and fissures in the floor and headed out of the office.

"If we can cause mini earthquakes with our anger, Harry," Ginny said, as she and Harry walked toward the Grand Staircase, "What are we going to do when we turn the age of consent?"

"Ginny," Harry said, "I don't even want to think about it."

* * *

**Chapter finished! Thank you to faithful reader Hoosier Cullen for helping me come up with Dumbledore's way of provoking Harry and Ginny into getting angry.**

**Next chapter, Harry, Ginny, Ron and Neville pick new classes for their third year! And maybe... just maybe (if I can't think of anything else to do before) the beginning of the end of this story begins!**


	87. Luna's Power

**Chapter 87  
Luna's Power**

**Author's Note: This chapter begins right after the last chapter ended, but quickly skips some time, and will have a couple of those time-skips, so pay attention to the dates.  
**  
**(Harry)**

* * *

After Harry and Ginny's meeting with Dumbledore, they decided a much-needed chat with their friends was needed. They found Neville and Luna in the Gryffindor Common Room working on homework, and a quick search on the Marauder's Map revealed that Ron had gone back to the Hospital Wing after his detention with Professor Snape.

So the four friends walked to the Hospital Wing, where they found Ron laying in a bed, neighboring Hermione's bed, with bandages around his hands and fingers.

"Ron!" Ginny said, as they walked over to him, "What happened?"

"Did you get injured just to have an excuse to be near Hermione?" Luna asked.

"No!" Ron scowled, "Bloody Snape and his cauldrons. Apparently someone tried to do a Swelling Solution and failed, and I ended up cleaning that particular cauldron, and the potion seeped into my fingers. Madam Pomfrey had to puncture my fingers to let the air and pus out, and this is the result."

"Who are all of these cards from?" Neville asked, as he walked over to the small nightstand next to Hermione's bed, where there were a few get-well cards propped up, "Gilderoy Lockhart... another one from Gilderoy Lockhart... a third one from Gilderoy Lockhart!"

"Gross," Ron said, "Can someone destroy those? I can't hold my wand at the moment."

Harry and Ginny snickered. The four friends not in a hospital bed each moved a chair for themselves in between Ron and Hermione's beds and sat down.

"So what did you want to talk to us about, Harry, Ginny?" Neville asked.

"Er, yeah," Ginny said, "Wait... where's Madam Pomfrey?"

"Looking for Professor Snape to scold him for what happened to me," Ron chortled. "She told me to watch my fellow patients. But they're – well -" he frowned and looked at Hermione "– not exactly going anywhere, you know."

"Hermione would smack you for that one if she could," Ginny said.

"I wish she could," Ron muttered, "I need a 'Ron, behave!' or I'm going to go mental."

"Ron, behave!" Ron's four friends said instantly, trying to mimic Hermione.

Ron grinned. "That helped... a little. So... what _did _you two want to talk about?"

"Harry and I have to watch our temper," Ginny said, "Dumbledore provoked us into getting angry in his office, and we nearly destroyed it... literally."

Ron snorted, then sobered up when Ginny stared at him.

"You're serious?" Ron asked.

"No, but I am telling the truth," Ginny said, grinning.

"Fell for it again!" Ron scowled; he frowned and looked from Ginny to Harry. "You almost destroyed his office? How?"

"Looked like an earthquake had hit," Harry said, "I got really mad – I mean, _really mad _– and after we calmed down, we saw a large crack in his floor going halfway across the office."

"And we gave Dumbledore a headache," Ginny said.

Ginny looked at Harry, and frowned.

_Harry, we haven't told them about our magic multiplying when we turn fourteen yet. We don't need to tell them... the other thing._

_Okay, we need to tell them about our magic._

"There's something we haven't told you yet," Harry said. "When Ginny and I each turn fourteen – so a year and a few months for me – our Bond is going to strengthen, by a lot. Our magical will grow stronger. Ten times our normal magic. Which is a lot considering we're older than we appear."

"So... you'll be more powerful than – than even Dumbledore?" Neville asked.

"Exactly," Harry said, "Just give you an example... Ginny said we gave him a headache due to our rage. If I was fourteen, my rage could have severely injured him or even killed him."

Ron and Neville's eyes widened. Luna only looked a little bit shocked, though that was almost normal for her.

"Right now our temper could do bad things if we don't control it," Harry said, "So Ginny and I have to stay calm."

"Really, the best way to do that, _Ron,_" Ginny said, emphasizing her brother so he would listen completely, "is that all of us stay calm at the moment. We're all on edge because of – because of her."

Ginny nodded in Hermione's direction, and everyone looked at their friend for a moment.

"I've even felt a bit angry when I see Pansy in the corridors or at meal-time," Ginny said, "But I remind myself that I need to stay calm so that we don't anger her anymore. We don't have proof that she is behind Hermione's attack. Remember that. Our proof was stolen, and even then, we don't know if there was anything on the page more than numbers."

"Hermione knows," Luna said, suddenly, "She just can't tell us."

"Of course she can't," Ron said.

Harry looked at Luna, who was staring at Hermione with dreamy eyes. His eyes widened as he thought of something.

"Luna?" Harry said, "When Ginny and I were lost in our minds and had to find each other – on the train, remember? – you saw something there, right?"

"Before you arrived on the train that day," Luna said, "I was looking at Ginny, and I could sense that she was lost in her mind and looking for you."

"That is what I thought," Harry said, "Now... right now... do you see anything like that from Hermione?"

"She's lost in her mind," Luna said, "In darkness. She can barely hear us... she can hear... some things we say."

"She can hear us?" Ron asked, sitting up straight and looking at Luna, "Is she saying anything?"

"I can't hear her talk," Luna said, shaking her head, "I only know how she feels. She's a little scared -"

"Oh, Hermione," Ron said, "I'm here... I've been here as much as I can."

"I think she knows that," Luna said.

Ron frowned and Harry thought he saw Ron's eyes watering.

"Luna?" Ron asked, "Did she – did she hear anything – anything I said the first night I visited her?"

"Bits, Ronald," Luna said, "just bits of it."

Ron nodded and looked at his bandaged hands.

"So... she can't tell you anything about – about the piece of parchment?" Ginny asked.

"No," Luna said, "I think she knows of a way she can tell us... but... I don't know what she means. I don't understand at all what she means by it."

"Can you explain that?" Harry asked.

"No... there's no words I could use to describe it," Luna said, "I'm sorry... maybe if I think about it, I'll know what she means. Oh!"

"Did you figure it out?" Ron asked.

"No," Luna said, "She just... she just feels happy we're near her."

"We're here, Hermione," Ginny said, "Don't give up."

The five friends went silent and sat there for a few minutes with Hermione, all knowing this might cheer her up a little.

As March slowly moved into April, and winter gradually passed toward spring, Harry, Ginny and their friends were finding a sense of strange normality in their pattern of days. It was still strange without Hermione there to encourage them or nag them to do things, or earn thirty points a day by answering questions in class, but they were trying to go through each day, knowing that the next day meant one less day they'd have to wait before the Mandrakes were ready.

A couple weeks into March, Professor Lockhart caught up to Harry and Ginny, and for a horrible few moments, Harry thought Lockhart would ask them once again to assist him in an interview with Witch Weekly, but Lockhart didn't mention the magazine once. He only suggested that Dueling Club should be canceled in respect to Hermione. Harry and Ginny agreed reluctantly, but only because they did not want to give Pansy any more chances to attack them, or vice-versa in the Club.

Neville and Luna both vanished from their friends' sight at times, and when Harry, Ginny and Ron asked them about it after their fourth disappearance, Neville said they had been helping Professor Sprout with the Mandrakes, hoping it would quicken their growth rate. So far they weren't having any luck. Luna was helping Neville at times, but other times she was also visiting the Hospital Wing as much as Ron these days, because she wanted to figure out exactly what Hermione was trying to tell her. But she wasn't having any luck at that either.

Quidditch practice was just as fierce as ever, and Ron, who had a couple of dreary practices after Hermione's attack, was back in his game. There were rumors that Hermione, Blaise and Crabbe would be awake before the last match of the season – Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, and Ron really wanted to play in that game since Hermione might be awake to watch him.

Slytherin had their second match of the term against Ravenclaw. Millicent Bulstrode took over for Blaise's position as Seeker, and a sixth year took over for Marcus Flint's job as third Chaser. Slytherin won the game when Millicent found the Snitch completely by accident, and caught it; the score was 210 to 70, and there was a three way tie for first, because Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Slytherin all had one win. In a strange turn of events, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw would actually be rooting for Slytherin when their last match came in early June against Hufflepuff, because if Slytherin won and scored less than 200 points, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw would only have to win their match against each other in June simply by catching the Snitch and having more points than their opposition to win the cup.

So much homework piled up in every class, that by the time Easter break came, those students who were staying at Hogwarts, including Harry, Ginny, Ron, Neville and Luna, wouldn't get much of a break because they had to catch up on homework and studying.

Even Ron was trying to get his homework done quickly, so he could spend more time with Hermione in the Hospital Wing. Ron had also encouraged Luna to come along on many of this trips to try and translate any possible things Hermione was feeling, but there was still not much progress. Harry could easily tell in Luna's eyes, that she was becoming extremely disappointed that she couldn't figure out what Hermione was trying to tell her.

* * *

**(Harry)**

_Monday, April 22__nd__, 1993_

In Transfiguration on the first Monday after Easter break ended, McGonagall announced that over the next month and a half, classwork would not slow down at all in preparation for exams. She assigned a large chapter in the book for them to read and answer the questions, and told them they would have a practical lesson the following class learning what they were reading in the book.

Five minutes before class would dismiss, Professor McGonagall passed out a packet of parchment to everyone in class.

"Attention everyone," McGonagall said, "Please put away your books and open up the packets I have just handed out to you."

The students obeyed. Harry thumbed through the packet and smiled when he realized what it was.

"Inside these packets," McGonagall said, "is information on the five classes you can take from your third year up to your fifth year, and perhaps longer if you can get into the NEWT levels. They are: Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination and Muggle Studies. You must pick between two or three classes to fit your schedules properly. You do not have to decide just yet. You have until June 1st to turn these into the Heads of your House."

"What about – err – our classmates who are in a coma?" Ron asked, "Will they be able to make up their classes and join us?"

"It is all being taken care of, Mr. Weasley," McGonagall said, "You do not have to worry about that. Please think carefully over these classes. As I said, you will be taking them through the next three years of your education at minimum. Class Dismissed."

"What do you think we should take?" Ron asked, as the four friends headed for Charms, "Fred and George said Divination is the easiest class to take, so I might take that."

"Care of Magical Creatures definitely," Harry said, "Especially if we have the same teacher."

"Professor Kettleburn?" Neville asked.

"If everything works out the same," Harry said, "It won't be him."

"Then who?" Ron asked.

"It is a secret," Ginny said, with a wink.

_What did you take? _Harry asked, _I don't think I ever asked you that._

_Care of Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies. Dad wanted me to take Muggle Studies._

_I don't particularly want to take Muggle Studies... or Divination. So... Ancient Runes or Arithmancy?_

_Why not both?_

_Both? But I want Care of Magical Creatures!_

_We can take all three, Harry._

_I'll think about it._

"Divination and Care of Magical Creatures," Ron said.

"I think I might do that too," Neville said.

"What about you two?" Ron asked, "Come on, we can all take those and convince Hermione to do the same."

"I don't want Divination," Harry said, "Professor Trelawney will just tell me I'm going to die."

"So... what are you going to take?" Ron asked.

"We're discussing taking Care of Magical Creatures, Ancient Runes and Arithmancy," Ginny said.

"But those last two are supposed to be really difficult!" Ron said.

"Ron, I took Muggle Studies last time," Ginny said, "And Harry took Divination. We don't need to learn them, and we want to learn something new... I mean we went through all these classes already.. it is rather boring to be honest."

"Oh," Ron said, "I can understand that, I think."

"We have until June to decide," Harry said, "I might borrow those books I gave Hermione for Christmas to learn up about Arithmancy and Ancient Runes."

"I'm worried about Hermione," Ron said.

"We all are," Harry said.

"No, I mean," Ron said, "She's missing half a term of school. She'll have trouble passing her exams."

"Nah," Ginny said, "An hour after she wakes up, she'll be catching up on her homework and probably be done in a week or less. Less, if we all help her."

"You know," Ron said, "You're right. I don't know why I was even worried about that to begin with."

"Relax, Ron," Ginny said, "In less than two months, she'll be awake and ready to nag us all to death about our exams."

Ron cheered up immediately at that thought.

* * *

April passed into May, and the grounds of Hogwarts became more and more beautiful as Spring dominated the lawn, trees and other plants. Students could be seen studying and gossiping away while sitting or laying on the lawn with their friends.

May 2nd and 3rd fell on weekdays, and like the previous year, Harry and Ginny celebrated May 2nd with a cupcake each made by house-elves to mark the anniversary, and to remember baby Victoire, and wonder what she would be doing now if the Atrium Incident had never happened.

On May 3rd, their so called 'reflection day' they took a romantic afternoon walk around the lake and discussed what had happened in the past year. While there were bad things – the attacks, especially Hermione's attack – they also discussed the good things: Lucius' and other Death Eaters' arrests, Sirius and Amelia's engagement, Fudge resigning as Minister, Sirius becoming Head of the Aurors, and Amelia becoming the Minister. Overall they thought they were doing a rather successful job with their mission, since Hermione would be back to normal by the following month.

They also discussed their future plans, including the ring horcrux, the Time Pool's destruction and Peter Pettigrew's escape. They both agreed the ring horcrux had to be destroyed in the following summer, and possibly the Time Pool. They also wrote to Sirius and Amelia that night to ask them how they were doing with the Dementors, and they mentioned Peter Pettigrew. The following morning they got Sirius' reply, and Sirius promised that the Dementors would be gone by the time Harry and Ginny returned from Hogwarts. They were currently training a group of special Aurors – Sirius was the main trainer – to be guards at Azkaban, and would be done by the middle of June.

Harry and Ginny dedicated much of May that wasn't focused on their homework and upcoming exams by trying to find spells that would take away the Curses and Protective Charms around the ring at the Gaunt House. They had a good thirty inches of notes and ideas by the end of May.

As for classes for their third year, Ginny convinced Harry to take Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. Ron and Neville wouldn't budge out of Divination, and would take that and Care of Magical Creatures, but also desired the free time instead of a third class.

* * *

_Saturday, June 12__th__, 1993_

Harry, Ginny, Ron, Neville and Luna were all very happy as they walked into the Hospital Wing to visit Hermione. Slytherin had beaten Hufflepuff 190 to 100. Slytherin would end up in third place and Hufflepuff fourth no matter how the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw played in two weeks. Whoever won the match would win the cup.

"There is a good chance you'll be able to play as Keeper, Ron," Ginny said, "Oliver's going to be more obsessed with Harry catching the Snitch as fast as he can, than to worry about Keeping. If Harry catches the Snitch before Ravenclaw can get 150 points, we'll win. Lucky for Harry, Cho Chang isn't the Seeker yet, so he won't be staring at her."

"I am not going to stare at her anyway!" Harry said, "Maybe you shouldn't play in the final game or I'll stare at you and won't catch he Snitch!"

Madam Pomfrey cleared her throat. "Silence, students if you want to stay in here with Miss Granger."

"Sorry, Madam," Harry said.

"Madam Pomfrey?" Ron asked, "Have you heard about the Mandrake Draughts yet?"

"Could be done as early as the middle of next week, Mr. Weasley," Madam Pomfrey said, with a smile.

Ron grinned and walked quickly over to Hermione, as his friends followed him. Madam Pomfrey walked back into her office.

"Did you hear that, Hermione?" Ron asked, as he pulled up a chair next to Hermione's bed, and sat down, "A few more days."

Ron clutched a hand on Hermione's and Harry smiled when he saw Ginny smile. Suddenly, Luna gasped.

"Ronald, what are you doing?" Luna asked.

"Don't worry, Luna," Ron said, "I hold her hand all the time. I think it helps her."

"You're just... holding her hand?" Luna asked.

"Yeah... why?" Ron asked.

"She's... Hermione's excited!" Luna said.

"She's excited?" Ginny asked, raising her eyebrows, "What do you mean?"

"Ron, get up," Luna said, "Let me sit there."

"What?" Ron asked.

"Luna, what's wrong?" Harry asked.

Ron moved out of his seat, and Luna took it. She looked around at her friends, and pressed a finger to her lips, then looked at Hermione, and slowly placed her hand around Hermione's. Luna gasped and her eyes closed suddenly. Then she started blinking rapidly, and when she opened her eyes, they were no longer silvery-grey.

They were brown. A very familiar brown.

"Luna?" Ron asked, "What is wrong?"

"Ron?" Luna said, and Ron, Harry, Ginny and Neville all jumped nearly out of their seats.

Because it wasn't Luna's voice that was coming out of her mouth. _It was Hermione's._

"No... Hermione?" Ron asked.

"It's me, Ron," Hermione said, "I don't know what is going on, but... I think somehow Luna's transferring my mind to hers... just temporarily. I told her to do this... I think this is the secret the Sorting Hat told her about... the power. One of the things she is able to do."

"Hermione," Ginny said, "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have told you to stay here instead of go with us to practice that day."

"It is okay, Ginny," Hermione said, "I'll be okay."

"Hermione?" Harry said, "Did you... did you see who attacked you? Was it Pansy?"

"I didn't see her," Hermione said, "I think it was her voice, but I didn't see her. Whoever it was attacked me and I just blacked out."

"Did you see anything on that piece of parchment?" Harry asked, "Whose was it?"

"Pansy's," Hermione said, "She... oh... I'm losing connection with Luna. She... Pansy wrote stuff down that was happening to her. She said she was having dreams. About swimming and drowning... um... she said her older self was talking to her... telling her things... she said... she said she brought a book home from Diagon Alley and didn't remember doing so. And she said she was having headaches... and then her writing suddenly stopped at one point... oh... I'm... I'm losing this. Harry, Ginny, Neville... Ron... I miss all of you... tell Luna I miss her. I know I'll be awake soon. I miss you all."

"We miss you too," Harry said, and Ginny nodded as she wiped away tears.

"Hermione?" Ron said, "Did you – did you hear –?"

Luna suddenly blinked rapidly again and gasped as she backed away from Hermione. When she opened her eyes they were silver-grey again.

"Whoa," Luna said, "Um... what happened?"

"Hermione was inhabiting your mind!" Neville said, "She was talking to us!"

Luna stood up and Ron sat back down on the chair, and took Hermione's hand again.

"She's... back in her body, I guess" Ron said, frowning, "Oh, Hermione..."

Ginny sniffled and buried her head in Harry's chest.

"She confirmed it," Harry said, "The diary piece was Pansy's."

"What did she mean, Harry?" Neville asked, "Everything Hermione said, "What did she mean?"

"Um," Harry said, "She said something about her... older self? Headaches, dreams... dreams about drowning..."

Suddenly, echoing through the corridors and Hospital Wing, came Professor McGonagall's voice, magically magnified.

"_All students to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers go to the second floor.__ Immediately, please._"

The five friends gasped as they looked overhead.

"No... Deja Vu again!" Harry groaned.

"You heard her, students," Madam Pomfrey said, "Please go to back to your Tower."

Harry, Ginny and their friends hurried out of the Hospital Wing, and toward the Grand Staircase. When they reached the second floor, Harry stopped in his tracks.

"Neville, Luna, Ron," Harry said, "Go on ahead. I need to see what is happening, and Ginny won't leave me."

"I'm not leaving her!" Ron said, "I'm coming with you!"

Harry sighed and nodded then looked at Neville and Luna.

"We'll... meet you back in the Common Room, Harry," Neville said. "I'm going to fill Luna in on everything Hermione said."

Harry, Ginny and Ron then walked toward the Second floor and listened for voices. They then heard Professors' voices around a corridor near Myrtle's bathroom. They hurried down the corridor, then stopped at the end and hid against a wall when the voices became clear. Harry peered around the corner and his eyes widened as he saw a large message written in red paint or possibly blood. The message read:

_**THEIR SKELETONS WILL LIE IN THE CHAMBER FOREVER!**_

* * *

**Cliffhanger!**

**So... how did you like Luna's power? I loved it... I had fun with it.**

**Muahahaha! The Climactic conclusive Chapters of Bonds of Time 1 begin next!**

**Next chapter might be a bit shorter than usual... simply because I have a good idea with the beginning of the following chapter after that.**


	88. Into The Chamber Again

**Chapter 88  
Into the Chamber Again**

**Author's Note: This chapter is a bit shorter than my usual length chapters.**

**Warning: Character Death. One count of harsh language.**

* * *

**(Harry)**

_What's wrong, Harry? _Ginny asked,_You suddenly feel frightened._

Frightened. That was a good word for it. This was not just Deja Vu. That message was almost identical, except for one word and a variation of another word, to the message Tom Marvolo Riddle had made Ginny wrote.

_Harry? Tell me now, or I am using Sight-share to see!_

_I'll close my eyes, if you do. You don't want to see this, believe me._

_What? Is somebody dead?_

_No... it is worse. Hush, I need to hear what the Professors are saying._

Harry looked around at the Professors: McGonagall and Dumbledore were there, as was Sprout, Flitwick, Snape and Lockhart.

"Chamber?" Professor Snape said, "Surely not the Chamber of Secrets. That is a myth."

"It does exist, Severus," Dumbledore said, "But I am afraid I do not know where it is."

"Then what are we going to do?" Flitwick asked, "Two or more students, Albus! How did the culprit find this Chamber?!"

"What should we do, Albus?" McGonagall asked.

"The four of you need to go to your House," Dumbledore said, "Alert the students... tell them... tell them Hogwarts is going to close down."

"Close?!" Flitwick gasped, "Why I never –!"

"Filius, I've done everything I can to keep these attacks from most of the Ministry's ears," Dumbledore said, "But two students... two students we may not ever find... I'm afraid we cannot keep this from the Ministry."

"Headmaster!" Mr. Filch's voice said, as he tottered down the corridor Lockhart had set off down, "Five students did not make it back to their dorms."

"Five?" McGonagall asked.

"Who are they?" Dumbledore asked.

"Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley," Filch said, and McGonagall gasped, "And Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy. However, the three Gryffindors were seen in the Hospital Wing during Minerva's announcement."

"Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson," Dumbledore said, "are the two students in the Chamber. Heads of Houses, address your students. I will speak to the ghosts and ask them to try and find the Chamber of Secrets. Gilderoy, would you please help me? Start with dear Myrtle here in the girl's bathroom. She might have seen whoever has wrote this gruesome message."

"Are you sure, sir?" Lockhart asked.

"Yes," Dumbledore said, "Everyone, please make haste."

Several sets of footsteps split up, and Harry, Ginny and Ron backed up behind a large tapestry. Professor McGonagall, Snape and Sprout walked past them and headed off down the corridor.

"Me?" Lockhart muttered, "Talk to a ghost? Well – I suppose – it just feels so silly!"

Lockhart's footsteps echoed as they walked into Myrtle's bathroom.

"Come on!" Harry said, "We need to go talk to Lockhart. Tell him where the Chamber is."

_Ginny, please do not look at that message._

_Shut up Harry. I can look at it if I want._

Harry groaned and pulled Ginny and Ron with him and turned the corridor. Ginny shuddered as she looked at the message.

"I told you, Ginny," Harry said, "You didn't need to see it."

"I'm fine, Harry," Ginny said, "It's just – ugh."

"Yeah," Harry said, "Come on."

They hurried into the bathroom, and heard Lockhart.

"Perhaps you could just... tell the Headmaster I talked to you?" Lockhart asked, "Tell him you told me some good information and I am now going into the Chamber?"

"But that would be a lie!" Myrtle's voice said, "Quit being mean to me!"

"It is not a lie!" Lockhart said, "Do you... do you want a signed autograph?"

"What would I do with an autograph?" Myrtle asked, "I can't hold a piece of parchment"

"I can... put it on the... back of your favorite toilet?" Lockhart suggested.

"Quit making fun of me!" Myrtle said, and wailed then flew back into a toilet with a loud splash.

"Bloody ghost," Lockhart said.

He turned around and his eyes widened when he saw Harry, Ginny and Ron there.

"Hello, Professor," Harry said.

"Harry, Harry, Harry," Lockhart said, "Shouldn't you and your girlfriend and her brother be in your tower?

The Professors are looking for you."

"I thought they were looking for the Chamber of Secrets," Ron said, "Isn't that what you are doing?"

"Exactly!" Lockhart said, "And I know where it is... I just – er... have to find the location in one of my books!

"I know where it is," Harry said, "We're going to rescue Pansy and Draco. Would you like to come with us? You'll probably get publicity for it."

_Harry, what are you doing?_

_Play along.  
_  
"Publicity?" Lockhart said.

"Yeah," Ginny said, "Rescuing students!"

"Definitely," Ron said.

"Er... okay," Lockhart said, "Where is the Chamber of Secrets?"

"I thought you knew where it was," Ron said.

"I... was going to let you tell me and get extra credit for it," Lockhart said.

Harry sighed. _What a complete moron._

Ginny giggled. Harry walked past Lockhart, then went over to the sinks.

"_Hiyahassieheth_!" Harry hissed in Parseltongue

"Bloody hell, he's a Parselmouth!" Lockhart screamed.

"We know," Ginny and Ron said.

"Don't tell anyone though," Harry said, "Makes everyone just panic and think I am the Heir of Slytherin."

"Er... come again?" Lockhart asked.

The tap glowed with a brilliant white light and began to spin. Next second, the sink began to move; the sink, in fact, sank, right out of sight, leaving a large pipe exposed, a pipe wide enough for a man to slide into.

"The entrance of the Chamber of Secrets," Harry said, "You first, Professor."

"Wh-why me?" Lockhart stammered.

"Because you're a famous hero who took down a Yeti," Harry said.

"And the Bandon Banshee," Ginny said.

"And... loads of other stuff," Ron said.

"You... did really do that stuff, didn't you?" Harry asked, "Because if you didn't, you can just... walk away... right now."

Lockhart narrowed his eyes and chuckled. "I'm just going to go... down there."

He turned to the pipe and looked down into it.

_Get ready to use Protego, Ginny, _Harry said, _I have a strange feeling..._

Harry and Ginny both twisted their wrists as their wand appeared. Lockhart then turned around.

"Obliviate!" he said, pointing his wand at Harry.

"PROTEGO!" Harry and Ginny said.

Lockhart's spell hit the combined shield and bounced back on Lockhart, who screamed and toppled into the pipe. His screams and groans could be heard all the way down. Harry ran over to the pipe and looked down it. He heard a distant thud, then silence. He turned around and looked at Ginny and Ron.

"Um, Ginny," he said, "I..."

"All three of us are going down there, Harry," Ginny said, "So go."

Harry groaned and turned around. He sat on the edge of the slide, then pushed himself into it. The slide was just as slimy and unwelcoming as it had been when he had come down here to kill the Basilisk. He soon reached the end and pointed his wand forward, listening for any sound of Lockhart...

And that was when he saw Lockhart laying on the ground. He wasn't moving.

_Are you down there? _Ginny asked.

_Let Ron come next, then teleport to me._

_Sure thing... okay, he's going down now._

Harry heard Ron's screaming come closer and closer and then stop. Ron appeared at the end of the pipe.

_Now, Ginny._

Harry looked at a portion of the sewer in front of him, and a moment later, Ginny appeared there.

Ugh!" Ginny said, "This is disgusting!"

"Yeah," Ron said, "Are those... mouse skeletons?"

Ginny walked over to Lockhart and nudged him with his foot.

"Uh-oh," Ginny said, "Um, Harry... come here?"

Harry walked over to Ginny and Lockhart.

"Is his... neck supposed to be like that?" Ginny asked.

Harry felt vomit raise to his throat as he looked at Lockhart. The man's neck was twisted to the side. He spat out the vomit and kneeled down next to Lockhart, then put a hand against his wrist.

No signs of life.

"Lockhart's dead," Harry said, "The fall must have broken his neck."

"Ugh," Ron said, "He was horrible, but I didn't want him to die!"

"Me neither," Ginny said, "D-do you think it was from the impact of our double shield? Or some of that... extra power Dumbledore was talking about because of our Bond? He was trying to attack you."

"Could be either way," Harry said, "We'll leave him here for now. We need to get to the Chamber."

Ron and Ginny agreed, and Harry led them through the pipes. A few minutes later, they were in the familiar section of the sewer where part of the ceiling had collapsed in the previous timeline.

"This is all so familiar," Ron said, "We were here in the Pensieve, weren't we? And my other self..."

"Yeah," Harry said, "This is the place where the rocks fell. Come on."

They walked across the cave toward another large pipe until they arrived at the large door.

"Harry?" Ginny asked, "How did Pansy and Draco get down here? Are either of them a Parselmouth?"

"I'm... not sure," Harry said. "Wouldn't we have heard about it if they were?"

"Unless they kept it a deep family secret," Ginny said.

"Yeah... stand back," Harry said, "_Hyahassiheth_!"

The large door slid open, revealing the pipe that led to the Chamber.

"Be careful," Harry said, "Wands out. Keep your eyes open. If I tell you to leave me, you leave me. I mean it, you two!"

"Harry," Ginny said.

"Ginny, I mean it," Harry said, "Get Ron out of here if something happens. Too much Deja Vu is going on right now, and I am not losing you like I almost did last time! Swear it... now."

Ginny's lips quivered and she launched herself at Harry and hugged him then kissed him.

"I swear it," Ginny said.

"Ron?" Harry asked.

"I swear it," Ron said, nodding.

Harry took Ginny's hand and walked into the pipe. Ron followed them and they made their way through the pipe and toward a ladder at the edge of the Chamber. Harry went down first and looked around, pointing his wand forward.

Then... at the other end of the Chamber, near the skeleton of the Basilisk, he saw two bodies laying there: Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy.

Ginny and Ron made their way down the ladder.

"Stay back here for now," Harry said, "I'm going to go check on them. Be ready to curse anyone who shows up."

"Be careful," Ginny said, as tears formed in her eyes.

Harry nodded and walked forward across the narrow walkway toward the other end of the Chamber. He pointed his wand toward Pansy and Draco, but they were very still.

"Harry?" Ron asked, "What is going on?"

"Stay there," Harry said.

Harry turned his head and looked around the Chamber, listening for any sound. Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him.

"Harry, look out!" Ron said.

"COMATI CERA!" a voice shrieked.

"PROTEGO!" Ginny's voice yelled.

Harry turned toward Pansy and Draco, and felt an impact that blew him backward off his feet and across the walkway.

"HARRY!" Ginny yelled, "EXPELLIARMUS!"

A shriek was heard, followed by a sound of wood rolling across the stone floor.

"Don't move, bitch!" Ginny growled, her voice coming closer to Harry, "Ron, keep your wand on her!Harry?"

"I'm – I'm fine," Harry groaned as he sat up, "Just... dizzy."

He looked toward the other end of the walkway and saw Pansy sitting up next to Draco, with a strange smile on her lips.

"COMATI CERA!" a voice shrieked behind Harry and Ginny.

"Harry!" Ron yelled, "Ginny, watch out!

Harry turned just in time to see Ron jump in front of Ginny. He groaned and collapsed to the ground. Harry instantly knew that Ron was a victim of the Comatose Curse.

"NO! RON!" Ginny cried out.

Harry looked around for his wand, and found that it was a few feet away from him. He wouldn't be able to reach it in time.

"EXPELLIARMUS!" Ginny yelled in the direction that the spell had come from.

A wand flew out of the shadows and rolled a few feet across the stone floor.

"Come out!" Ginny said, "Don't even think about picking up your wand!"

A cackling malevolent shriek was heard as a figure stepped forward out of the shadows, their face still hidden.

"I'll give you this, Mrs. Potter," the voice said, "You can Disarm just as well as your husband."

Pansy Parkinson walked out of the shadows, an evil grin across her face.

Harry turned and looked at Pansy, who was now laying back down next to Draco, then to the Pansy who was standing there on the other side of the Chamber.

_What the hell is going on?_

* * *

**Oh, Harry... isn't it** **kind of obvious what is going on?**

**Sorry the action kind of sucked in this chapter... my Muse got hit with the Comatose Curse long before Ron did. The next chapter should make up for it.**

**Just a few more chapters left in this story, I think! Next chapter explains everything that has happened in the last half of this story!**

**Yes, I had to do that to Lockhart. It was either have that happen or have Pansy kill him. He didn't have a broken wand to backfire on him, so... someone would have been Obliviated if they didn't do that.**


	89. Pansy

**Chapter 89  
Pansy**

**Author's Note: Even though the first PoV in this chapter is very long, chronologically it lasts like... less than a minute. Kind of confusing. Work with me. Also... Pansy's thoughts in the first section of this chapter are... kind of rude. It is just her personality.**

**Warning: Harsh language. Graphic Violence. Character Death.**

* * *

**(Pansy)**

_Foolish Potters. Think they can easily Disarm me. However, they do not know about my second wand in my pocket. Easy to get and they'd never expect it. I'll let them believe they've defeated me before I give them what they deserve. Perhaps I'll tell them a story. It is a very interesting story. How much should I tell them? I remember it just like it was yesterday... my foolish younger self... I don't remember ever being that dimwitted. Perhaps an effect of Potter's Memory Charm so long ago...but I began to break out of it... oh, yes, I did begin to break out of it._

* * *

Flashback:

_August 5__th__, 1992_

Pansy blinked rapidly and opened her eyes. She smiled and looked around.

_Finally! Been locked up in her head forever!_

She felt the warmth of someone's hand in hers and looked over, and smiled instantly. She was walking in Diagon Alley with Theodore Nott.

_Aw, Theo. He was such adorable at this age. I don't know why I ever fell in love with Draco Malfoy. Well... Theo's mine now. And it looks like he is falling for me already. This should be fun._

"Theo?" Pansy asked, "Diagon Alley is boring! Can we go somewhere else?"

"Where?" Theo asked.

"Knockturn Alley," Pansy said, "I heard it is a great place for – you know – snogging."

"Snogging?" Theo asked, blinking, as he blushed.

_So innocent at this age. Too bad that goes away so soon._

"Mmhmm," Pansy said, smiling.

Pansy squeezed Theo's hand and led him down the cobbled stone toward Knockturn Alley.

_I need to get my revenge on Harry and Ginny Potter. But how? Hmm... Edward Borgin's store..._

"Come on, Theo," Pansy said, and dragged him toward the store.

"I-I thought we were going to snog," Theo said, "My father never lets me go in this shop."

Pansy rolled her eyes, then leaned over to Theo and kissed him softly. Before he could return the kiss, she backed up and leaned her lips toward his ear.

"If you let me look for something in here," Pansy whispered, "I'll take you back to my place, and we can snog there. I might even let you see me... naked."

She backed away and Theo's eyebrows raised. He then grinned.

_Twelve years old and already easily corruptible. He could be a useful little toy._

Pansy smiled and dragged him into the store.

"Hello, Mr. Borgin," Pansy said, "Daddy wants me to buy something for him. He is a very busy man today Treats me like his little slave girl, but there you have it. Can I buy it for him?"

"Anything for Percival Parkinson's little girl," Edward said.

_Pfft. Doesn't that just scream perverted old pedophile or what? You'll get what is coming to you, old man. Too bad the idea I have in mind is not in this store._

Pansy led Theo over to a large ancient bookshelf full of books and tomes.

_There must be a curse in one of these books to use on Potter. Taunt him, make him unable to move, then kill him... and then his dear little wife. Ah... what is this...?_

Pansy pulled out a book from the shelf and looked at it.

_The Comatose Curse. Never heard of it. But it sounds brilliant._

"What do you think?" Pansy asked, looking at Theo, "Good for some light reading?"

"Yeah, buy it so we can go to your house," Theo said.

_One-track mind... I'll definitely have to knock some sense into him if he is going to grow up to be the kind of man I want. Oh, Mr. Borgin... how about I use my little girl charm to get you to put this on my Daddy's tab?_

Pansy led Theo over to the counter where Mr. Borgin stood.

"Daddy wants this book," Pansy said, "But I kept my purse with Daddy. Didn't want any bad men to steal it. Can you put this on Daddy's tab and he will pay for it later?"

Borgin raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Anything for you, Miss Parkinson."

"Thanks!" Pansy said.

_Twenty Galleons he stares at my ass on my out. I'll come back for you later and make you pay._

Pansy led Nott out of the store, and back up the walkway.

_That was too easy. Hmm... how about a little celebration with my dear future husband._

Pansy pushed Theo over to a wall and leaned toward him and kissed him softly. Mid-kiss, she felt a horrible headache come over her and everything went black.

* * *

_September 15__th__, 1992_

Pansy grabbed her head and groaned, then blinked rapidly and opened her eyes. She was laying on her bed in her dorm at Hogwarts. A diary was perched up against her knees.

"A diary, Pansy?" she asked, "I never kept diaries!"

She growled and ripped the page from the book, then scrunched it into a ball and threw it on the floor.

_"Who are you?!" young-Pansy asked, "You're the one who keeps talking to me! Leave me alone! Where am I?"_

"You are just a voice in my head now," Pansy said, "You've put up a nice fight against me, but I am back and I am not going anywhere. I have a mission to do."

_"Leave Draco alone!" young-Pansy said, "He's a nice boy! Everyone is mean to him!"_

"Oh, I think I could become his friend," Pansy said, "A little re-education, and he will do just fine. Perhaps he can become a pet right along with Theo."

"_LEAVE THEO ALONE!" young-Pansy growled, "He likes me. I like him... I might..."_

"You might even love him?" Pansy asked, "Of course you do, because I love him. Now shut up. I have a plan to put together, and it starts with Vincent Crabbe. He used to be a good friend, but now he is just like the others. Taunting Draco and Theo because their Fathers got caught! He'll pay for that. Now young one... did you bring my book to school with you...?"

* * *

_Oh yes. Crabbe paid, and Blaise Zabini paid as well. I could have made several pay for their betrayal, but I was close to being discovered!_

_Oh look... my pawn is turning back to himself. Polyjuice Potion was a fine idea. And he is so susceptible to the Imperius Curse, as we already learned in October. And what a perfect pawn he is. Who knew that he's a descendant of one of Salazar Slytherin's sons?_

_Oh, that would be me of course..._

_Parselmouth... easy entry into this beloved home of Salazar. The trap was so easy to set... now, let's see how Mr. and Mrs. Potter react to a nice little story. Perhaps it will put them to sleep..._

_Permanently._

* * *

**(Harry's PoV)**

Harry groaned as he picked himself up off the ground. The Comatose Curse may not have hit him, but the collision from the shield had done enough to throw him to the hard floor. He knew he was going to have bruises later from that.

_Harry? _Ginny said, her sniffles evident in Harry's mind, _Ron's in a coma._

_He'll wake up in a few days when the Draught is made. Keep your wand pointed on Pansy. That one. Not... oh, I see. Good move, Pansy. Nice trick._

The Pansy that had been next to Draco had transformed back from the Polyjuice Potion he must have been forced to drink. Harry was now looking at Marcus Flint.

Harry walked over to his wand and picked it up, then turned and pointed it at Pansy.

"Broke my Memory Charm, did you, Pansy?" Harry asked.

"Getting rusty in your young age, Potter," Pansy said, "Not up to your usual standards."

"Neither are you," Harry said. "You're putting kids in comas? Too young and innocent to kill anyone?"

"They were just bait," Pansy said, "I was hoping you would notice my messages and little gifts for you two. You know, I was really, really hoping you would have come for me sooner. I mean, after I attacked Granger, I thought that would have set the two of you off. I made it really personal with that one. And yet you had to be good little Potters, and let me wait. So then I came up with this little plan. 'Their skeletons will lie in the Chamber forever'. So similar to what you wrote, Mrs. Potter, I didn't think you'd be able to ignore that one. I was right. And now... here we are, and I finally get to kill you."

"Don't even think about it, bitch!" Ginny asked, "One move, and you are dead."

"Wow, if only Mummy could hear that language!" Pansy said, laughing. "You know... I think after I kill the two of you, I'll let Ron live for a few days... wait until he is nice and snug in your house, with your precious family... wait until they are asleep... and then set Fiendfyre on the doors and windows."

Harry could feel the burning rage inside his mind, coming from Ginny.

_She's trying to taunt you, Ginny. Don't listen to her._

"Potter Manor and Granger's house after that," Pansy said.

_Distract her, Harry. She likes telling stories. Give her a story to tell. I really don't want to kill her... but if we get close to her, she might do something. Distract her._

"Messages and gifts," Harry said, "What do you mean by that? What does 'pure blood is never always pure' mean? Why attack Slytherins?"

"Going for the easy question first, huh?" Pansy asked, "That one is simple. Vincent Crabbe, Blaise Zabini... the list goes on and... Gregory Goyle, he would have been a victim if I was not afraid of getting caught before you could confront me. Countless other victims too. All my former allies, all future Death Eaters, and yet they didn't give any support to Draco and Theo when their fathers got arrested. They only taunted them! I had to make them pay. 'Pureblood is never always pure'... I thought that was pretty clever myself. There are a bunch of purebloods in this school. Your little wife, included, of course, and many of them are traitors to their blood. But Slytherins... I can't stand a Slytherin blood-traitor. Draco was the first... but that is in a future far from now. I have time to reeducate him."

"Reeducate him?" Harry asked.

"Sure," Pansy said, "Who do you think gave him the idea to go to Durmstrang? I did... last summer. I had a wonderful summer when my younger self was still in her own mind because I was just beginning to fight your Memory Charm. There were times when I'd fight it and I'd take control of our body. Those days I would make my plans for the future. One day, I went into Diagon Alley with Theo on a date, and picked up the book on Comatose Curses. A couple weeks later, I came back and force-fed Edward Borgin a potion that would attract Dementors to him if he ever came close to a whole army of them."

"You knew he'd end up in Azkaban," Ginny said.

"I was hopeful that he would," Pansy said, "especially after Draco's father got arrested. I figured more would follow in his footsteps and go to Azkaban... anyone associated with him. I convinced Draco to go to Durmstrang, because they would set him straight on the path of a wonderful future, a future where I could be proud of him, and maybe in fact love him just as I love Theo. Then maybe he wouldn't be a coward and a blood-traitor when things started to get rough for him. I was planning on doing the same for Crabbe, Zabini, Goyle and others. Zabini... his parents – his father was killed in the Great War, and he never used that rage for any good until I recruited him to join the Death Eaters after the Dark Lord's fall. I was hoping to reeducate him sooner this time."

"Trying to make your own army of Death Eaters," Harry said.

"Of course," Pansy said, "And when the Dark Lord comes back, he'll have an army of eager young recruits, all led by me. More force for the cause. But Blaise and Crabbe and everyone else who were supposedly Junior Death Eaters, they started to taunt my Theo and Draco. They forgot what it was like to support their fellow Death Eaters. I was so angry with them. They needed to pay. So I cursed Crabbe, hoping others would realize that it was a Slytherin who did it... and realize exactly why they were being targeted."

"Marcus Flint?" Harry asked.

"He would have been another victim of the Comatose Curse," Pansy said, "But I needed a scapegoat. I knew the Professors would be getting wiser, and I couldn't have that. So I had to use him, as well as an extra wand. I am really good at getting extra wands. And he had a bonus when it came to him, Flint did. Did you know Flint is like a... distant relative of Voldemort, through Salazar's sons? Means he can speak Parseltongue. I just had to leave the castle for a couple of hours, and go to his house and put him under the Imperius Curse and place him under the Polyjuice Potion... and well... he was a nice distraction. Anyway... I am getting ahead of myself. At your Quidditch match in January, I wanted to really get your attention. Give you a dose of Deja Vu. So I cursed the Bludger, and Imperiused Draco to stun me, just to throw off the Professors scent, but it was never to throw off your scent... that Bludger was supposed to make you really see that it was me doing this. Same coincidences as to what was happening last time. But you still didn't come after me."

"That was why you went after Hermione," Ginny said.

"I needed another Deja Vu moment for you," Pansy said, "Your best friend getting attacked, but no... STILL you didn't come for me."

"Why would you want us to come for you?" Harry asked, "Did you really think you could defeat both of us?"

"You don't know what I am capable of," Pansy said.

She snapped her fingers and Harry heard scuffling behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw Draco and Marcus Flint standing up and pointing their wands at him and Ginny. Their eyes were dazed over.

_Silent Imperius Curse?_ Harry asked.

_But she would need a wand on her for that._

_She has one somewhere. Only explanation for that._

"Don't move!" Ginny growled, "Put your hands up!"

_Harry... remember the mini-earthquake in Dumbledore's office._

_Yeah..._

_Do you think Salazar protected his Chamber from possible collapse? Could it survive an earthquake?_

_This place looks perfect after one-thousand years. I think there is the protective enchantments of the castle on it. So yes. It could._

_Get angry... we need an earthquake._

_Er... okay... how am I supposed to just get angry?_

_Harry, Pansy wants to kill me. And you... and my family... and Sirius and Amelia._

Harry could feel a burning sensation in his mind, growing throughout his body.

"ATTACK THEM!" Pansy growled.

"STUPEFY!" Draco growled.

"CRUCIO!" Marcus yelled.

"Protego!" Harry and Ginny yelled, and their shield actually materialized into a visible manifestation that made the spells ricochet away.

"Stupefy!" Harry said, "Stupefy!"

He could feel the force in his wand, the power of his rage, as the Stunning spells released from it and headed straight to Draco and Flint, hitting them before they could react.

"NO!" Pansy growled, and suddenly had a wand in her hand. "AVADA – AAH!"

The thought of Pansy using the Killing Curse had angered Harry beyond nothing else. The Chamber floor had begun to shake around them and Pansy fell to the ground. Suddenly, multiple loud cracking sounds echoed throughout the Chamber, as a large fissure split the walkway into, causing spouts of water to rise up. The fissure headed straight toward Pansy and she screamed as it reached her and she began falling through the floor.

Harry ran across the flooded floor toward Pansy, while Ginny pulled Ron away from the water spouts so he wouldn't drown. Harry made his way over to Pansy, and found her hand gripped against the floor, as she hung over a very large hole in the ground beneath the Chamber. Harry dived toward Pansy and grabbed her hand.

"NO!" Pansy growled, "Let me fall! Don't be a hero! I tried to kill you!"

Harry ignored her rants and gripped her hand, and pulled her up from the fissure in the ground. He stood up and backed away from Pansy, as she groaned and panted on the wet floor.

"I told you," Pansy said, "To leave me alone!"

She dived across the ground and grabbed the wand that was laying there.

"Stupefy!" Harry yelled, but the spell missed.

"Expelliarmus!" Pansy growled, just as she grabbed her wand.

Harry lost the grip on his wand and it fell to the floor. Pansy stood up and stared malevolently, her wand pointed straight at him.

"First you," she said, "Then your wife –"

_Duck, Harry!  
__  
_Harry ducked without a second thought.

"CHIROPTERA VIRUSI MICHINA!" Ginny growled.

A moment later, Pansy shrieked and fell to the ground. Harry looked up at Pansy, and felt vomit rise in his throat. Pansy's nose was no longer there... it was just a bloody hole in her face. Pansy choked and spluttered. Harry grabbed his wand and crawled over to Pansy. Her eyes were red, full of blood as she stared up at him, choking and sputtering, spitting up blood out of her nearly non-existent lips.

And before Harry could think of anything to help her, Pansy Parkinson died on the floor of the Chamber of Secrets, asphyxiated on her own blood.

Harry groaned and moved away from Pansy, then vomited over the floor. Harry picked up his wand, then used an Aguamenti Charm to clear his mouth of the aftertaste of vomit.

_I couldn't... I just wanted to distract her with that... I didn't expect her nose to... oh, Merlin._

_It is okay, Ginny._

_No... it isn't, Harry. What if our Bond reacts to this?_

_We'll face it if it does. We're alive, that is all that matters._

Suddenly, they heard the sound of footsteps coming from the opening of the Chamber, and found Professor Dumbledore and Sirius standing there there. Fawkes was on Dumbledore's shoulder. Sirius' eyes were full of shock and wonder as he looked around at the Chamber, but there was also another expression in his eyes. One of... fear?

"Sirius?" Harry asked, "Professor? How did you get down here?"

Dumbledore only stared at Harry and Ginny with wonder in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Sirius said, "I had no choice. I told him I knew where the Chamber of Secrets was, and he wanted to know how I knew. There was only one answer I could tell him."

_No,_ Ginny said, _Sirius only knows about this place because of the Pensieve memories. But that would mean..._

"Albus knows you two are from the future," Sirius said.

* * *

**Cliffhanger!**

**Now I am sure you remember the Code of Wizarding Honor that was taken. Does it affect Sirius? Well... maybe... but... like many charms, the Code of Wizarding Honor has a reversal effect to it. And that is all I'll say at the moment.**

**Did you like the battle with Pansy? I was trying to make Harry and Ginny want to keep her alive... for the only reason that they are good people who don't want to kill people. Unfortunately, the rage combined with Ginny's hex had a very bad combination, as you saw.**

**I also hoped you liked Pansy's PoV at the beginning. I had a lot of fun with that.**

Marcus Flint's bloodline is of course non-canon, but I needed a way for Pansy to get into the Chamber.

**Two more chapters left! Next chapter is called Fate, Year 2. And that is all I'll say about that!**


	90. Fate, Year 2

**Chapter 90  
Fate, Year 2**

**Author's Note: I must sink those hopes that Pansy might come back somehow and have a larger role to play later on in the story. She doesn't. She was the major enemy for this story – that was decided when I wanted to turn this first story into two. Dead is dead. Sorry about that. I have some very good ideas for baddies when it comes to the rest of the the Bonds of Time tale, so I promise you will not miss Pansy for too long.**

**Q&A Time:**

**Q:Bearing in mind that canon Dumbledore likes to gather info and not give it out, is giving him the truth really the best idea? And since in canon the adults of the world were next to useless, why does Harry trust them all so much?**

**A: Your question will be answered this chapter. Let's just say, when it comes to Harry, trust has to be earned before he will play all his pieces.**

**Q: Was that the Bat-Bogey Hex that Ginny sent at Pansy? If so, WHOA!**

**A: Whoa indeed. Yes, it was. Albeit a very strong, bond-rage-induced version of the hex. And it will only grow much stronger when she turns fourteen.**

* * *

**(Harry)**

Harry could only stare, numbly, at Professor Dumbledore as the headmaster walked across the cracked walkway of the Chamber of Secrets. He kneeled down next to Pansy Parkinson's body, closed his eyes and shook his head. Fawkes cried mournfully, and flew over to Ginny and Ron.

"Mrs. Potter," Dumbledore said, "I need you to go with your brother and Fawkes to the Hospital Wing to explain to Madam Pomfrey about Ron's condition. The Mandrakes will be ready in a couple of days. Ron won't be this way for too long."

Ginny frowned and looked at Harry.

"Harry will be with you shortly," Dumbledore said, "I ask you not to teleport back down here. With the condition of this floor, it could mean very dangerous results for you."

"Promise me you won't ask Harry anything until I am with him," Ginny said.

"You have my word, Mrs. Potter," Dumbledore said.

_Go, Ginny. I'll be with you soon. I love you._

_I love you too, Harry._

Ginny nodded and clutched her arms around Ron. Fawkes grabbed Ron with one of his talons, and the two Weasleys and phoenix disappeared in a plume of fire.

"Draco Malfoy and Marcus Flint are just stunned," Harry said. "Pansy... she controlled them with the Imperius Curse and made them attack us. I stunned both of them."

"Was Pansy from the future as well?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry hated how calmly Dumbledore asked that question.

"Yes," Harry said.

Dumbledore nodded and walked across the Chamber over to Draco and Flint.

_Ron's now in a bed next to Hermione, _Ginny said. _Madam Pomfrey is looking me over, and it is taking every ounce of my strength not to teleport to you. Get your ass up here._

_One moment._

Fawkes appeared next to Dumbledore once again and flew in between the two Stunned Slytherins. He begin to sing softly, and the two Slytherins started to wake up.

Harry looked at Sirius who was slowly walking over toward him with a frown on his face.

"Harry," he said, "I know you must be upset with me. I'm sorry."

"I'm not," Harry said, then motioned to Pansy's body, "Want to help me do something about her?"

"Not much I can do," Sirius said.

"I know she's dead," Harry said, "I meant when it came to transporting her body."

"Like I said," Sirius said, "not much I can do. Harry, I broke the vow of wizarding honor we agreed on. My magic is bound in my body."

"Oh," Harry said, grinning, "Is that all?"

"Is that all?!" Sirius exclaimed, "I'm a bloody Squib now!"

Harry shook his head and grabbed Sirius' hand.

"Sirius Orion Black," Harry said, "I forgive you for the vow you have broken."

Sirius closed his eyes and his eyelids fluttered as a warming sensation and a golden light surrounded their connected arms, then gradually disappeared. Sirius inhaled and exhaled.

"Thank you, Harry," he said, "I wasn't sure if you'd ever forgive me for this one."

"There is no permanent harm here, Sirius," Harry whispered, "We don't have to tell Dumbledore everything. Just enough so knows you were being honest with him."

Sirius raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "If you wish."

A whooshing sound made Harry turn around. Fawkes, Draco and Flint were gone and Dumbledore was now walking back over to them, though his eyes were on Pansy's body.

"Professor," Harry said, "I can feel Ginny getting angry with me. Unless you want to rebuild the Hospital Wing, I better go."

"Sirius and I will take care of Miss Parkinson's body," Dumbledore said, "Please have Madam Pomfrey check you over. I wish to speak to you and your wife in half-an-hour."

"Yes, sir," Harry said, then closed his eyes.

_Ginny?_

_Finally! Come back to me, you prat._

Harry felt a warming sensation in his mind, then he opened his eyes and found that he was in the Hospital Wing. Before he could even move, Ginny collided softly into him and wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. She kissed him softly and Harry returned the kiss.

_Exactly what are we going to tell Dumbledore?_Ginny asked, as she backed away from the kiss.

_Nothing of Voldemort's return. Nothing of Peter Pettigrew. Nothing of the Horcruxes. I am not taking my chances with those. We can explain the Time Pool. He may actually be able to help us with that one, and we have to tell him how we are here in the first place._

"Mr. Potter?" Madam Pomfrey said, as she emerged from in between two beds at the other end of the room, where Draco Malfoy and Marcus Flint were laying down, though awake and responsive, "What happened to you? You look terrible! Sit down on the bed now, boy, and let me look you over!"

"Professor Dumbledore wants me in his office in half-an-hour, Madam," Harry said, then sat down on the bed near Ron, as Ginny joined him.

"Hey, Potter," Draco said.

Harry looked over his shoulder at Draco's bed.

"Pansy," Draco said, "Is she –?"

"She's dead, Draco," Harry said.

Madam Pomfrey gasped.

"A student is dead?" she asked.

"She was the culprit behind these Comatose attacks," Harry said.

"I thought that was Gilderoy Lockhart," Madam Pomfrey said, "I heard his body was found, a broken neck. And when Dumbledore's phoenix returned with Ginny and Ron, and I found that Ron was another victim... well, I heard you three never made it back to your Common Room."

"I'm sure it will all be explained later," Harry said.

"Yes, it always is," Madam Pomfrey said, "A student... behind all these attacks! A second year to boot! What a tragedy. Now... sit still, Mr. Potter, let me take a look at you."

* * *

Half-an-hour later, Harry and Ginny walked into Professor Dumbledore's office, where the Headmaster and Sirius were sitting near the large desk. A loveseat had been placed next to Sirius.

"Please sit, Mr. and Mrs. Potter," Dumbledore said, very calmly, as he motioned to the loveseat.

Harry and Ginny walked over to the loveseat and sat down. Ginny laid her head on Harry's shoulder, and Harry recognized this as a way to make sure she kept calm during this conversation.

"I'm afraid Sirius refused to tell me much," Dumbledore said, "other than the fact that he discovered the entrance into the Chamber of Secrets through your memories. I asked him how that was possible, and he simply said the two of you were not from this time."

"That is the truth," Harry said, "However, I cannot tell you everything that happened in the future. Let's go with Time Paradoxes and leave it at that."

Harry smiled inwardly when he noticed a grin cross Sirius' lips.

_Time Paradox, _Ginny said,_ yes, he might believe that one._

"On May 2nd, in the year two-thousand and one," Harry said, "Ginny and myself were at a – let's call it a social event in the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic. The Atrium was attacked by Death Eaters, and Ginny and I ended up in the Department of Mysteries, where we fell into what we call a Time Pool. We drowned and blacked out, and woke up on May 3rd, in the year nineteen hundred and ninety one."

"Seems like that was a very eventful day," Dumbledore said, chuckling, "Does this have anything to do with your Soul-Bond?"

"Our Soul-Bond was a created manifestation of an invention of Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel's," Harry said. "The Time Pool. They made the pool to use it as a new and improved marriage bond in the future of weddings. They hoped to recreate their Soul-Bond and give it to all magical couples."

"How do you know this?" Dumbledore asked.

"They told us in their memory they gave you to show to us," Ginny said.

Dumbledore nodded his head once and motioned for Harry to continue.

"The Flamels, however," Harry said, "did not know that the pool was also a – well – let's call it a time machine. When a person or persons would go into the pool, they would automatically start to drown, and it would send them back in time. We emerged back in time, and woke up in our nearly ten and eleven year old bodies, exactly where we had been on May 3rd of that year. The Dursleys house -" He pointed to himself, then to Ginny, "- and the Burrow. We soon realized we had our thoughts, memories and magic of our older bodies."

"This is astounding," Dumbledore said, "I've never heard of a time-travel device that does these things. I wouldn't know how to send you back to your own time, if you asked me."

"What makes you think we want to go back to our own time?" Ginny asked.

"Well," Dumbledore said, "I only assumed -"

"Do not assume anything!" Ginny growled, "We have no wish to go back even if we could. We want to destroy that pool!"

"Destroy it?" Dumbledore echoed, "Why on earth –?"

"The Time Pool is now in the Department of Mysteries, Professor," Harry said, "Sometime between ninety-ninety-six and two-thousand and one, it will be moved into the Time Chamber there. Unless we destroy it. We want to destroy it because there could be another person exactly like Pansy Parkinson if we do not. A person obsessed with the Dark Arts and could change the future and destroy everything we know."

Dumbledore clasped his hands together, as if in prayer. "I'm sorry. I understand now. Did you know about your Bond on the day you came back in time?"

"No," Harry said, "I was already awake when Ginny woke up that morning, and I heard her in my mind. Our very first use of telepathy. I made plans to go to the Burrow to reunite with her, and when I did, we kissed, and that is what activated the Bond. We didn't know exactly what it was until Ragnok told us that day I went to Diagon Alley – the day Peter Pettigrew was caught."

"Did you know those events would take place?" Dumbledore asked, "Peter Pettigrew's capture?"

"No," Harry said, "A lot of things have changed. In our old timeline, I didn't know I was a wizard until my eleventh birthday. You sent Hagrid to give me my letter and take me to Diagon Alley. Hagrid had to tell me I was a wizard. Peter Pettigrew remained in his rat form for nearly three more years. A few months from now, if this timeline was exactly like the old timeline, Sirius would escape from Azkaban, and he would only be found innocent after his death."

Dumbledore looked from Harry to Sirius.

"This certainly goes against all theories of a Time Paradox, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said, "It sounds as if you have already changed the events of time."

"We have," Ginny said, "and we have good reasons for it. We're not telling you why. Only know that we are saving lives."

"She knows what she is talking about, Albus," Sirius said, "I know why they don't want to tell you some of the things that they are planning. If anyone was to stop them from their self-given mission, it would mean disaster for us."

"You do not trust me with this information?" Dumbledore asked Harry.

"Trust is earned, Professor," Harry said, "I wonder... if I was just as ignorant and oblivious as I was in my real twelve-year old body, if you would have told me about the Prophecy after the events of what happened today."

"Harry," Dumbledore said, "I..."

"I already know you would not, Professor," Harry said, "Your other self kept this information from me, and do you want to know what happened? I found out on my own. Sirius died the day I found out. It took me to find that prophecy on my own before you would even tell me about it. And you ask me if I could trust with you the information that could stop a war from even starting? With information that will save a number of lives including -"

_Don't say it, Harry, Ginny_said.

Harry sighed and shook his head. "I trust very few people with this information. Ginny doesn't even trust most of her family with the information. You now know more than we wanted to tell you."

"Okay, Harry," Dumbledore said, "I will not ask you to tell me. I will only ask you this. You have this knowledge of the future. You have the powerful magical core of your older selves that will only grow even more powerful when you two turn fourteen. Yet to everyone besides those very few who know your secret, you are eleven year old Ginny Weasley and twelve-year old Harry Potter. Exactly what can you do with this information that someone like myself cannot?"

"Why don't you just wait and find out, sir?" Harry asked, "We have been well-prepared for this -"

"And yet you let two of your best friends, as well as two fellow students get attacked," Dumbledore said, "Because you kept this a secret. It sounds like the culprit turned out to be a spiteful girl also from your future, who came back to change things."

"Better than a bloody Basilisk attacking this school and Petrifying students," Ginny scoffed, as she sat up from the position she had been in since she sat down, "You've had a far better year this year than your counterpart did. Lucius Malfoy was still free at this time where we came from. Fudge was still Minister. Their combined forces sent you packing from this school and I was nearly killed in the process."

Dumbledore's hands clasped together and he stared at Harry and Ginny through his glasses. Harry noticed Sirius was grinning.

"However," Ginny shrugged, "Look at this... here we are. Alive to tell the tale, and alive to tell this one as well. I am not eleven years old, Professor. Harry is not twelve. I am an adult in my mind, with knowledge far greater than my eleven year old self. Harry was an Auror before we came back here, and he's been through a life of hell you will never understand. Believe me... we can do a lot with the information we have. A lot more than you could."

"If you could go back in time and save your sister, Professor," Harry said, "Would you? Would you stop that event that happened that day so many years ago when three people started fighting immaturely, and a young girl died in the process?"

"What?" Sirius whispered.

Dumbledore raised his hand to stop Sirius, though he did not take his eyes off of Harry.

"I would, Harry," Dumbledore said. There is no denying that."

"Then I think you would understand my position, Professor," Harry said.

"I can see you know a lot of things, Harry," Dumbledore said. "I never expected this conversation with Sirius told me your secret."

"I would have rather he hadn't told you," Harry said, as he looked at Sirius, "But all is forgiven there. It happened. We -"

Harry snorted.

"I was going to say we can't change the past, but it seems we already are," Harry said.

Sirius and Ginny chuckled.

"Could you please explain what happened to my Defense Professor?" Dumbledore asked. "Sirius explained Gilderoy's fraudulent past and his talent for Memory Charms."

"We never meant for Lockhart to end up dead," Harry said, "We confronted him in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, asked him to come with us to the Chamber, because otherwise he might have stopped us from going down to the Chamber to – what we thought at the time was to rescue Pansy and Draco – and we didn't want that to happen. When we told him to go down the pipe, he turned on us and tried to Obliviate one of us. We used Shield Spells, and unfortunately, the spell hit him and knocked him into the pipe. The fall must have killed him."

"A terrible tragedy," Dumbledore said, "But you were defending yourself. Would not have happened if he didn't attack you. Thank you, Harry. I wish you could trust me more with the information you have. But I will keep my promise and not ask you to divulge any more information."

"Really, Professor," Harry said, "We just want to live our lives. We have no way of getting back to our own time, so we are trying to improve this time and stop bad, Dark things from happening. We know what we're doing. I can promise this. If we need your help, we will ask you for it. Until then... let things play out."

Dumbledore closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them.

"Please do be careful, Mr. and Mrs. Potter," Dumbledore said, "Two of my dearest friends have already tempted Fate and lost that battle. I would not want it to happen to you as well."

"We know we probably cannot control Fate, Professor," Harry said, "But we are most certainly going to do our best to change things for the better."

"I wish you the best of luck," Dumbledore said, "You may go. I'll be watching and waiting."

"I must go too," Sirius said, "Amelia will want to hear about everything that has happened."

"Wait... we need to take a Vow of Honor, Professor," Ginny said.

"I understand," Dumbledore said nodding.

They proceeded to make the Vow of Honor, then Harry, Ginny and Sirius all stood up, then made their way out of the office.

"Dumbledore's not going to sit back and take any of this, Harry," Sirius said, "You know that, right? I know that man... he is not happy unless he is meddling with something. He usually means well most of the time, but I think he wants to know exactly what we are trying to prevent."

"We'll be careful around him," Harry said.

"Sirius?" Ginny said, "I've been curious about something. Exactly how did you and the Headmaster get into the Chamber? The sinks closed behind Ron and I teleported to Harry."

"Oh," Sirius said, "Er... well, let's say Albus and I may have made a bit of a mess out of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom."

Ginny snickered and Harry laughed out loud, as the scenario came to his mind.

* * *

**One more chapter left in this story! The end of Second Year!**


	91. Another Year Gone, Year 2

**Chapter 91  
Another Year Gone, Year 2**

******(Harry)**

Harry's eyes traveled around the corridor outside the Hospital Wing. He was sitting on the floor across from the Hospital Wing's doors. Ginny was sitting next to him, her head resting on Harry's shoulder, as Harry held her hand and rubbed his thumb across it. Neville and Luna sat next to them, silent and patient. Fred, George and Percy were all standing near them, talking quietly to each other, glancing toward Harry and Ginny from time to time. Millicent Bulstrode and Gregory Goyle were sitting a few yards away down the hall, also talking to each other, as their eyes nervously looked toward the four Gryffindors and the Hospital Wing.

It was four days after the incident in the Chamber of Secrets, and the nine students had all received urgent notes an hour ago, from Professor Dumbledore, asking them to meet him in front of the Hospital Wing. He informed them that the Mandrakes had fully matured the evening before, and Professors Sprout, Snape and Madam Pomfrey had all started working on the Draught immediately. It had only finished shortly before Dumbledore had written the letters to them. Dumbledore told them that the patients should wake up very soon, and to be patient and until they were all called upon.

Harry's mind went over what had happened ever since the incident in the Chamber of Secrets. Professor Dumbledore was almost completely honest to the students the following morning when he addressed them as to the events that had happened. He told them Pansy Parkinson had been the culprit, and that she had recently obtained a very rare book that had given her the information to use an ancient curse to attack the students. He told them that Professor Lockhart had been killed in the process of trying to rescue Draco Malfoy, and that Ron was also injured in the process, and Harry and Ginny were involved in Pansy's capture that led to her accidental death, while trying to capture her.

The wizarding world was heartbroken to hear about the death of a great celebrity, whose last great story was helping to save students from a terrible fate. Pansy Parkinson's parents and brother came in the day after the incident, talked to Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape. Harry hadn't heard how they reacted to the events surrounding their daughter.

Harry grinned when he remembered his fellow Quidditch teammates' reactions to what had happened. Oliver Wood threatened to kick him and Ginny off the team, because they had once again threatened Gryffindor's chances to win the cup. His rants could be heard all around the Gryffindor Tower. But after practice the previous evening, where Harry and Ginny played better than ever, Oliver apologized thoroughly for his ranting, and told them that if they could play this well after almost getting killed – again – then they should just do it more often!

Suddenly, the doors to the Hospital Wing opened, causing Ginny to jump back from Harry's shoulder. She hurried to her feet, taking Harry with her because she had forgotten their hands were still entwined. Professor Dumbledore appeared in the doorway and at once the students crowded around him.

"Are they wake?" Ginny asked.

"Is Crabbe okay?" Goyle asked.

"Come on, we want to go curse our brother," Fred said.

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows at Fred.

"What he is trying to say is we want to yell at him," George said, "for getting himself into another adventure and not taking us along."

"Ginny won't let us yell at her," Fred said.

Ginny stuck her tongue out.

Dumbledore smiled and opened his mouth to say something when a voice inside the room interrupted him.

"Yes, Hermione," Ron's voice echoed toward them, "I promise I will let you read my lesson notes! I wrote them just for you!"

Dumbledore chuckled and backed away, allowing the students through. Ginny hurried ahead of all of them and ran over toward Ron and Hermione's beds, where the occupants were sitting up in their beds; Hermione's expression was somewhere between a glare and a smile and it only seemed to be for Ron.

"Oomph!" Ron said, when Ginny launched herself at him to hug him.

"You complete idiot!" Ginny said, as Neville and Luna went over to Hermione and hugged her, "Why did you jump in front of me? It could have been a Killing Curse! Then where would you be!"

"You're my baby sister, Gin," Ron said, "I'd have jumped in front of it even if it was a curse to blow us to teeny tiny bits!"

"Do it again and I'll kill you myself, Ronald Weasley," Ginny said, "I swear it!"

"Quit sounding like Mum!" Ron said, "It is bloody creepy!"

Ginny scoffed and backed away from Ron, then immediately hugged Hermione. Harry walked over to Ron and gave him a one armed hug.

"Has she been like this, this whole time, mate?" Ron asked.

"Worse!" Harry chuckled.

_Prat! See if I kiss you for a week._

_I love you too, Ginny._

_Damn... now I have no choice but to kiss you. Maybe I'll move that from a week to until we get out of here._

Harry grinned and crossed the small gap between the beds and quickly hugged Hermione before backing away.

"You have to tell me everything," Hermione said, "Ron refuses to tell me. The only thing I remember is... that out-of-body experience.

"That out-of-body experience gave us everything we needed, Hermione," Harry said.

Ron nodded, before hugging Fred, then George. Hermione smiled, and Harry noticed she was looking at Ron.

"We'll tell you everything soon," Ginny said, "When can the two of you leave?"

"Tomorrow morning," Ron said.

Hermione scoffed. "Don't they understand how much school work I missed!"

"For the third time since we've woken up, Hermione," Ron said, "I'll let you borrow my notes. I'll stay up into two in the morning every night just to help you! You don't have to worry about the exams!"

Dumbledore cleared his throat behind them and everyone turned around.

"Ron is right, Miss Granger," the Headmaster said, "You don't have to worry about exams."

"I'll study as hard as I can," Hermione said.

"You misunderstand me, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said, "As a school treat, all exams except the OWLs and NEWTs have been canceled."

Most of the students cheered, but Hermione frowned.

"Are you sure, Professor?" she asked.

"Very sure, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said, chuckling.

"Okay," Hermione said. "I was looking forward to them though."

"Can you believe her?" Ron said, looking at Harry and Ginny, "Hermione... you have three months of homework to catch up on. Is that better than your exams?"

"I suppose," Hermione said, frowning.

"Mental!" Ron groaned.

* * *

**(Ron)**

Ron and Hermione's friends had spent the rest of the afternoon and most of the evening in the Hospital Wing talking to them. With a well-placed Muffliato Charm, Harry and Ginny explained everything that had happened in the Chamber of Secrets. Ron had recounted his own decisions that led to him getting cursed. Hermione and Ron were both shocked to hear that Pansy had been killed, and that Dumbledore now knew Harry and Ginny were from the future, but agreed with Harry and Ginny that it was better that Dumbledore didn't know too much about the near future.

Harry, Ginny, Luna and Neville left when Madam Pomfrey said they needed to get back to the dorm before curfew. After giving Hermione and Ron a quick check-up, Madam Pomfrey told them they could stay up for another half-an-hour before they needed to go to bed, then retreated across the room to treat the two Slytherins.

"Finally," Ron said, as he snuggled himself into his pillow, "Peace and quiet."

"Oh, really?" Hermione asked, "Another half-an-hour before we have to go to sleep, and you don't want to use that wisely?"

Ron raised his eyebrows as he looked over at Hermione.

"What do you mean?" he asked, "We can't do homework until tomorrow. Sorry, Hermione."

"I didn't mean that, Ron," Hermione said, "Three months you haven't talked to me and you don't want to say anything?"

"You think I haven't talked to you, Hermione?" Ron asked, "I talked to you almost every night. I... broke curfew just to come here and talk to you."

"Really?" Hermione asked.

"I... missed you, Hermione," Ron said.

Ron could swear he saw blush in Hermione's cheeks.

"I didn't really realize just how good of a friend you are," Ron said, "until you were no longer around. I missed you when you weren't there to nag me, or to tell me to finish up my homework. I caught myself swearing and apologizing to you for doing so, and you weren't there to even scold me for swearing."

"Maybe from now on, you'll listen to me when I nag you and stuff," Hermione said. "By the way, I do NOT nag people, Ron Weasley."

Ron chuckled. "I'll definitely try to listen to you. May not always hear it, or understand it, but I'll at least listen. Speaking of listening... Hermione, did you really not know I was talking to you for almost every night for three months?"

Hermione shrugged.

"I was in a curse-induced coma, Ron," Hermione said.

"Luna said that you had heard bits of stuff I had said," Ron said, "and... I said some pretty important things."

"If you want to tell me now, I am listening," Hermione said.

Ron frowned and looked at Hermione, but didn't really see her. He was too lost in his thoughts. There were things he wanted to tell her. Things he had told her once, but apparently she couldn't hear them. Could he really tell her these things now? He didn't know what she would say. He had to say something. She'd probably nag him to do so if he didn't.

"Um..." Ron said, "While you were in a coma, I realized a few things. But most of all, I realized one thing more than any others."

Ron looked at Hermione, and she raised her eyebrows and looked back at him.

"And... what is that, Ron?" Hermione asked, softly.

"You are not a chimpanzee, Hermione," Ron said, "You are definitely a lioness."

Hermione blushed, and cleared her throat. "I told you that the day we found out our animals, Ron."

"I know," Ron said, "It just took me a while to realize it."

Hermione smiled and nodded. Ron relaxed against his pillow.

_Maybe I can't tell her what I want to tell her. But, at the moment, that is enough._

_For now._

"I'm... going to go to bed now," Ron said, as he buried his face into his pillow. "Night, Hermione."

"Sweet dreams, Ron," Hermione said, "Good night. Um... Ron?"

"Hmm?" Ron said, as he looked back at Hermione.

"If you – you know - ever want to talk to me at midnight again," Hermione said, "I promise I will listen."

Ron smiled and nodded, then closed his eyes.

If he had not decided to close his eyes at that precise moment, he might have seen a deep blush creep into Hermione's face as she smiled and watched him fall to sleep.

* * *

Because most of the school did not have to worry about exams, the last week of term passed by peacefully for most of the students. The exceptions were the fifth years and seventh years, who had to take their OWLs and NEWTs, and the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw Quidditch teams.

Because of Ron's recent injury, he would not be allowed to play in the final match of the term, nor would he be able to participate in practices, so he was up in the stands with Hermione, Neville and Luna during the two practices, as well as the final Quidditch match of term. Ginny would be playing instead of Alicia Spinnet again.

The last day of term was going to be a very busy day for all students. Throughout the morning, students could be seen hanging about on the grounds, Common Rooms or corridors, talking to their friends and making up for those conversations they wouldn't have during the following summer.

The Gryffindor-Ravenclaw Quidditch match took place at two-o-clock. The weather conditions were perfect – very little wind but not enough to affect the brooms. The match was one of the roughest Harry had ever been a part of. He wanted to catch the Snitch quickly, but it was hiding very well today. The Chasers from each team played expertly. Ginny, alone scored eight rings and intercepted the Quaffle three times.

The match ended at fifteen minutes past four-o-clock for a total of two hours and fifteen minutes. Harry and the Ravenclaw Seeker dove toward the ground in a Wronski Feint type play, as the Snitch dove toward the grass. Neither Seekers would back away, and Harry barely caught the Snitch before the Ravenclaw Seeker could get it, and was seconds from plowing into the ground, before he pulled up and skidded across the Pitch. Gryffindor won the match 310 – 150, and also won the Quidditch cup! The celebration in the Gryffindor Common room lasted two hours, before everyone had to make their way down to the Great Hall for the end-of-term feast.

Gryffindor's Quidditch victory also cemented the House Cup, though they only won by one-hundred points over Ravenclaw.

* * *

_(_**Harry)**

_Sunday, June 27__th__, 1993 _

An hour after the Hogwarts Express left Hogsmeade, and Harry, Ginny and their friends were sitting and talking in one of the compartments, when Harry and Ginny finally decided to bring up a conversation they were fearing to have to with their friends, and one especially.

"Ginny's permanently moving into Potter Manor with me," Harry said. "But most of the summer we'll be at our summer home in France."

"You're just mentioning this now?" Ron asked, "Why?"

"We've been looking for a time to tell you, Ron," Ginny said. "We just... haven't gotten around to it until now."

"Does Mum and Dad know?" Ron asked.

"Yes," Ginny said, "though I expect we'll talk more about it during dinner before Harry and I leave."

"So you won't be at home at all this summer?" Ron asked.

"We'll be there for the private reception after Sirius and Amelia's wedding in a couple of weeks," Ginny said.

Sirius and Amelia had informed them a few days ago, that the wedding and big reception would be taking place in the Ministry Atrium. It had been a special request by a few Ministry officials, simply because it was the wedding of the Minister of Magic, and a Head of an office. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had offered to hold the private reception between immediate family and friends of Sirius and Amelia. Harry thought this was better than having it at Potter Manor, because several guests did not know the Secret of the location of the house.

"And then you'll be in France this summer," Ron said, "We'll miss both your birthdays. Hermione's also going to France for holiday."

"Only for a couple of weeks, Ron," Hermione said, "I promise I will visit you... maybe I can stay over for a week again."

"I'll come over, Ron," Luna said, "We can swim all day. Have a sleep-over or something."

"Yeah, maybe I can come over too," Neville said.

"Sounds okay," Ron said, shrugging, though he was still looking at Harry and Ginny.

"It isn't like we're going to be in France all summer, Ron," Ginny said, "We have to come back to do school shopping and stuff. We just want to visit the house and have a nice time in France. We haven't been there at all."

"Yeah, okay," Ron said.

"Where is your summer home?" Hermione asked.

"La Rochelle," Harry said.

"Are you kidding me?" Hermione asked.

"No," Harry said.

"That – that is where me and my parents are going!" Hermione said, "Well... there and Paris. A week in each city."

"I'm sure we'll see each other then," Ginny said, "We'll have to show you our house though. We'll be putting up charms to repel most people. Being a wizard home, it is probably entirely too magical. So maybe we can write each other and meet somewhere while there."

"I'll talk to my parents about it," Hermione said, grinning, "I can't believe this – you should have told me sooner!"

Harry couldn't help but notice that Ron looked rather upset.

_Maybe we can try to figure some way for Ron to visit, _Ginny said, for she had noticed her brother's expression as well, _but we won't tell him yet. We'll surprise him._

_Good idea._

Suddenly, someone clearing their throat broke into the conversation. Harry looked at the direction of the door and saw Draco Malfoy standing there in the open doorway.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Ron growled, when "Leave us alone."

"Fine, I won't talk to you then, Weasley," Draco said, "However... I do want to speak to your sister and Harry."

Harry raised his eyebrows. _He called me Harry? Not Potter?_

"I promise I won't hex you," Draco said, "I just want to talk."

Harry looked at Ginny and she nodded.

_We should go see what he wants, _she said.

Harry nodded and stood up, and Ginny did as well. They walked out of the carriage and followed Draco a few yards down the narrow corridor. Draco turned and looked at them.

"Look," Draco said, "I've been wanting to say something for... well, a week or so now. I just haven't done it. I just – I want to say – erm – oh, hell with it. Thank you, Potter, Weasley, for saving my life down in that Chamber or whatever it is called."

"Wow," Harry said, "Well... you're welcome."

"Yeah," Ginny said, "You're welcome."

"I didn't know Pansy was attacking students," Draco said, "I'm telling the truth. I thought she was okay. She and Nott were the only two talking to me this year, and I thought she was my friend."

"How is Nott?" Ginny asked.

"He's... he's not good," Draco said. "He was hoping to spend the summer with Pansy. I guess they were close... boyfriend and girlfriend maybe. But... I never expected Pansy to do any of that. Crabbe and Goyle were my friends, and I felt bad when Crabbe got attacked. Can't believe Pansy did that. And... I can't tell her this, Harry, but tell Granger I am sorry for what happened to her. I may not like her, but I didn't want her to get hurt."

"Where did this come from, Draco?" Harry asked, "You're being nice all of a sudden."

"I told you last year I was probably going to Durmstrang starting third year," Draco said, "and I am. I just... I can't be here anymore."

"You do realize what Durmstrang is famous for, right?" Ginny asked, "The Dark Arts."

"I don't care," Draco said. "I'm not going there for that reason. I am going there... to get away from my Father. I know he is in Azkaban, but his influence is still with a lot of Slytherins. They may have hated him because he went to Azkaban, but his hooks run deep into them. It has taken me ever since his arrest, until a few days ago to realize... I hate my father. Harry, your godfather, Sirius Black, he was responsible for giving my mother her maiden name back, right?"

"Yeah," Harry said.

"Can you... can you ask him to visit my Mum and me this summer?" Draco asked. "I know he will be busy with his wedding and honeymoon, but... tell him I want to talk to him. I want... I don't want my father's name anymore. I can't be a Malfoy."

Harry smiled. "Sure... we'll tell him."

"Thanks," Draco said. "I don't want to end this – whatever it is between you and I off badly. I'm sorry for anything I've done to you these past couple of years. I don't know if I want to be friends with you, but... I don't want to be enemies."

"So... neutral?" Harry asked.

"Neutral," Draco said. "You saved my life... I know about life debts, and I can't live my life owing a life debt to someone. So this is all I can do. Not hate you anymore."

"That is enough for me," Harry said.

"Me too," Ginny said.

Draco nodded and looked from Harry to Ginny, then back to Harry.

"I don't know what is going on between the two of you," Draco said, "But whatever it is... I hope it works out well."

Draco gave a small smile and walked off before Harry or Ginny could respond, then disappeared into the next section of the train. Harry looked at Ginny.

_Never expected that... did you? __Harry asked._

_No... but... he seems okay, I guess. Glad we were able to do something about him, even if he is going to Durmstrang._

_Yeah... it will be weird. No Draco for the next five years. What will we ever do without him?_

_I guess we'll just have to wait and find out._

Ginny grinned and pulled Harry down the corridor away from eavesdropping students. When they were away from carriages, she wrapped her arms around Harry's neck as she pushed him into the wall of the corridor. Harry smiled and pulled Ginny toward him, then claimed her lips with his. She murmured softly against his lips as she returned the kiss.

_I love you, Harry._

_Love you too, Ginny. Always will._

Ginny smiled and she moved her hands back toward one of his own. She entwined her fingers in his, and they returned to their compartment to spend the next few hours with their friends as the train made its way back toward the England.

* * *

**End of Book 1 of the Bonds of Time Saga!  
****  
Hope you liked this final chapter. I wanted to emphasize three things. Ron and Hermione waking up from the Comatose Curse, a preview of the summer in the beginning of the next story, and a final moment with Draco. Will Draco be back in the story? Yes, I do have plans for him, but probably not until Book 3. **

**When I began this story, I wanted to write my own time-travel and Soul-Bond story. I had read a few other stories with one or both plot elements, and I was curious to see if I could write a good story combining those two and doing a sort of re-do story. I am pleased to have finished it, but I am more pleased with the response it has gotten. I had never predicted that it would get this many hits, or this many reviews, favorites or followers. I am amazed at that, so thank you all!**

**As for the sequel, it should begin soon. However, I need to write out notes for it and figure exactly what I want to do. I have some major events to begin the story, and they all take place within the first month or less chronologically in the story. Needless to say, the story will start off with a bang!**

**So look for my new story "Bonds of Time II: Fighting Fate!" soon!**

**Thank you all once again for your support toward this and all my stories. Even though I had a big delay for a couple months, you still continued to read my story when I came back. So thank you!**


	92. Bonds Of Time II: Fighting Fate

**Attention fans of "Harry Potter and the Bonds of Time"...**

**A few of my readers asked me to put an announcement on this story to let you know when the next story is beginning – the first chapter is now up! Here are the details:**

**Title: **Bonds of Time II: Fighting Fate

**Summary: **Book 2 in the Bonds of Time Saga. Bond-Mates Harry and Ginny Potter seek to change the future for the better. Weddings, pregnancy and romance looms on the horizon, but so does Death, loss and sacrifice. How can you win when you're fighting against Fate?

******Hope you follow the story and enjoy it as much as this one!**


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